Another Nakama II
by QPython
Summary: There's another pirate on board the Going Merry, follow the Straw Hats as they reach the Grand Line and embark on a journey to save a Princess' Kingdom.
1. Chapter 1

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer: **The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonnan Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. Please support the official release.

**Summary:** There's another pirate on board the Going Merry, follow the Straw Hats as they reach the Grand Line and embark on a journey to save a Princess' Kingdom.

**Rating:** This is One Piece so it's TV-14 (T), NOT 4-Kids, rated for language, blood, and violence.

Welcome everyone to part two of my story 'Another Nakama'. I broke up the story so it didn't get to be ridiculously long. I don't like the idea of having a story that's over a hundred chapters. This section of the story will cover 'season 2'. That means, the Cape Promise Arc, the Whisky Peak Arc, the Little Garden Arc, the Drum Kingdom Arc, and the Alabasta Arc. With the length of the Alabasta Arc and some of the filler, it should be about the same length as my last story. Enjoy!

**-x-**

**The Grand Line:**

**-x-**

"_I CAN SEE IT!" Luffy exclaimed, "THIS IS THE GREATEST SEA IN THE WHOLE WORLD! IT'S THE GRAND LINE!"_

_Ricky smiled as he stared through the clouds at the legendary ocean that was awaiting them and whispered, "I'm home."_

"_LET'S GOOOO!" Luffy cheered as the Going Merry continued on its path downward and took them closer to their dreams. New adventures, new friends, and new enemies awaited the Straw Hat Pirates in the Grand Line._

The Going Merry continued down the canal from the peak of Reverse Mountain and started on its way into the Grand Line. The Merry plowed through a cloud and kept going.

"Whoa! This is great!" Sanji exclaimed as he hung onto a rope ladder on the mast and stared down the canal ahead of them. He was still wearing the same black suit and tie from last story and was still smoking the same cigarette.

"Ahahahaha!" Usopp laughed as he enjoyed the ride while sitting on top of the rigging of the main sail. He had his special goggles down over his eyes so he could see through the clouds and mist better.

"WOOOHOOO!" Nami cheered, who was wearing a sleeveless blue shirt with a darker blue heart on it, her usual fancy sandals, and a one of her usual skirts, this one was black and had two white rings on the sides. She was leaning against the front railing of the front deck staring down the canal, "HEHEHEHEHE!"

Zoro smiled and stared around him in wonder as he stood behind the front railing on the other side of the front deck. He clutched the white handle of _Wado Ichimonji_.

Ricky used his hand to keep the black cowboy hat on his head as he leaned back against the back railing of the front deck. A seemingly out of place smile was on his face as the Merry continued its descent into the Grand Line.

Luffy sat on the sheep figurehead clutching his treasured straw hat to his head. He stared in marvel down at legendary ocean that awaited them. This was the ocean that he had to conquer to become King of the Pirates.

As the Straw Hats got further down, a loud noise could be heard coming from the bottom of the mountain. **BWAAA!**

"Did you guys just hear something?" asked Zoro, he nearly had to shout to make sure his voice was heard over the rushing wind and the spray of the waves.

"Unfortunately," Ricky muttered as he cleaned out one of his sensitive ears with a finger.

"Huh? What's that?" questioned Nami, who couldn't hear anything with the wind rushing passed them.

"THAT GROANING SOUND!" Zoro called out a bit louder, "Didn't you hear it?"

"It was probably just the wind!" Nami replied. "At this speed everything sounds distorted!"

**BWAAA! **The sound came again as the Going Merry passed through another cloud and got closer to the bottom.

"Huh, what's that?" Usopp wondered as he adjusted the lenses of his special goggles and spotted a large shadow in the mist at the bottom of the Grand Line.

"Miss. Nami!" Sanji called out from his high spot on the rope ladder. "I see a mountain up ahead!"

"What? That's impossible!" said Nami.

"But it's right there!" Sanji insisted. "I can see it!"

"I can't," Ricky commented, "But then I again, barely have depth perception."

"WHO CARES? LET'S GO!" Luffy cheered as he enjoyed the feeling of the wind blowing passed his face.

"Once we pass the Twin Capes up ahead there should be nothing but ocean!" Nami exclaimed.

"There was no mountain there last time I went through," Ricky stated. "And there's one problem with your mountain-theory Sanji, mountains to let out loud wails."

The Merry charged through the last layer of the clouds and spotted a dark object up ahead, seemingly blocking their path.

"WWAAAAAHHHH! IT'S A BLACK WALL!" Luffy screamed.

"No… Ricky was right!" Nami realized.

"I was?" questioned Ricky, "I couldn't even see it."

"It's not a mountain, IT'S A GIANT WHALE!" Nami shouted.

The was MASSIVE and made the Going Merry look miniscule. It had big sorrowful eyes that were fifty times the size of the Merry, huge pointed teeth, and countless nasty-looking scars on its snout. But the worst part was that the whale was blocking their path.

"It _is_ a whale," Ricky realized. "Island Whales are the only ones that get that big. They're supposed to only live in the West Blue."

"What should we do?" asked Luffy. "Should we fight it?"

"YOU IDIOT!" Nami yelled. "HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO FIGHT A HUNDRED TON WHALE?"

"WE'VE GOTTA DO SOMETHING!" Usopp screamed, "OUR PATH IS BLOCKED!"

"Should I try tickling its nose?" Ricky offered.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Nami shouted, she didn't approve of his methods for escaping from 'Ned' and the other giant Neptunians from the Calm Belt.

"Calm down!" Sanji called out. "If it looks like a wall to us, we must look like a speck!"

"That's right," Nami agreed, "It's possible that it hasn't noticed that we're here."

"But we're gonna crash right into it unless we change course!" Zoro realized. He spotted an opening, "LOOK! We can get by on the left! PORT! HARD TO PORT!"

"THE WHIPSTAFF IS STILL BROKEN!" Usopp shouted as he pointed to the broken whipstaff in the galley that they had snapped off while trying to steer in the extremely strong current that let into the canal they'd taken up Reverse Mountain.

"Do SOMETHING!" Zoro snapped as he hopped over the back railing of the front deck and ran to the galley to figure out how to help Usopp and Sanji steer the ship around the whale.

"HEY! I'VE GOT AN IDEA!" Luffy suddenly shouted. He got off of his special seat and hopped railing of the front deck, then went into the anchor room.

"Luffy what're you doing?" Nami called after him. Nami turned around and glared at Ricky, "DO SOMETHING!"

"Panicking never accomplishes anything," Ricky replied calmly. "And I'm pretty sure I can't telekinetically move this entire ship. Brace yourself and be prepared for anything."

"Unnggghh," Usopp grunted as he, Zoro, and Sanji attempted to turn the ship using the tiny stump that was left of the whipstaff. "THIS IS POINTLESS! IT'S NOT WORKING!"

"WE CAN'T GIVE UP!" Sanji shouted.

Nami stared wide-eyed as the massive whale got even closer, they couldn't turn, they were gonna crash right into it and drown. "Is this the end?"

**KA-BOOOM!** The front cannon suddenly fired and blasted the whale at point-blank range. The Merry lurched and Nami was thrown backwards.

"THE CANNON!" Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, and Nami screamed all together.

"_That _was your brilliant idea, Luffy?" questioned Ricky. "Are you trying to kill us even faster?"

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed, "Did it work? Well, did the ship stop?"

Ricky turned and glanced in front of them to answer, only to see the ship plow right into the whale. **KRACK!** Ricky's eye shot opened as the sheep's head broke off completely and was about to come crashing down on Nami.

Nami saw the sheep's head coming down on her, she dropped down and put her hands over her head. Something heavy landed on top of her and knocked her to the ground. **KLUNK!** That was followed almost immediately by the sound of the sheep's head crashing down to the deck. "This is bad…" mumbled Nami as whatever was on top of her pressed her into the deck. "Am I dead?"

"I hope not," said the thing on top of her as it rolled off. Nami glanced to her side and saw Ricky sitting up, then she looked over her shoulder and saw the sheep's head tumbling across the main deck. Nami grabbed onto Ricky and held onto him tightly.

"MY SPECIAL SEAT!" Luffy screamed in horror as he peered out the opened anchor room door at the sheep head that was on the deck.

The six straw hats stared in shock at the whale, but it didn't even flinch after being hit with a cannon and a caravel.

"New plan!" Ricky called out as he pulled away from Nami and leapt down to the main deck. "Paddle like crazy! Zoro, over here on the port side with me, Sanji, Usopp, you take starboard, but don't paddle as hard, we wanna go left not in a circle."

"RIGHT!" the other three agreed as they grabbed oars and manually turned the ship and paddled around the whale.

"Let's get out of here!" Zoro exclaimed.

"We can't go too far," Ricky told him. "We have to stop at one of the Twin Cape Lighthouses once we get around the whale. If we go any further without preparation we could all die."

"Would someone mind explaining what the heck is going on?" Usopp shrieked as he continued paddling.

"It's so big that the cannonball didn't even make it flinch!" Sanji reasoned. "Either that, or its reaction time's really slow."

"Who cares!" Zoro replied as he paddled as fast as he could. "At least we're alive!"

**BWWWAAAAAA!** The whale made the same loud noise they had heard from half way up the mountain. Only this time they were right next its mouth and heard the whale's wail at full force.

"GAAAHHH! MY EARS!" Sanji screamed.

Ricky clamped his hands over his sensitive ears and shuddered. "Keep… paddling…" he groaned.

"We've gotta… get out of here!" Zoro exclaimed.

They managed to get around the whale and everyone quieted down as the Merry passed under the whale's massive eye.

"Luffy…" said Nami when she spotted Luffy standing on the front deck, he was seething.

"YOU DESTROYED MY SPECIAL SEAT!" Luffy screamed at the whale. "TAKE THIS!" **KA-POW!** Luffy stretched out his arm and punched the whale right in the eye.

"YOU MORON!" the rest of the crew shouted.

The whale might not have noticed the cannon, but it noticed getting punched in the eye and stared down at the tiny ship. "Well… crap," Ricky cursed as they stared up at the whale's giant eye.

"I'M NOT THROUGH WITH YOU!" Luffy hollered at the whale, "THERE'S A LOT MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM!"

"SHUT UP!" Zoro and Usopp shouted as they ran over and kicked Luffy in the back of the head, **THWAK!**

**BWAAA! **The whale let out an angry wail and opened its mouth revealing its giant teeth that were each a fifty times the size of the Merry.

**SHWWOOOOO!** The water started to get sucked into the whale's mouth, pulling the Going Merry along with it. The Merry floated between two of the whale's giant teeth and Luffy went flying off the ship.

"LUFFY!" Nami and Sanji screamed as they saw that captain go overboard.

**WOING!** Luffy stretched his arm out and grabbed onto the tip of one of the whale's teeth, then yanked himself over to it, **SWHOOOM! **Luffy leapt up off of the whale's tooth and grabbed onto a top tooth, then climbed up onto the whale's head. "I'M NOT GONNA DIE HERE!" Luffy used the multiple scars on the whale's head as hand holds and climbed up onto the top of the whale. **WOOOOOSSHHH!** The water and the Going Merry were all sucked down the whale's throat, **CLOMP!** The whale closed its mouth and swallowed the Going Merry and all the pirates on it.

Luffy found himself sitting in top of the whale's head panting for breath. **Huff… Puff… **"Oh man… everyone's been swallowed whole…" Luffy realized.

Luffy stood up and started punching the whale on the head, **POW! POW!** "HEY YOU!" he yelled at the whale. "GIMME BACK MY NAKAMA! SPIT 'EM OUT DAMN YOU!" It didn't seem like Luffy's attacks were doing anything to the whale that was so many times his size.

**SPLOOOSH! **In response the whale started sinking into the water. "YOU JERK! ARE YOU TRYING TO ESCAPE?" Luffy demanded as the stomped on one of the whale's scars, **WHOMP! STOMP! **"GRRRR… LISTEN YOU BIG BRUTE! I'M NOT GONNA ASK AGAIN! STOP SINKING AND GIMME MY NAKAMA BACK! WE'RE ON AN IMPORTANT ADVENTURE! I CAN'T LOSE 'EM!"

Luffy glanced around the sinking whale and spotted… a door? "Huh?" questioned Luffy. Call him stupid, but he wasn't sure that whale's had doors on their head. But with nowhere else to do and the whale sinking, Luffy opened the hatch to the metal door and went inside.

**SPLOOOSH!** The whale disappeared underwater and swam away.

**-x-**

"What do you think?" asked Nami as the five straw hats stared up at the sky above them in different degrees of shock.

"I don't even know what to think," Zoro answered.

"Is this even real?" Sanji wondered. "Cause I know exactly what I saw and I felt. We were swallowed by the whale.

"Is this a dream?" Usopp asked.

"This looks nothing like one of my dreams," Ricky stated.

In front of them was a small island with a small house, a clothesline, a palm tree, and a lounge chair on it.

"Then what's with this island… and that house?" questioned Nami.

"A hallucination?" Zoro offered.

"Sanji, what was in that grog we drank earlier?" Ricky inquired.

"No clue," Sanji replied.

**SPLOOOSH! **Suddenly a giant squid rose up in front of the Going Merry, looking to eat the pirate inside.

"Oh cool, a Neptunian Squid," Ricky commented.

"A NEPTUNIAN SQUID!" Usopp and Nami screamed as they jumped behind Ricky and used the six foot tall First Mate as a meat shield. Zoro and Sanji stepped forward to fight the squid, but they didn't have to.

**BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! **Harpoons were launched out of guns on the house and shot the squid in the head. It was dead before they could do anything to it.

**BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!** Another three harpoons were shot into the squid's head and pulled it over onto its side.

"Looks like someone's here," Zoro observed as he stared at the house the harpoons had come from.

"Let's hope it's a person," said Sanji.

"I've had it, let's go," Nami whimpered as she and Usopp clung to Ricky.

"Giant squids… guys with harpoons…" Usopp whined, "and where's Luffy?"

"Why would you wanna go?" Ricky wondered. "We just got here. And now we've got lunch… anyone up for calamari?"

**-x-**

Luffy currently found himself standing in a metal hallway with a lamp overhead. "I don't know much about whales," Luffy admitted, "But since when do they have doors and lighted hallways?"

**-x-**

"A ship, eh?" questioned a man as he peered through the door of his house.

"Should we fire the cannon at the house?" asked Usopp.

"No, wait a minute," Sanji replied, "someone's coming out."

**-x-**

**Laboon the Whale:**

**-x-**

The Straw Hats stared in surprise as they watched the figure in the house pull on the ropes attached to the squid and reel it in.

"It's a…" Sanji stammered.

"…flower," Zoro supplied.

The 'flower' was an old man with crazy hair. In the back it was grayish white and matched his beard, but on the front it was purple and yellow flower petals. The old man wore a red and green collared shirt, blue shorts, sandals, and a pair of glasses.

"No… it's a person," Ricky corrected him.

"Are you sure?" asked Usopp as he stared at the strange man in surprise.

"Crazy hairstyles like that are common in the Grand Line," Ricky replied.

"That old man just killed a Neptunian Squid like it was nothing," Nami realized.

"The question is: why?" Sanji wondered, "did he mean to save us, or was he just fishing?"

"He's stealing our lunch is what he's doing," said Ricky.

"…" The old man dropped the rope and stared at the Straw Hats.

"…" The Straw Hats stared back.

"…" The old man wordlessly walked over to his palm tree while glaring at the five pirates. **Whip!** The man then opened a newspaper and sat down in his lounge chair.

Sanji eventually broke the silence, "WELL… YOU GONNA SAY ANYTHING?"

"HEY! IF YOU WANNA FIGHT WE'LL FIGHT!" Usopp bravely called out… from back in the galley. "WE'VE GOT CANNONS BACK HERE YOU BASTARD!"

"…" The old man wordlessly glared at them.

"…" The Straw Hats silently stared back.

"**You try that, and someone's going to die,"** the old man said cryptically.

Ricky once again had to deal with Usopp and Nami clinging onto to him while Zoro and Sanji got ready for a fight.

"Yeah, and who's that?" Sanji challenged.

"Me, of course," the man answered.

"YOU'RE PISSING ME OFF!" Sanji shouted.

"Does that mean we can have the squid?" Ricky inquired.

"WOULD YOU STOP THINKING ABOUT FOOD FOR TWO SECONDS?" Nami snapped as she hit him on the head, **WHAP!**

"Ease up there," said Zoro as he put a hand on Sanji's shoulder.

"That bastard's mocking me!" Sanji growled as Zoro stepped forward and addressed the old man.

"There's a couple things we need to know," Zoro called out. "Where are we? And who are you?"

"And can we have the squid?" Ricky added.

**WHAP!** "STOP THAT!" Nami scolded him after hitting him on the head again.

"…" The old man glared at Zoro.

"…" Zoro stared back.

"…" The man was silent.

"…" The Straw Hats were silent.

"Isn't it proper etiquette to introduce yourself before you start asking questions of someone you just met?" asked the old man.

"Alright, fair enough," Zoro replied, "My name is—"

Zoro was cut off when the old man introduced himself, "My name is Crocus. I'm the Lighthouse Keeper of the Twin Capes. I'm seventy-one years old, and a Gemini."

"I'M GONNA KILL HIM RIGHT HERE!" Zoro shouted.

"Alright my turn," said Ricky as he grabbed Zoro's arm and pulled him back. "I'm used to dealing with eccentric people in the Grand Line."

Ricky took his cowboy hat off and stared at the old man, "…"

The old man stared back, "…"

"…" Ricky kept staring.

"…" The old man stared back.

Neither Ricky nor Crocus moved, both of them stared at each other while the rest of the Straw Hats stared in confusion.

"…" the flower-man glared at Ricky.

"…" Ricky stared at the flower-man.

"…" Crocus continued to stare at Ricky.

"…" Ricky stared right back.

"…" Crocus' eye started twitching, but then… **BLINK!**

"You blinked," Ricky stated, causing the rest of the crew to face-fault.

"You seem to have me at a two-to-one disadvantage," Crocus observed with an amused smile.

"Nice to meet you, old man," greeted Ricky. "I'm 'One Eye' Ricky Treasure Hunter Extraordinaire. I'm the First Mate of the Straw Hat Pirates. I recently turned nineteen, I'm a Gemini too, and at the moment we have no clue where we are. Do you think you could answer some questions?"

"…" Crocus stared at Ricky.

"…" Ricky stared back.

"…" The other Straw Hats sweat-dropped.

"Fine," Crocus agreed.

"Alright, first, where are we?" Ricky asked. "I remember being swallowed by a giant Island Whale but there's a sky overhead. And are you gonna eat that squid?"

"You want to know where you are?" Crocus repeated. "I'd think it's fairly obvious since you were _eaten_. Now you're at my one-man resort."

"Wait, so you mean we really were eaten?" Usopp asked. "Since when does a whale's stomach have clouds in it?"

"What's gonna happen to us?" questioned Nami. "I don't wanna be digested!"

"…" Crocus glared at her.

"STOP DOING THAT!" Nami yelled.

"What's wrong? Never heard of a running gag?" questioned the old man.

"THAT WAS A GAG?" four of the Straw Hats shouted.

"She makes a good point," Ricky commented, "Is there a way out of this stomach?"

"The exit is over there," Crocus answered as he pointed to a large metal double door off in a distance.

"Okay, even if I believed a whale's stomach could have a door," said Nami, "There's nothing there but sky."

"Hold on, those seagulls aren't moving!" Usopp realized as he spotted a still bird up in the air. "THEY'RE PAINTED ON! IT'S A GIANT MURAL INSIDE A WHALE'S STOMACH!"

"It's a hobby of mine," Crocus explained.

"YOU'RE NOT MAKING ANY SENSE YOU CRAZY OLD FOOL!" Usopp yelled.

"Forget him," Zoro advised. "There's the exit, let's get out of here."

**THOOOOM! **The entire… stomach… suddenly started lurching. "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?" Sanji shouted as the Going Merry and Crocus' Island bounced up and down in the waves.

"It's begun," Crocus said to himself.

"LOOK!" Nami suddenly shouted as she pointed to the Crocus's island which appeared to have a metal bottom. "That's not an island! It's some kind of ship!"

"Then this isn't water!" Usopp realized. "This a sea of gastric acid!"

"And our wooden ship won't fare too well if we stay here," said Sanji.

"I don't think I want that squid any more," Ricky commented, he turned to Crocus, "Hey old man, what's going on?"

"The whale is very angry," Crocus answered, "These aftershocks are a result of him hitting his head against the Red Line."

**-x-**

Outside, the whale barreled through the water and then rammed head-first into the solid rock Red Line, **WHAM!**

**-x-**

"What?" Zoro and Sanji shouted at the same time.

"That explains the scars," Ricky realized.

"That's right!" Nami exclaimed. "I saw them too. And there was something mournful about his cries."

"Why's he do it?" asked Usopp.

"It's because he's suffering!" Nami told him.

**-x-**

**THOOM! **The whale once again rammed its head into the Red Line.

**-x-**

Everything lurched again and the Going Merry bobbed up and down.

"So that's what the old man is up to?" questioned Usopp.

"More than likely he's trying to kill the whale from the inside," Nami reasoned.

"Don't be stupid," Ricky scolded her. "He wouldn't do that."

"How do you know?" Nami snapped. "You just met him!"

"Look at him," Ricky told her as he pointed at the old man who was standing on his island staring down at the water in concern. "That doesn't look like the face of someone trying to kill the whale. He looks worried about it."

"We have no right to judge the old man or to save the whale." Sanji resolved. "Let's just get out of here before we lose our ship."

Ricky frowned and looked like he didn't agree with the idea of not helping the whale, but he relented and nodded his head. "If we stay here much longer our ship will be digested. Let's paddle over to the door and get out. We see if we can do anything about the whale once we no longer have to worry about our ship."

**-x-**

**WHAM! WHAM! **Again and again the massive whale rammed his head into the Red Line, causing everything inside it to shake and lurch.

**-x-**

Somewhere inside the whale, a mysterious man and woman were holding a pair of guns.

The man was wearing a fancy green suit and a crown on his head. He had orange hair and had swirls that looked like '9's' drawn on his cheeks.

The woman had her long blue hair pulled up into a high ponytail with a gold band. She wore a green coat with a furry white neck and a blue and gray diagonally striped sleeveless shirt underneath. Finishing off the outfit was a pair of white shorts.

"Hmph," the man grunted as the two of them held up their guns. They looked like they were up to no good.

**-x-**

"With all this sloshing we can't reach the exit!" Usopp shouted as the Straw Hats struggled to get to the exit and get through the waves of stomach acid.

"If we don't get out of here we could be killed!" Zoro yelled. "Luffy too, I saw him get tossed out of the whale's mouth!"

**SPLASH! **Crocus suddenly dove into the stomach acid and started swimming towards the exit. "The old man just jumped in," Ricky pointed out.

"What's he doing?" Nami demanded. "Is he insane?"

"That stomach acid will eat him alive!" said Zoro.

Crocus swam through the digestive acid, ignoring the skeletons that were at the bottom of the whale's stomach. He looked intent on doing something only he knew.

**-x-**

"WWWAAHHHHH!" Luffy screamed as he bounced from wall, to ceiling, to floor, to other wall of the metal hallway. The whale's suddenly lurching had caused him to lose his balance and since he was made of rubber he couldn't stop himself from bouncing after he hit the first wall. "I'm so dizzy… I'm gonna hurl…"

**SWOOO! WHAM!** Luffy went flying out of the hallway he was in and ended up in a metal plated sewer. There was a water way in the middle and two metal sides running parallel to it.

"Uhhhhh…" Luffy groaned as he sat up and attempted to regain his balance, "That's weird, a whale's a got a river inside of it too?"

**THOOOM!** The entire room started to tilt downward as the whale dove, Luffy couldn't keep his footing on the metal plates and ended up falling sliding down the tilted metal plates to who-knows-where.

**-x-**

"Things are looking up Ms. Wednesday," said the man with 9's on his face as he and his partner 'Ms. Wednesday' leaned against a metal door, "We've been successful so far. Behind these doors lie the beast's stomach, and that troublesome geezer as well. He must be eliminated before he can interfere again. Remember, it's all for the whale."

"Indeed, Mr. 9," Ms. Wednesday agreed. "This whale's a precious creature, one that holds the sweet promise of life for our town."

**-x-**

"Guys, the old man just resurfaced!" Usopp called out as he spotted Crocus climbing up a ladder to a smaller door on the big doorway.

"Forget about the old guy," said Zoro. "Our focus should be on getting to those doors and getting them opened."

"Once he's gone I'll do it," Ricky offered as he pointed to his eye patch.

**-x-**

"Alright, here's the plan baby," Mr. 9 told Ms. Wednesday as the continued leaning against the door to the stomach. "Three… two… one, then we kick through the door and start shooting."

"Roger that, Mr. 9," Ms. Wednesday agreed. "Let's do it!"

Suddenly a scream that started out faint but then grew in volume and got really loud broke out. **"AAAAAHHHHH!"**

"What's that voice Mr. 9?" asked Ms. Wednesday.

"I don't know, Ms. Wednesday," Mr. 9 admitted.

Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday looked up to see Luffy come sliding towards them. "AAAAAHHHH! I CAN'T STOP! I CAN'T STOP!"

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Mr. 9, Ms. Wednesday and Luffy all screamed as the rubber pirate plowed into them and sent them all flying through the door and out into the stomach.** KRASH!** "AAAAAAHHHH!"

Crocus stopped climbing momentarily when he spotted three figures flying overhead, "They're back," he grumbled before he resumed climbing.

"NOT GOOD! WE'RE GONNA FALL INTO GASTRIC ACID!" Mr. 9 screamed as he, Luffy, and Ms. Wednesday went flying.

"Luffy?" questioned Zoro when he saw the Captain go flying passed.

"Zoro!" Luffy exclaimed. "Is everyone okay?"

"We're fine bro," Ricky informed him. "We were actually just leaving. I tried to get us lunch but the whale got stomach acid all over it."

"Oh man, I was getting hungry," Luffy complained, but then he remembered his current situation, "Um… if everyone's okay, THEN HELP ME!"

**SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH!** Luffy, Ms. Wednesday, and Mr. 9 all went splashing into the stomach acid around the Going Merry.

Crocus cast a glance over his shoulder then quickly ran off to do whatever it was he was doing.

"Looks like Luffy's not alone," Usopp realized as he stared down at the three figures in the water.

"Where'd that old geezer get to?" Nami wondered. Crocus had disappeared while everyone was caught up with Luffy's sudden reappearance.

"Zoro, dive in and get Luffy," Ricky instructed.

"That's stomach acid! Why do I have to dive in?" asked Zoro.

"The old man survived it, so you'll live," replied Ricky. "Luffy can't move once he's underwater. Usopp, drop the anchor so Zoro can climb up it."

Usopp ran to drop the anchor while Zoro reluctantly dove in to save the captain. **SPLASH!** Ricky picked up his oar and held it over the side of the ship towards the other two who had resurfaced.

"If you don't want to get digested, grab on," he told them. Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday grabbed onto the end of the oar and Ricky pulled it up out of the water onto the ship. Ricky grinned and turned to the cook, "Hey Sanji, look what I caught." **THUD! **Sanji had hearts in his eyes when Mr. 9, and more importantly, Ms. Wednesday hit the deck.

"GOOD CATCH!" he exclaimed.

"Throw it back," Nami muttered.

**-x-**

**WHAM WHAAM! **The whale continued ramming its head into the Red Line, there would probably be a few new scars on its head by the time this was over.

**-x-**

"You've got to stop it Laboon," Crocus seemingly lectured the whale as he marched through the metal hallways he'd made inside the whale with a purpose. "You can't afford to beat yourself up any more."

Crocus reached a metal room with syringe the size of a cannon pointed out a square hole at a piece of the whale's soft skin. "There's only a tiny amount of sedative left," Crocus continued as he pulled back the plunger on the huge needle, "and until I can make some more, you'll have to make nice!" **SQUISH! **Crocus pushed on the plunger and injected 'Laboon' with the sedative.

The sedative was clearly very potent because Laboon immediately stopped ramming into the Red Line. "I've told you before," Crocus scolded the whale. "That wall divides the world's oceans. I doesn't matter how many times you hit it, it won't break, not even for someone as mighty as you."

Laboon passed out and went to sleep and was now floating in the water in front of the Red Line. Crocus had successful prevented the whale from hurting itself. He wasn't hurting the whale, he was helping it.

**-x-**

**Bwaaa…**

"I don't claim to speak whale, but it seems to have calmed down a bit," Nami observed.

"Now, who exactly are you?" asked Ricky as he and the other Straw Hats turned their attention to their two 'guests'. Luffy was sitting safely on the railing behind.

"We saved your lives, you'd better talk," Zoro told them.

"Mr. 9," Ms. Wednesday whispered, unsettled by the fact that Sanji was staring at her with hearts in his eyes. "These people are pirates."

"That's obvious Ms. Wednesday," Mr. 9 replied. "But if we explain ourselves to them, maybe they'll understand."

"**YOU PARASITES ARE STILL HERE!" **came Crocus' angry voice from the doorway. "AS LONG AS I'M STILL ALIVE, I WILL NOT LET YOU HARM THIS WHALE!"

"He's back again," Usopp observed.

"Who's the flower?" asked Luffy.

"Hahahaha!" Ms. Wednesday laughed as she and Mr. 9 grabbed their weapons and stood up. "You can't bully us into abandoning our mission."

"We were sent here to hunt this whale and that's exactly what we're going to do," said Mr. 9. "And this time we won't let you interfere." **CLICK!** Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday aimed their guns at the side of the whale's stomach, "WE'RE ABOUT TO GIVE THIS WHALE A NEW BLOWHOLE! FIRE BABY!"

"ROGER!" Ms. Wednesday replied. **BOOOOM!** Ms. Wednesday and Mr. 9 fired a pair of cannonballs at the side of the whale's stomach.

"NO GOOD HOOLIGANS!" Crocus growled and he dove out of the doorway and into the path of the cannonballs, **KA-BOOOOM!**

"That old man took the blasts from the whale!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Was he… protecting the whale?" Sanji wondered.

"Hahaha!" Ms. Wednesday laughed, "Your defiance is pointless!"

"You can't stop us!" Mr. 9 shouted, "this whale's going to be food for our village!"

"Luffy," said Ricky as he gave his brother the thumbs down sign.

"What's going on?" Nami wondered.

**KRACK!** Luffy reached out and smashed Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday's heads together, knocking the two of them out cold. **THUD! **They hit the deck and everyone stared in surprise.

"They had it coming," Ricky stated. Down in the stomach acid, Crocus was relieved to see the pirates take out the two whale hunters.

**-x-**

A little bit later, the Straw Hats and Crocus were on Crocus' island. The two would-be whale-killers were tied together.

"Thank you for saving me life," Crocus said, "but I must ask, why did you do it?"

"Ricky told me to," Luffy admitted, "I have no idea what's going on."

Ricky merely shrugged, "I don't pretend to know what's going on here either, but if you took cannon blasts for the whale, I figured we'd side with you over the whale hunters."

"I think it's time we got some answers," Nami decided. "Who are these guys and how did you end up inside this whale?"

"These two are thugs from a nearby town looking for whale meat," Crocus explained. "If they caught him, Laboon could feed their village for at least two or three years."

"Laboon?" Nami repeated.

"That's the whale's name," Crocus clarified. "He's an Island Whale from the West Blue, one of the largest species in the world. I won't allow them to slaughter him for food. It's a shame he's stuck here so far from his domain. There's a reason he keeps hitting his head on the Red Line and howling at Reverse Mountain."

"There is?" asked Nami. Now that Crocus was willingly giving up information, the other Straw Hats were content to just let Nami ask the questions.

"To put it one way, inside Laboon beats the heart of a human," said Crocus. "He has most impatiently awaited and is eternally devoted to a certain band of pirates. He's been waiting for them for fifty years now."

**-x-**

Ricky's been to the Grand Line before, so he was used to dealing with eccentric people. That's why he was the only one that Crocus didn't drive crazy. Next chapter the Straw Hats learn Laboon's story and solve his problem with a promise at the Twin Capes.

'Till Next Time…

Peace


	2. Chapter 2

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer: **The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonnan Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. Please support the official release.

**Summary:** There's another pirate on board the Going Merry, follow the Straw Hats as they reach the Grand Line and embark on a journey to save a Princess' Kingdom.

**Rating:** This is One Piece so it's TV-14 (T), NOT 4-Kids, rated for language, blood, and violence.

**Twin Cape Promise:**

**-x-**

"Everyone who sees Laboon asks the same thing," Crocus explained to the Straw Hats while Laboon mournfully cried up at Reversed Mountain. "Why does he keep ramming his head into the Red Line? Why does he keep howling at Reverse Mountain? Listen closely and I'll tell you Laboon's tragic story."

"Old people always tell the best stories," Ricky commented as he sat down beside Sanji and listened.

"One fine sunny day while I was fulfilling my duties as a lighthouse keeper some good-natured pirates came down Reverse Mountain. They were followed by a baby whale who I would soon come to know as the one-and-only Laboon."

**-Laboon Flashback-**

Fifty years ago, a clean-shaven Crocus who still had his signature flowery hair-style was manning the lighthouse when a large pirate ship came down Reverse Mountain. The ship had faded purple sails and the Jolly Roger had slanted eyes and bull-like horns. They were known as the Rumbar Pirates.

What had surprised Crocus the most about the Rumbar Pirates was a much smaller blue Island Whale that had followed them in. It only took Crocus a moment to realize that the whale, which he would come to know as Laboon, shared a strong bond with the pirates.

Laboon had been traveling with the pirates for a long time. The Captain of the Rumbar Pirates, a man named Yorki had explained that they had been traveling with Laboon for a large portion of their journey. The pirates had attempted to leave Laboon behind in the West Blue, knowing the dangers in the Grand Line, but the stubborn little whale followed them anyway.

The wear and tear on the pirate ship was severe and the Rumbar Pirates ended up staying at the Twin Peaks Lighthouses for several months. Over that time, Crocus had become close friends with the crew and Laboon. It was easy to tell that even though Island Whales were social creatures by nature and traveled in pods, Laboon saw the Rumbar Pirates as his family.

But then the day of the Rumbar Pirates' departure came, knowing the dangers of the Grand Line, they regretfully decided to leave Laboon behind so he'd be safe at the Lighthouse. Captain Yorki approached Crocus and asked him a favor.

"I have a favor to ask of you my dear friend," Yorki said, back then he was a young man with dirty blond hair that looked like Sanji's but was a few shades darker. He wore a purple captain's coat and cowboy hat, signifying him as the captain of the Rumbar Pirates. "Could you look after Laboon for a few years? When my men and I have completed out voyage around the world, we'll be back." Crocus agreed, knowing the dangers that lurked ahead in the Grand Line.

Captain Yorki explained things to Laboon as well. "Listen to me Laboon," Yorki instructed the whale, "We're taking our ship to the end of the Grand Line. Until we return I need you to wait for us here with Crocus. You can't come with us it's too dangerous, even for a might whale like you. But don't worry, three years will pass by in a flash. And don't forget, no matter the distance, our friendship will last forever."

"Well I guess it's time," Captain Yorki announced once the ship was loaded up and the Rumbar Pirates were ready to go. They boarded the ship and got ready. "ALRIGHT MEN, WE'RE SETTING SAIL! HOIST THE ANCHOR!"

The pirates cheered and they sailed off, Laboon attempted to follow them anyway, but Captain Yorki called out to him, "Laboon! You have to wait for us here and mind Crocus. Don't worry, we'll be back! I promise!"

**-End of Laboon's Flashback-**

"That was fifty long years ago," Crocus concluded.

"Fifty years?" Sanji repeated.

"And he's been waiting all this time for his friends to return?" questioned Usopp.

"No wonder he's upset," Nami realized, "That kind of wait would drive anyone crazy."

Ricky frowned and shook his head, "Poor thing."

**-x-**

Crocus led the Straw Hats through one of the waterways that Luffy had stumbled upon earlier. The Merry and Crocus' island/boat traveled down the waterway to the metal hatch.

"These waterways are amazing," Zoro remarked. "It's amazing the whale's still alive with a hole this big in his body."

"I suppose you're responsible for this?" questioned Sanji.

"Just a doctor's playful mind," Crocus replied, he was once again sitting on his lounge chair reading his newspaper.

"Doctor?" Usopp repeated.

"That's right," said Crocus, "I may not look it, but I'm a legally certified doctor. I also ran a clinic on the Cape once upon a time. Before that I served as a ship's doctor."

"Really? That's great!" Luffy commented as he sat on the stub of what was once the sheep figurehead of the Going Merry. The Straw Hats hadn't gotten around to reattaching it yet. "Join us! We need a doctor!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Crocus replied as he left his island and climbed up a ladder. "I no longer have that kind of energy. Exploring the seas is a young man's burden."

"What kind of doctor hollows out the inside of a whale?" Sanji wondered.

"Maybe it's part of the treatment," Nami suggested.

"That's right," Crocus answered as he reached the top of the ladder and walked along a walkway until he reached a massive door like the one leading out of the stomach. "With a whale this size, it's virtually impossible to treat it from the outside. So I devised a more drastic solution."

"Here's the exit," said Crocus as he turned a crank and opened the large doorway, **CRANK! CRANK! **The Straw Hats smiled when they saw the real sky outside.

"THE SKY!" Luffy cheered as they sailed the Going Merry out of the whale and into the water of the Grand Line. The Merry towed Crocus' island/boat along with them.

Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday finally regained conscious and realized they were staring up at the real sky. They spotted five of the pirates from earlier. "What is it Ms. Wednesday?" Mr. 9 whispered.

"Shh," Ms. Wednesday shushed him as she began untying the ropes that they were tied up with.

"**What're you two up to?" **came a voice. Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday turned and saw the one-eyed pirate with the cowboy hat watching them from the deck above them.

"Uh… n-nothing," Ms. Wednesday stammered.

"If you're trying to escape, I'd suggest doing it now while they're all distracted," Ricky told them. "If you stay away from us and that whale, we won't have any problems."

"Hmph," Mr. 9 grunted. "You can't tell us what to do. And if you know what's good for you, _you'll_ stay out of _our_ way."

"Bye-bye, baby!" The two called out before they leapt off the side of the Merry and swam away, **SPLASH!**

"What did they just call me?" questioned Ricky. He spotted something shiny on the deck near the loose ropes and hopped the railing to get a better look. Ricky's foxy grin appeared on his face when he realized that they'd dropped a glass ball, "Finder's keepers." He took the ball and put it in his top left pocket with the one he'd bought in Loguetown. Then he calmly rejoined the crew's conversation.

"Fifty years? Isn't that a little extreme?" questioned Usopp. "They sure know how to test someone's patience."

"Idiot, don't you get it?" Sanji scolded him. "This is the Grand Line. His friends are dead. That whale can wait forever, they won't be back."

"Sad to say, but that's probably true," Nami admitted. "Back in the day when those guys sailed, the Grand Line was an uncharged sea a thousand times more treacherous than it is now."

"Why are you all being so pessimistic?" asked Usopp. "You don't know that they're dead! They could still come back for him. Come on, have some sympathy would ya? I thought it was very toughing. A whale believing in his friends' promise despite waiting all these years… it's a true bond, right pops?"

"Indeed," Crocus agreed. "But the lesson here is that reality is crueler than fiction. Laboon's cohorts aren't dead, I've learned that they've turned tail and left the Grand Line."

"I don't believe that!" Usopp protested. "How could they just abandon the whale like that?"

"You say they ran away from the Grand Line," Nami said, "To do that they had to cross the Calm Belt."

"Precisely," Crocus replied. "That's why their fate it uncertain. The climate, the ocean currents, the air currents, even the season, On the Grand Line these elements seem to defy the very laws of nature. Common sense is useless, weak hearts soon succumb to fear on the Grand Line."

"Then those pirates were weak of heart," Sanji decided. "They cared more about saving their own asses than keeping a promise to a friend."

"Why would anyone abandon such a loyal creature?" Usopp wondered. "This is cruelty on a grand scale."

"But if you've known all this, why haven't you told him?" asked Nami. "Laboon can obviously communicate with you. He seems to understand humans quite well for a whale."

"I did tell him," Crocus admitted, "Down to the last miserable detail…"

**-Crocus' Telling Laboon Flashback-**

"I know this isn't what you want to hear, but it's the truth!" Crocus told Laboon many years ago. "Your friends left the Grand Line. The bond you shared with each other was real. Just as real as the promise they made to return for you one day. But still, face the facts, those men are never coming back."

**BWWWAAAAAA!** Laboon let out a mournful cry, but couldn't seem to accept the fact that the Rumbar Pirates had abandoned him.

"LABOON, PLEASE!" Crocus pleaded with the whale, "I SAY THIS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD! THEY'RE NOT COMING BACK!"

**BWWAAAAA!** The whale wailed and thrashed around in the water.

"I understand that you don't want to accept it!" Crocus called out. "But you need to realize that this is how things are! LISTEN!"

**SPLOSH!** In response Laboon drove his huge tail into the water and drenched Crocus with the resulting splash.

**-End Crocus Telling Laboon Flashback-**

"That was the day that Laboon began to howl at Reverse Mountain," Crocus continued, "Soon after he started slamming his body against the Red Line. It's as if he believes that wall is what keeps his friends away, and by breaking it, he can clear the path for their return."

**Whap!** Ricky grabbed onto the back of Luffy's shirt and dragged him off of the decapitated sheep's head and away from the others.

"Those pirates didn't take their promise lightly," Ricky told Luffy. "They're most likely dead. And if a single one of them is still alive, they're still determined to live up to their promise. But we can't rely on that. We need to give the whale a new reason to wait and a reason to stop ramming its head into solid rock."

Luffy nodded and stared down at the deck, obviously thinking. "If you're up for it," Ricky continued, "I've got a plan that just might work…"

Oblivious to the plot between the Captain and First Mate, Crocus was still explaining things to the other Straw Hats.

"I admire his dedication," Sanji commented.

"He never gave up on 'em," said Usopp.

"He refuses to believe me because then he'd have to admit that its over," Crocus explained. "And that terrifies him more than anything. There's no way for him to go back to the West Blue. So what we have is a paradox of tragic proportions. Laboon is a lost soul dying to live with his friends, but won't stop killing himself to reach them."

"Tragedy," Sanji remarked, "still, for all the grief those pirate put him through, they did the same to you by saddling you with their burden. You've done enough for Laboon, what about you?"

"The scars on his hide are deep, but those in his heart are even deeper," Crocus told them. "He needs someone to tend his wounds and I'm all he's got. For years he's battered himself while I've patched him up. A strange friendship, but it works."

"**RRAAAAAHH!"** Luffy suddenly let out a loud yell and charged across the deck of the Going Merry carrying… the central mast?

"What the hell is that idiot doing?" Sanji wondered.

"Believe it or not, he's trying to help," Ricky answered as he walked over wearing a sly grin.

"You know something," Nami observed as she noted Ricky's grin.

"RRAAAAAHHHH!" Luffy roared as he reached the top of Laboon's head and spotted a fresh wound. He raised the mast up over his head as he charged over to it, "GUM… GUM… BOUQUET!" **SHUNK! **Luffy drove the mast down into an open wound on Laboon's head

"You think he's aware that that's our mast?" Zoro wondered.

"And now it's on top of a whale," Sanji grumbled.

"Why'd he do that?" questioned Usopp.

"He's getting its attention, now he's gonna fight it," Ricky explained.

"Oh okay," Usopp replied.

"WHAAAAT?" Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, and Nami shouted in perfect synchronization.

Laboon's eyes watered in pain as it felt the large piece of wood being driven into one of the wounds on the top of his head. Even to a huge whale, it was incredibly painful. **BWWWAAAAA! **This wasn't a mournful wail, this was a wail of pain and rage. Laboon was angry, not sad.

"Waaaahhh!" Luffy screamed as he hung onto the mast while Laboon shook his head around.** SPLOOSH!** Laboon leapt out of the water and soared through the air, then slammed head-first into the rocky cape, **THOOOOM! **Luffy and the mast were both squished by the massive whale's weight.

"THAT KID! HE'S DEAD!" Crocus cried out in alarm.

"Oh don't worry," Nami replied, "It'll take way more than that to kill Luffy!"

"And that's why _he's_ fighting the whale while_ I'm_ standing safely on the ship," Ricky pointed out as he stood there with his hands in his pockets and calmly watched Luffy fight a whale that was over a hundred thousand times his size.

Laboon pulled back from the shore and recoiled from the pain of slamming its open wound into the hard rock. Luffy sat up and looked mostly unharmed. "Gotcha!" Luffy exclaimed.

**SPLOSH!** Laboon dove out of the water and launched himself at Luffy again. But Luffy dodged to the side and then shot out his arm, **KA-POOW! **Luffy socked the whale right in the eye with one of his hardest punches. But Laboon rolled with it and slammed into Luffy, **KER-WHAM!** The rubber pirate went flying and slammed into the side of the lighthouse that was behind him.

"Why the heck is he fighting that thing?" questioned Usopp.

"I told you, he's trying to help," Ricky replied.

Luffy lunched off of the lighthouse and shot out his arm, **KA-POW! **He connected with the whale's snout, but Laboon shook the blow off and connected with a MASSIVE headbutt while Luffy was still in midair. **WHAAAM! **Luffy went crashing into the lighthouse then fell to the ground.

"You wanna let us in on your plan?" questioned Zoro as he glanced from the Captain to the First Mate.

"Oi, Luffy," Ricky called out. "I think you've made your point. That's enough."

Luffy stood up while Laboon swam over to the cape and glared at him, "It's a draw!" Luffy told the whale, causing it to stop and stare in surprise. Luffy put his hat back on and smiled, "I'm stronger than I look. But I have a feeling you knew that. I can always tell when someone's itching to fight. If you want a battle, I'll gladly give you one."

"Your Nakama used to spar with you, didn't they?" questioned Luffy. "You must miss it. Well I can rival anything they threw at ya. And I'll tell you what, after me and my friends travel the Grand Line, we'll come back here and find you. You'd better be ready for a rematch."

Laboon's enormous eyes filled with tears, Luffy had vowed to go on his voyage and come back and fight him when it was over. The Rumbar Pirates had promised him something similar but hadn't come through in fifty years, but Luffy looked like he fully intended on living up to his promise.

Crocus and the Straw Hats smiled as Luffy's crazy actions finally made sense. Laboon now had another reason to wait. He no longer had to live with the thought that his Nakama had abandoned him, now he had a rival in Luffy.

Laboon reared his head up and let out a happy wail as he agreed to Luffy's promise, **BWWAAAA!**

"And now part two," Ricky commented. "You got some paint old man? Maybe a pair of really big paintbrushes?"

"Sure," Crocus agreed, "any particular colors you want?"

"White, black, red, and yellow," Ricky answered as he glanced at the Straw Hat Jolly Roger that adorned the main sail, which was now on the ground near Luffy.

**-x-**

**Log Pose:**

**-x-**

"See, I told you it would look better if I outlined it," Ricky pointed out as he and Luffy stood in front of Laboon, the two of them were splattered with yellow, white, and black paint. "You always sucked when it came to anything artistic."

Laboon now had the symbol of the Straw Hat Pirates painted on its head. Ricky had outlined it so it wouldn't turn out badly, then he and Luffy worked together in filling it in. The whale was smiling at the two paint-splattered brothers.

**(A/N: ****I always thought that leaving Laboon with Luffy's badly drawn Jolly Roger on its head, while helpful, was animal cruelty. I took this opportunity to change it.****)**

"This is a symbol of my promise to come back and do battle with you," Luffy explained to Laboon. "Don't go ramming your head into stuff or you'll mess it up, understand?" Not only had Luffy given Laboon a reason to wait for him, but he'd also given him a reason to keep from hurting himself.

**BWA!** Laboon agreed.

"Good whale," said Luffy with a big smile.

Ricky reached down and picked up his black cowboy hat which he'd taken off while he was painting, "Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna go wash this paint off and change," he told Luffy. "I'll trust you two to stay out of trouble until then."

Ricky went back to the Going Merry and passed Usopp who'd been tasked with repairing the damage done to the ship. The figurehead had to be reattached as did the whipstaff and the central mast. He was carrying some boards when he noticed the ropes lying on the deck.

"Hey, where are they?" Usopp wondered, he hadn't seen those two weird-o whale hunter's disappear.

"Oh, those weird-o's?" asked Nami who was standing on the deck in front of the galley with Sanji. "I guess they escaped. It must've happened while we were distracted by Laboon.

"Actually, I let them go with a warning not to mess with us," Ricky admitted, "They told me to watch my back because I apparently don't know who I'm dealing with."

"I wonder who they were," said Nami.

"They called themselves 'Mr. 9' and 'Ms. Wednesday'," Ricky replied. "They also called me 'baby' for some reason. All I can come up with is that they're codenames of some sort. I'd guess there's more where they came from."

"Aahhh! Ms. Wednesday, a woman of mystery!" Sanji swooned.

"Now, if no one needs me, I'm gonna wash this paint off and change," Ricky informed them as he lifted the flap in the deck that led down to the men's quarters.

**-x-**

A short distance away from the Going Merry, Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday were bobbing up and down in the water. "Ms. Wednesday, what're we going to do now?" asked Mr. 9.

"First we'll have to put some distance between us and these morons," Ms. Wednesday decided. "Then we report to the boss. Our time for completing this mission has long since run out."

"I can here the others now," Mr. 9 commented. "They're probably already calling us traitors."

"I know," Ms. Wednesday replied, "But without our weapons, we've no choice but to go back to the office and start over."

"And this time no one will stop us!" Mr. 9 resolved as he reached inside his green suit jacket and searched for something. "GAAAH! ITS GONE!" Mr. 9 frantically searched for whatever it was he was looking for, but he couldn't find it. "OH NO! I COULDN'T HAVE!"

"What is it?" asked Ms. Wednesday.

"It's… gone…" Mr. 9 cried, tears were running down his cheeks passed the '9's' that were drawn on his face.

"HOW COULD YOU HAVE LOST THE LOG POSE?" Ms. Wednesday demanded.

"I don't know, I must've dropped it," Mr. 9 answered. "We're not going anywhere without it." Mr. 9 pulled out a pair of binoculars and stared through them, he scanned the Going Merry and checked to see if any of the pirates had the 'Log Pose' but none of the pirates on deck had it and it wasn't _on_ the deck either.

"How awful," Ms. Wednesday complained, "and knowing our luck on this assignment, that one-eyed annoyance probably has it."

"AAAHH! OH NO!" Mr. 9 suddenly screamed.

**Whap! Whap! **Wings flapped and a pair of clams were banged together overhead,** KLAK! KLAK!**

"IT'S THE UNLUCKIES!" Mr. 9 shouted.

The 'Unluckies' were two animals. Mr. 13, an otter wearing a purple spotted costume with a hood, dark sunglasses. The otter was holding a pair of clams in its paws. Ms. Friday was a large vulture wearing a yellow hat with a brown flower designs and a dark pair of sunglasses. The vulture was holding a red box in its beak by a ribbon.

"MR. 13! MS. FRIDAY!" Ms. Wednesday exclaimed in alarm.

"DON'T BE HASTY! PLEASE, WE CAN EXPLAIN!" Mr. 9 pleaded while Ms. Wednesday climbed onto his shoulders in an attempt to get out of the water.

"WE'LL CHECK IN WITH THE BOSS IMMEDIATELY!" Ms. Wednesday told them.

**KLAK! Fssss… **Mr. 13 cracked his clams together and created a spark which ignited the rope he was holding. The rope was a fuse which was attached to the red box that Ms. Friday was holding, but then dropped on Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday. **SPLASH!** Ms. Wednesday fell off of Mr. 9's shoulders and the red box dropped down on them and exploded, **KA-BOOOOOM! **

Smoke was left on the water as the Unluckies flew off.

**-x-**

"Aaaah!" Nami sighed as she stretched and then sat down at a table with a map on it. "Okay, I finally have some peace and quiet so I can work on a plan for the Grand Line journey." Nami opened her compass and put it down on the table next to the map. The compass needle spun around and Nami waited for it to settle.

**Skissshh!** Sanji opened the icebox and smiled when the Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna slid out. "Don't think I forgot about you, Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna," Sanji said to the fish.

**Wonk! Wonk! Wonk!** Usopp pounded some nails into a series of metal plates that he had used to reattach the central mast to the ship. "Ugh, that's my life," Usopp complained to himself, "Luffy breaks it, and I'm stuck putting it back together!" Usopp turned and shouted at Zoro who was off to the side sleeping, "HEY! GET OFF YOUR LAZY BUTT AND GIVE ME A HAND! THIS SHIP ISN'T GONNA FIX ITSELF YOU KNOW!"

"Zzzzzzzz…" Zoro snored in response.

Suddenly a loud yell broke out, "WWAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Nami screamed in anger and frustration. Her scream traveled around both of the Twin Capes and could be heard by anyone nearby.

**Snort! **"Zzzzzzzz…" Zoro snorted but just kept snoring.

Ricky, who was in the bathroom of the Going Merry attempting to wash the paint off of him, shook his head when he heard Nami scream. "Sounds like Nami tried to chart our course," Ricky commented.

Laboon was so frightened by the angry Navigator that he dove into the water and swam away, **SPLOOOSH!**

"You mind? Keep it down!" said Luffy as he turned away from the scared whale to the Navigator.

"Is there a problem, Miss. Nami?" asked Sanji as he ran over carrying four plates of Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna. "If it's foot you're worried about, say no more!"

"Did you say food?" questioned Usopp, who followed Sanji from the Going Merry after hearing the scream.

"You idiots!" Nami snapped. "The compass is broken! The needle just spins it won't stop!"

"Whoa, yeah, you're right," Sanji realized, as he, Luffy, and Usopp stared down at the rapidly spinning compass.

"I don't know about you, but I'm getting dizzy," Usopp commented. Luffy just stared fixatedly at the 'cool' spinning compass.

"It is sadly apparent that only one of you seems to know how things work here," said Crocus. "Did you all come here to die?"

"Whooa! Good spread!" Luffy exclaimed as he stared at the plates full of Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna.

"That's for everyone," Sanji told him.

"There is nothing wrong with your compass," Crocus explained. "The Grand Line has little regard for the rules of the sea. Common sense is useless in this place."

"The needle… why does it spin?" asked Nami.

"Because we are surrounded by a powerful magnetic field," Crocus answered. "The islands here are riddled with magnetic minerals which cause all sorts of abnormalities. The winds and currants lack constancy in their patterns. As a navigator, I'm sure you can appreciate this dilemma."

"So then… if we don't have a way to tell direction… this whole trip is hopeless…" Nami realized.

**Munch! Munch! Chomp!** "This is yummy!" Luffy remarked as he ate the head of the Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna.

Nami smiled and rubbed the back of her head, "I don't know what to say… we're screwed!"

"HEY! YOU'RE THE NAVIGATOR!" Usopp snapped. "NAVIGATE US OUT OF HERE!"

**Munch! Chomp! Gulp! **"This is delicious!" Luffy commented as he kept eating.

"WILL ALL OF YOU SHUT UP FOR FIVE SECONDS SO I CAN FIGURE THIS OUT!" Nami shouted.

"This nose of the Elephant Tuna is my favorite part!" Luffy exclaimed as he consumed the trunk of the tuna. "It's so tasty!"

"To have any hope of navigating the Grand Line, you're going to need a Log Pose to guide you," Crocus told them.

"Log Pose?" repeated Nami. "I've never heard of it."

"**One of these,"** came Ricky's voice as he walked over wearing a tight red tank top and his usual black cargo pants and boots. He'd left his cowboy hat back on the ship and his red hair was still slightly damp. He had the glass ball that Mr. 9 had dropped in his hand. "It's a special compass that locks onto an island's magnetic signature and points to it."

Ricky handed Nami the Log Pose, which was a glass ball with a compass needle in it. It had a purple strap so it could be tied around someone's wrist.

"Gimme some of that," said Ricky as he snatched a piece of the Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna before Luffy could eat it and quickly ate it himself while Nami looked the Log Pose.

"Without that, you'll never survive the Grand Line," Crocus informed her.

"I see," Nami replied, "excuse me for on minute…" **WHUMP!** Nami pounced on Ricky and started strangling him. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME WE NEEDED A LOG POSE? AND WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU HAD ONE?"

"I had… planned on it…" Ricky wheezed as Nami's hands squeezed his throat and shook him back and forth. "That's why I wanted to... stop here… I got that from... those weird people…"

"Those people…" Nami repeated as she stopped strangling Ricky and stared at the glass ball. "So this is a Log Pose… but there isn't a dial face on it."

"It doesn't need one," Ricky explained from underneath Nami. "All the islands in the Grand Line have different levels of magnetism connecting them. The Log Pose records the magnetic levels between two islands and points towards the next one. You just have to follow it."

"Heh, I had a feeling that you'd been here before," Crocus chuckled. "One Eye's right. Going from Reverse Mountain there are seven different paths you can take using the Log Pose. You can take numerous paths through the chains of islands until they come together at the Red Line which divides the Grand Line in half."

"Then it starts up again when you leave the Red Line," Ricky continued. "The second half of the Grand Line is called the New World because it's wilder than the first half of the Grand Line, and that's where all the really strong pirates live. The island chains take you through the New World and ultimately join together at the last island of the Grand Line… **Raftel.**"

"Raftel?" Nami repeated.

"It's the last and most mysterious island in the Grand Line," Ricky clarified. "The one to confirm its existence was Pirate King Gold Roger and his crew, they're the only people who've been known to travel the Grand Line in its entirety."

Sanji, Usopp, and Nami were all so caught up in the Ricky and Crocus's explanation of the Grand Line, that none of them noticed Luffy finishing off the last of the Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna.

"That's it!" Usopp exclaimed. "That must be where the One Piece is!"

"That's the most prominent theory," Ricky replied. "But it's near suicide trying to get there. There's massive storms and no one knows how far out it is. No one's been able to set foot on that island since the Pirate King died."

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed as he gnawed on some of the leftover bones from the Elephant Tuna, "You mean… UNTIL WE FIND IT!"

Ricky smiled, "Damn straight." Crocus stared at the two in surprise.

"And Nami, if you wouldn't mind…" Ricky calmly requested, "GET! OFF!" Nami suddenly realized that she was still straddling Ricky from when she had pounced on him and quickly sprang up to her feet, then turned her back and pretended to be looking at the Log Pose which she tied around her wrist.

"Well, I'm satisfied," said Luffy as he patted his stomach. "You guys ready to go?"

"I TOLD YOU THAT WAS FOR ALL OF US!" Sanji yelled as he realized that the table was empty. Luffy had eaten the entire Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna, save for the little bit that Ricky had managed to grab before Nami started strangling him.

"HE EVEN ATE THE BONES!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Take care of that Log Pose," Ricky advised Nami. "It's the key to finding the Ultimate Treasure."

"YOU GREEDY BOTTOMLESS PIT!" Sanji shouted as he glared at Luffy, "YOU ATE THE MEAL I PREPARED FOR NAMI! I HOPE YOU LEFT ROOM FOR DESSERT!" **THWAK! **Sanji swung his leg around and kicked Luffy in the stomach, sending him flying. Ricky stepped out of the way as Luffy flew passed him, bumped Nami, and then went crashing to the ground. **KRAK!** **FWUMP!**

Nami stared blankly at the shattered remains of the Log Pose that was tied to her wrist. "Sanji… Luffy…" she called out as calmly as she could.

"Yes?" Sanji inquired as he turned around and smiled at Nami while Luffy sat up.

"BOTH OF YOU GET OUT OF MY SIGHT BEFORE I WRING YOUR NECKS!" she screamed, **KA-THWAK! **Nami punted Sanji who went flying into Luffy and sent the two of them flying off into the ocean. **SPLOOOSH!**

"And here I thought getting your neck wrung was something she'd only do to me," Ricky commented, "Glad to know I'm not getting special treatment."

"So… correct me if I'm wrong…" said Usopp, "BUT DOESN'T THE LOG POSE WORK BETTER IF IT'S NOT BROKEN?"

"Oh no, our Log Pose is ruined!" Nami realized as she stared at the broken remains of the Log Pose that were tied to her wrist.

"Calm down," Crocus told them, "You can have mine, as a thank you for helping Laboon."

"Actually…" Ricky cut in, he fished into his top left pocket and pulled out a black jewelry box, he opened it to reveal another Log Pose. "I bought this in Loguetown."

"That's right!" Usopp realized, he remembered going to the creepy shop on the outskirts of Loguetown. "You said if we didn't have that, we'd all die."

"You can still have mine," Crocus insisted. "I have a feeling that you could always use a spare."

**-x-**

**SPLOOSH!** Laboon broke the surface of the water and spat the people he'd saved out onto the shore.

"Oh good, I'm not dead," Luffy realized. It was then that he spotted the _other_ people that the whale that saved, Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday.

Then Sanji spotted Ms. Wednesday. "Hello dear lady!" Sanji greeted her as he got up and walked over with a hand extended, "Allow me to help you to your feet."

"Oh, thank you," Ms. Wednesday replied as she took Sanji's hand and allowed him to help her up.

Sanji completely ignored Mr. 9 until he called out. "HEY! WE NEED A FAVOR!"

**-x-**

"Whisky Peak?" Luffy repeated a little bit later when he and Sanji had brought Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday over to the others. "Huh… that's a funny name."

"So what is it?" asked Usopp.

"That's where we live," Mr. 9 explained.

"How were you stranded, where's your ship?" questioned Nami.

"Well… it was destroyed," Ms. Wednesday answered.

"Asking us for a ride is pushing it Mr. 9," said Nami as she got in the man's face, "Especially after you tried to kill the whale."

"What's with the wardrobe?" Usopp wondered. "What're you supposed to be anyway?"

"I am a King!" Mr. 9 replied.

"Liar!" Nami growled as she reached out and pinched his cheek, causing him to yelp in pain.

"We can't say," Ms. Wednesday told them.

"She's right, you have to believe us," Mr. 9 pleaded once Nami released him. The two of them dropped down to their knees in front of the Straw Hats. "Our only motive here is getting home. We'd tell you everything if we could, it's just that…"

""Mystery' is our company's motto," Ms. Wednesday continued.

"We have to be mysterious," Mr. 9 added, "it's sort of a rule."

"We have confidence in your character, can't you give us the same courtesy?" Ms. Wednesday requested.

"Please, we're begging you!" 'the King' groveled, "Show some mercy!"

"Don't do it," Crocus advised. "These two fool are dishonest to the core. They can't be trusted."

"Listen," said Nami, "I should mention that our Log Pose was broken." She held up the purple ribbon on her wrist and showed them the shattered glass ball. "So… still wanna ride with us?"

"WHAT? YOU BROKE IT?" Mr. 9 demanded as he and Ms. Wednesday shot to their feet and glared at them. "THAT WAS MINE! THOSE AREN'T CHEAP YOU KNOW!"

"YOU'RE STUCK HERE TOO?" Ms. Wednesday snapped, "HOW LONG WERE YOU GOING TO MAKE US BEG BEFORE YOU BOTHERED TO TELL US?"

"Oh, sorry," Nami apologized, "I forgot to mention that Crocus gave us his Log Pose." Nami flashed an impish smile and stuck her tongue out.

"Hah-ha," Ricky let out an amused chuckle.

"GAH!" Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday shrieked as they dropped back down to their knees and bowed.

"Please have pity on us!" Mr. 9 begged. _"That lousy bitch! She tricked us!"_

"It's okay," Luffy decided. "You can come with us."

"Huh?" questioned Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday, the Captain was still willing to give them a ride.

"You said your home is Whisky Peak, let's go there," said Luffy.

"WHY?" asked Usopp. "These two are obviously shady characters! Why would we take them anywhere?"

"Its fine, don't sweat the small stuff," Luffy replied. "We'll be alright."

"Choose your route carefully," Crocus advised him. "Once you head out from here you'll be committed to that course."

"That's okay, if we don't like it, we'll try a different route next time," Luffy told him.

Crocus smiled at the boy's confidence. "So you will," Crocus agreed.

"On one condition," Ricky added, causing Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday to turn their attention on him. "If we take you with us, you have to stop hunting the whale. And that means you can't send anyone else out after it either. Do we have a deal?"

"Um… fine," Mr. 9 agreed. They had to stop hunting the whale, but they'd get home… hopefully.

"Then now that that's settled and Laboon and I still have an understanding, I can leave with a clear conscience," said Luffy as he got off of the table he was sitting on and headed for the ship.

"Just who are you anyway?" asked Ms. Wednesday.

"Me?" questioned Luffy, "I'm the man who's gonna be King of the Pirates."

Crocus chuckled while Ms. Wednesday and Mr. 9 shared a glance and sniggered for a different reason. _"No too bright, this one,"_ Ms. Wednesday thought to herself.

**-x-**

"You should be good to go," Crocus told them some time later. The sun was setting off in a distance. "The Log Pose has had plenty of time to store the route. The needle should be pointing in the same direction as the map."

"It's pointing directly to Whisky Peak," Nami agreed as she stared at the new Log Pose that was strapped on her wrist with a wooden cuff. Nami had changed into a black shirt with pink straps and the word 'MODE' written on the front in pink and a yellow skirt with white circles on the sides.

"See ya, pops!" Luffy called out from the Going Merry. "Thanks for the Log Pose! Take care!"

"Have a safe trip my boy!" Crocus replied.

"I'm off Laboon," Luffy told the whale. "Be ready to fight when I get back."

**Bwwaaaa!** Laboon agreed.

"NEXT STOP: WHISKY PEAK!" Luffy exclaimed. "Ready gang? LET'S SET SAIL!"

The Straw Hats cheered as they raised anchor and sailed off in the direction the Log Pose was pointing.

**BWWWWAAAA!** Laboon called out after them, wishing them luck on the journey ahead.

Zoro was still sleeping, Ms. Wednesday and Mr. 9 were quietly sitting off to the side while Ricky leaned back against the repaired central mast and kept his eye on them, Sanji and Usopp were in high spirits, Nami and Luffy were both laughing as they sailed off.

Crocus stood on the shore of the Twin Capes watching the Going Merry disappear over the horizon along with the sun.

"I wonder… Luffy and his crew could be the pirates we've been waiting for," Crocus said out loud. "That young captain sure has a strange way about him, it's uncanny really, **wouldn't you agree, Roger?**"

**-x-**

Next chapter the Straw Hats sail through strange weather to reach Whisky Peak, when they get there they find a town of welcome.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	3. Chapter 3

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer: **The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonnan Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. Please support the official release.

**Summary:** There's another pirate on board the Going Merry, follow the Straw Hats as they reach the Grand Line and embark on a journey to save a Princess' Kingdom.

**Rating:** This is One Piece so it's TV-14 (T), NOT 4-Kids, rated for language, blood, and violence.

**A/N:** I just turned twenty-two and the first thing I did was post this chapter. If that isn't dedication, I don't know what is!

**The Town of Welcome:**

**-x-**

The Going Merry sailed through the Grand Line and was currently going through a snowstorm. The Merry was coated in a thick layer of snow, they'd covered the crow's nest with a tarp so the snow didn't fill it.

"Can someone please tell me why it's snowing?" Nami wondered as she stared out the window of the galley door at the snow-covered Going Merry. She was bundled up in a coat, scarf, and earmuffs. "It was hot and sunny a few minutes ago, now it's freezing."

"PERFECT!" Luffy exclaimed, who had a thick layer of snow on top of his straw hat but was still wearing his red vest and blue shorts. He stood out in the snow and shoved a stick into the top ball of a snowman that he'd made. **Shunk! **"All done! It's the man who fell from the sky, Mr. Snowman!"

The snowman showcased Luffy's lack of skill when it came to anything artistic. The snowman was made of two balls. It had two poles for arms, a third pole for an Usopp-like nose, a piece of frozen meat for a smiling mouth, a pair of uneven rocks for eyes, a green sheet tied around its neck as a cape, and a barrel on its head.

"Ahahahaha!" Usopp laughed, who, like Luffy, was still wearing his usual outfit of brown overalls, a white sash, and a green bandana. "You call that pathetic blob a snowman?"

"WHAT?" Luffy snapped as he turned and glared at the marksman, causing the snow to fall off of his hat.

Usopp turned to the side and presented his masterfully sculpted snowperson. "Behold! A soulful and inspired work of art: the Snow Queen!"

Usopp's Snow Queen looked remarkably like Kaya. It had a perfectly sculpted face and a head of long hair. The Snow Queen wore a short-sleeved gown that went down to her knees, she had feet, hands, toes, and fingers. She was sitting on a fancy 'snow-chair'.

"Whoa! Nice!" Luffy commented. "But can your lady do this?" **SHUNK!** Luffy smashed his hand into the back of his Mr. Snowman and launched one of the stick arms. **FWUMP! **The stick connected with the face of Usopp's Snow Queen and knocked her head off of her shoulders.

Usopp stood still in shock for a moment before he realized that Luffy had destroyed his masterpiece, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Usopp demanded as he lunged at Luffy's Mr. Snowman and drove his foot through its face in retaliation, **THWAK!** The head was reduced to mush and the barrel dropped down onto the bottom ball.

"GAAAHH! YOU BIG BULLY!" Luffy shouted,he gathered up bunch of snow and threw a series snowballs at Usopp. **FWUP! FWUP! FWUP!**

"AAAAHHH!" Usopp shrieked and dove to the side, **Tha-Tha-Thump!** The snowballs kept going and pelted Ricky in the back. The First Mate was wearing his black cowboy hat and a long black coat that he had bought in Loguetown over his red tank top and cargo pants, the coat went down passed his knees and doubled as a raincoat

"Watch where you're throwing those," Ricky scolded them as he stopped staring off the side of the ship and turned to face Usopp and Luffy.

Luffy and Usopp glanced at each other and grinned, "Okay." **Thump! Thump!** Two snowballs hit Ricky square in the face.

"Now you're starting to piss me off," Ricky warned them. "You do that again and…" **Whap!** Ricky's shot his hand up and caught the snowball Luffy had just thrown in midair.

"Now you're dead," said Ricky as he threw the snowball back at Luffy and pelted him in the face. **Thump! **The Captain was taken by surprise and fell over, but a few seconds later, Luffy, Ricky, and Usopp were in the middle of an all-out snow battle.

"How can they be so energetic out there?" questioned Nami as she stared out the window of the galley at the three 'snow-fighters'.

"MISS. NAMI!" Sanji called out, he was wearing a suit and a blue scarf around his neck as he shoveled snow on the front deck, "Should I shovel some more snow for you?"

"Just keep going until it's gone," Nami told him, "Doing great."

"Thank you!" Sanji exclaimed, pleased that Nami was pleased with him.

"Doesn't this ship have a heater?" asked Mr. 9. He and Ms. Wednesday were in the galley with Nami and were bundled up in red blankets to keep him warm.

"I'm cold," Ms. Wednesday complained.

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Nami snapped, "YOU'RE NOT GUESTS HERE! GO SHOVEL SNOW!"

**FWASH! THOOOOM!** Lightning flashed and thunder sounded through the snow-filled sky. "First snow, then lightning and thunder!" Nami exclaimed, "What's going on with this weather?"

**SHWOOOO! **The wind picked up and the thunder clapped again, **THOOOOM! **"I've never seen weather like this before! One minute the sky's clear, the next it's a blizzard, now it's a thunder storm. It's like the normal rules of nature don't apply! Just like… Crocus warned us…"

"So what do you think, are you ready to turn back yet?" Ms. Wednesday taunted.

"You have no idea how to survive this place," Mr. 9 commented.

"You haven't steered in a while," Ms. Wednesday observed. "Is that wise?"

"I know our heading, I just checked it a little while ago," Nami replied as she went over to check just to be sure.

"AAARRRGGHHHHH!" Nami's scream, caused the three snow-fighters and Sanji to stop what they were doing and turn to face the galley.

"What's wrong?" Usopp wondered.

"She sounds mad," Luffy pointed out.

"Don't be afraid, I'll save you!" Sanji called out.

"Sorry," Ricky apologized, "I'm trying to help her learn an important lesson, that's why I haven't been helping. She needs to learn not to underestimate the weather in the Grand Line. From the sound of that scream, she's starting to realize that this is anything but a normal ocean."

Nami stared at the Log Pose on her wrist in shock, then ran out of the galley and addressed the crew, "Make a hard turn one hundred eighty degree!" she ordered, "HURRY!"

"A one-eighty?" asked Usopp. "Why would you want us to turn back?"

"Did we forget something?" questioned Luffy.

"The ship is turned around!" Nami told them, "We're going the wrong direction! I only took my eyes off the Log Pose for a second! I thought the waves were calm…"

"You're not a very good navigator are you?" Ms. Wednesday inquired, causing Nami to glare at her. "You can't trust anything here in the Grand Line. Not the winds, sky, waves, clouds, nothing is as it seems in this sea. The only way to get reliable direction on the Grand Line is the Log Pose. Everyone knows that."

**THWAK!** "SHUT YOUR CONDESCENDING MOUTHS AND DO SOMETHING USEFUL AROUND THERE!" Nami yelled as she literally kicked both Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday out of the galley and onto the deck. Nami ran out of the galley after them and called to the crew, "RAISE THE YARD! FORCE THE WIND STARBOARD! TURN THE SHIP ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT DEGREES TO THE LEFT! USOPP, man the sails! SANJI, take the whipstaff!"

"GOT IT MISS. NAMI!" Sanji agreed as he and Usopp ran off to do what they were told.

Nami spotted Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday randomly standing on the main deck, "WORK, YOU TWO!"

"This girl's crazy," Mr. 9 muttered.

"Nami, the wind's changed," Ricky pointed out, "and the clouds are clearing."

Nami looked up and saw that it had stopped snowing and that the gray storm clouds were clearing and making way for the sun.

**Shhwwoooo! **"It's the first gale of spring!" Mr. 9 commented, as he and Ms. Wednesday stood on the deck enjoying the breeze.

"OI! ZORO! WAKE THE HELL UP!" Usopp shouted at the swordsman who was sound asleep. "WE'RE IN A CRISIS!" Zoro just mumbled something and continued sleeping.

"Hey! I think I just saw a dolphin jump!" Luffy called out as he stared off the side of the Going Merry, "LET'S FOLLOW IT!"

"SHUT UP!" Nami yelled.

"THE WAVES ARE GETTING REALLY HIGH!" Usopp shouted from up on the rope ladder leading to the Crow's Nest, "AND THERE'S AN ICEBERG COMING IN AT 10 'O CLOCK!"

"A FOG'S ROLLING IN!" Sanji exclaimed as everything came obscured by a sheet of thick fog.

"THIS IS CRAZY!" Nami screamed. "WHAT'S GOING ON?"

Ricky calmly walked up the steps from the main deck to the upper deck that Nami was standing on. Ricky walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, "Calm down," he told her.

"THAT'S EASY FOR YOU TO S—" Nami started to yelled, but Ricky covered her mouth with his hand, **Whap!**

"Listen," Ricky told her. "You won't accomplish anything by screaming and panicking. You need to calm down and face every disaster as it comes. As our Navigator, you're in charge on the ship and you need to keep a level head so you can give your orders properly, otherwise we're all likely to die. I'm gonna uncover your mouth now, do you think you can tell everyone what to do without screaming?"

Nami nodded and Ricky removed his hand from her mouth. "Ricky, man the whipstaff," Nami told him. "Use your Log Pose to keep the Merry on its course." Ricky nodded and went into the galley to adjust the heading but before he could, the Going Merry scraped against the iceberg and started shaking, **THOOOM!**

Luffy came running onto the deck, "We scraped that iceberg!" he exclaimed. "We're taking in water!"

"Usopp, go below deck and plug it up!" Nami called out over the loud wind.

"Got it!" Usopp agreed as he grabbed a bunch of boards, nails, and a hammer and then ran below deck.

**SHHWWWOOOO! **The wind picked up and the dark clouds rolled back in.

"Oh no! Miss. Nami, those clouds look bad!" Sanji warned her.

"YOU TWO!" Nami called out to Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday, "Adjust the yard so we can catch that wind and get through that upcoming storm faster!"

"Right," they reluctantly agreed as they climbed the rope ladder and turned the sails.

"Everyone eat!" Sanji called out as he came out of the galley carrying a barrel of rice balls, "Keep your strength up!

Usopp took a break from doing repairs below deck and took a rice ball, then went back to work, Luffy came over and stuffed three rice balls in his mouth at once, Mr. 9 quickly took two and ran back to the sails.

**WOMP!** Sanji hit Luffy on the head, "You're taking too many!" he scolded the captain. Then he cook grabbed a rice ball and threw it into the galley, "Ricky, catch!"

**Whap!** Ricky took one hand off of the whipstaff and caught the incoming rice ball and quickly ate it.

**URRRP! **Overhead, the stitching on the main sail started to give way to the strong winds. "This wind's too strong!" Ms. Wednesday exclaimed, "the sail's going to rip!"

"There's no time to deal with that," said Nami. "We need to make the most of speed we'll get from the wind. We'll fix the sail later."

"Nami!" Usopp called out as he stuck his head up through the deck from the men's quarters. "There's more damage down here, I can't fix it all myself."

"Luffy, go help Usopp fix the holes," Nami ordered the captain. Luffy stopped eating rice balls and ran below deck to help Usopp fix the holes in the bilge.

**THOOOOOM!** Thunder crashed overhead as the clouds darkened even further and the wind picked up.

"Everyone hang on!" Nami called out, "We're about to head into a huge storm!"

**-x-**

Some time later, seagulls were flying overhead and the sky was clear. The Going Merry was sailing through the calm waves as it continued on its course to Whisky Peak.

"Aaaaahhhh!" Zoro groaned as he finally woke up and stretched. "I'm rested." Zoro got up and spotted Sanji and Usopp lying on the deck seemingly resting. Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday were also passed out on the deck nearby. "Come on, the weather's nice and all but it's no reason to be lazy." He turned and spotted Nami slumped against the railing outside of the galley. "I hope we're going the right way."

"_WHY YOU!" _Nami, Usopp, and Sanji growled from their spots on the deck.

"We are," said Ricky who was calmly standing in the galley manning the whipstaff. He was no longer wearing his coat and cowboy hat, just his red tank top and black cargo pants. "We went through a series of storms while you were sleeping. They're worn out. "

"Hm," Zoro replied, he turned around and spotted Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday lying on the deck. "What're you to doing here?"

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Mr. 9 demanded.

"We're taking them home to Whisky Peak," Luffy explained, he was sitting on the back railing of the front deck.

"Since when are we transport service for thugs?" questioned Zoro. "We don't owe them anything."

"You're right, we don't," Luffy agreed.

"Why did I even bother asking?" Zoro wondered before he crouched down in front of Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday. "So… tell me, what were your strange names again? Cause I don't think that you can be trusted."

"Uh… well… I'm Mr. 9," Mr. 9 answered.

"I'm called Ms. Wednesday," Ms. Wednesday told him.

"Right, you know, those names sound familiar," Zoro commented. "And that's what's bothering me. The more I think about it, the more I'm certain I've heard of it before." Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday flinched. "Then again… maybe not."

**BONK!** **"You jerk!"** Nami growled, a flaming demonic aura surrounded her. "You think you can just sleep while we do all the work? You're lucky we didn't toss your lazy ass overboard!" Zoro glared at Nami, but she beat him to the punch… literally. **BONK! BONK! BONK!**

Zoro was left nursing a pile of three large bumps on his head while Nami addressed the crew. "Alright everyone," she announced. "There's no way to tell what's going to happen next. During the terror that _most of us_ just experienced, I came to an understanding of why this sea was called the Grand Line. Anything can happen, but mark my words: I will guide us through!"

"That's the spirit," said Ricky as he came out of the galley. "But there's a spot of good news. The weather seems to be stabilizing, that means we're getting close."

"Well after all of that bad weather _something _good was bound to come up," Nami turned and stared in front of the ship, "Speaking of which, WE'RE HERE! The first step of our journey on the Grand Line is over!"

The crew turned to stare in front of the ship and peered through the fog at an island with giant cacti growing all over it.

"Shishishi!" laughed a happy Luffy.

"Ahahahaha!" laughed a relieved Usopp.

"Heh," Sanji chuckled while Zoro simply stood beside him and stared at the island as it came closer.

"It's an island!" Luffy exclaimed.

"So this is Whisky Peak," Sanji commented, "The landscape is unlike everything I've ever seen."

"Get used to that," Ricky told him. "On the Grand Line you're likely to see things you'll never see anywhere else. Strange-looking islands are just the start."

"Those cactuses are huge!" Luffy observed.

**Skish! Skish!** Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday leapt onto the railing and surveyed the crew. "Thank you, but we must be leaving," Mr. 9 addressed them.

"It's been an interesting ride to say the least," Ms. Wednesday remarked.

"Perhaps we'll meet again someday," Mr. 9 added.

"BYE-BYE BABY!" they called out at the same time as they leapt off of the railing and did a backflip into the water. **SPLA-SPLASH! **The Straw Hats stared silently as the two of them swam off.

"They certainly know how to make a quick exit," said Nami.

"I guess we'll never learn who they are," Usopp realized.

"Who cares!" Luffy exclaimed. "Let's land!"

"There's a waterway right up to the shore," Nami pointed out as she spotted waterway that seemingly divided the island in half. "It looks like we can go in by ship."

"I-I hope there aren't monsters here," Usopp stammered.

"It's a possibility, this _is _the Grand Line," Sanji reminded him.

"No problem," Luffy replied, "If we find monsters we can just run away."

"I was going to suggest fighting them and then having food for the next few days," Ricky offered with shrug.

"We can't run away," Nami informed them. "We have to say on this island a little while so the Log Pose can reset and record the magnetic field between this island and the next one. We can't leave until that's done. The Log Pose could take a different amount of time per island. Some could take hours, others could take days."

"So you mean if this island is full of monsters… we'll have to stick around for _days_?" questioned Usopp.

"That's right," Nami answered, "so we're staying no matter what."

"See, so the _'having fresh meat for days' _thing is starting to sound like a good idea," Ricky pointed out.

"We won't worry about the monsters until we have to," Luffy decided. "They might not even be there."

"As crazy as it sounds, I agree," said Zoro. "There's no need to worry about it yet."

"Now that that's settled, let's get going!" Sanji resolved. "Don't worry Nami, I'll protect you!"

"Hey guys," said Usopp, "I think I'm coming down with _'Better-Not-Visit-This-Island'_ fever."

"Really?" questioned Ricky. "Would you like a sample of my _'Suck-It-Up'_ cure-all?"

"Everyone get ready," Luffy addressed the crew, as the Going Merry sailed through the foggy waterway and began to sail inland, "Everyone be ready to run or fight!"

"**Hey, it's a pirate ship?"** a whisper cut through the fog.

"**A knew group of pirates are here," **another voice replied. **"Alert the town."**

"Did you hear that?" asked Ricky whose sharp ears heard the faint voices. "I think I heard people."

"People?" Usopp repeated. "Did you say _'people'_?"

"Would you prefer monsters?" Ricky countered.

"Be on your guard everyone," Nami warned them. Zoro the hilt of his sword, Usopp pulled his goggles down and drew his slingshot, Sanji put his hands in his pockets, while Luffy was surprisingly silent.

The fog parted and the Straw Hats found… a crowd of cheering people?

"Welcome to the Grand Line!" someone called out.

"Greetings brave travelers!"

"We're happy to have you here in Whisky Peak!"

"Those aren't monsters, they're people," Usopp realized. "They actually seem happy we're here."

"Luffy, should we run or fight?" questioned Ricky. "I suggest running."

Luffy simply laughed in amazement, "SHISHISHISHI!"

"What's going on here?" Sanji wondered.

"Pirates are always welcome in our town!" someone called out.

"Hooray for the heroes of the sea!" someone else cheered. The crowd of people waved banners that said welcome and sounded instruments, the seemed _happy_ to see the pirates.

"I've never seen so many cute girls in one place!" Sanji swooned with hearts in his eyes as he eyes the pretty women in the crowd.

"I guess to these people, pirates are heroes," Usopp decided. "I should've come here ages ago!"

"WOW!" Luffy exclaimed as he sat on the figurehead and surveyed the crowd.

The Straw Hats docked the Going Merry and got off. They were met by a strange looking man with hair that resembled a colonial-style wig. He wore an extremely fancy dark blue suit and was holding a saxophone.

"Eh-hem, maa… maaa… maaaa," the man sang as he attempted to clear his throat. "My name is Igarappoi and it is my honor as Mayor to welcome you to Whisky Peak."

"Oh, great, I'm Luffy, nice to meet you," Luffy introduced himself. "Nice hair, I like the curls!"

Igarappoi smiled, "You'll find that this is a place that thrives on making liquor and music," he informed the Straw Hats. "Hospitality is a matter of pride in our town. The smiles run long and the liquor is bountiful as sea water. Would you permit us to throw a party in honor of your arrival so that we may heaaahh…" **KOFF! KOFF!** Igarappoi coughed and attempted to clear his throat, "Eh-hem, maa… maaa… maaaa… hear your tales of adventure?"

"YOU BET WE WOULD!" Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji all cheered before they ran off to join the party, leaving Zoro, Ricky, and Nami standing by the ship.

"Idiots," Nami muttered, "By the way, how long until the Log Pose records this island's magnetic field?"

"Log what?" questioned Igarappoi. "Put aside such trivial matters! Surely you'd like to rest from your journey!" He put an arm around Nami and led her towards the town while calling out to the other people, "Let's prepare a party! Entertain our guests!"

The villagers cheered and ran off to celebrate while Ricky and Zoro stood in front of the Going Merry and shared a glance. "Do you want to keep an eye out or should I? I'll play you for it." Ricky held out a hand while Zoro shrugged and copied him.

"One… two… three… shoot!" they said together. Ricky's hand was flat while Zoro was holding out two fingers. Zoro's scissors cut Ricky's paper.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything," Zoro assured him.

Ricky shrugged, "It's about time you started pulling your weight, you slept the entire way here." The sun began to set while the party began in Whisky Peak.

**-x-**

**Moonlight and Tombstones:**

**-x-**

The sun had set and the moon had risen as the party in Whisky Peak continued. Inside an inn in town the pirates and the villagers were all celebrating. There was a full brass band, plenty of booze, and everyone was in high spirits.

Usopp stood in front of a table telling everyone an elaborate story, "Then I looked 'em straight in the eye and said _'You monsters keep your flippers off my Nakama, or you'll have to answer to me!'_"

"Oh wow, you're amazing Captain Usopp!" a few women cheered.

"Now even a great warrior like me trembled a little when facing the Calm Belt," Usopp continued, "With excitement that is!"

"You're a true hero!" someone called out.

"Please don't hold back on my account, drink up!" said Igarappoi as he placed a mug down in front of Nami.

"Thanks, but I'm not drinking!" Nami protested. "I've gotta sail a ship!" Nami, Ricky, and Zoro were sitting on a trio of couches that were joined together in a horseshoe around a table. The horseshoe of couches was surrounded by a happy crowd of villagers.

"Don't worry," Igarappoi told her, "Eh-hem, maa… maaa… maaaa! What you have there is a very special drink. It's made by using only the very sweetest premium grapes. It contains all the flavorful benefits of a fine wine but zero alcohol."

"Wow, you're right, it's delicious!" Nami exclaimed as she sipped from her mug.

"We have an excellent grape harvest this year," Igarappoi continued, "To celebrate that harvest, our traditional drinking contest! The rules are simple, everyone drinks and the last one standing is the winner. Please join us!"

"No thanks, you go ahead," Nami begged off. "I'd rather watch the competition."

Igarappoi reached into his coat and pulled out a sack of coins, "Did I mention that the prize is one hundred thousand berries?"

A split second later, Nami was standing up with her cup held out, "Fill 'er up!" she ordered, she turned to Zoro and Ricky who was casually sipping from mugs of their own. "What're you two doing just sitting there? Join us!"

"Fine, you're on," Ricky agreed, "The score's still tied from Loguetown. I'm not about to lose to you."

"Yeah right," Nami retorted. "I grew up out-drinking fishmen. You don't stand a chance."

**MUNCH! MUNCH! CHOMP! MUNCH!** Luffy was stuffing himself with hundreds of plates filled with food. The people could only stare in awe as Luffy's rubber stomach allowed him to eat more food than humanly possible.

Time passed and the hour grew later. But the party continued and was showing no signs of slowing down.

"WHOA! THAT'S HIS TENTH MUG!" someone cheered as Zoro slammed a mug down.

"No more… ughhh…" **FWUMP!** The man Zoro was drinking against passed out. "That's it I'm done."

"THOSE TWO ARE TIED AT THIRTEEN!" someone else shouted. **FWUMP!** The people standing around Ricky and Nami attempting to out drink them fell to the ground no longer able to stand.

"Don't tell me that's all you've got!" a flushed Nami taunted Ricky as held out her glass, "MORE!"

"Not likely," Ricky retorted, "I'm just getting started!" He held out his own mug, "Come on, fill 'er up!"

"GIVE ME MORE!" Luffy bellowed as he sat behind the same table still eating. His stomach had stretched and bulged but he was still going.

"Unbelievable! The captain just finished a meal fit for twenty people!"

**FWUMP!** "THE COOK IS DOWN!" someone shouted as the chef that had been serving Luffy passed out.

Sanji sat in a booth surrounded by pretty women, "Wow! That one's trying to bit on twenty girls at the same time! Who the heck are these pirates?"

"Hahaha!" Igarappoi laughed, "This is truly ahh… eh-hem, maa… maaa… maaaa! A fun-filled night! It pleases me to see all of you enjoying the celebration with such vigor." Igarappoi's voice lowered as he stared around the room, "Yes… I'm very pleased."

**-x-**

On another part of the island Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday were in a small house. Mr. 9 was dictating the letter he was writing, "_'We do formally admit complete failure in our mission to succor food. However, it should be noted, that without the slightest concern for our wellbeing we bravely succeeded in leading a gang of pirates to Cactus Island. Sincerely and with best regards, Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday'_. That'll do."

Mr. 9 folded up the letter, "Now we submit this and with any luck, all if forgiven."

"Right," Ms. Wednesday agreed as she took the letter from him. "I'll put this in the Unluckies box immediately." She stood up and left the house and walked out to a mailbox that had a vulture and an otter on top of it. "They'll deliver it to the boss for us." Ms. Wednesday put the letter into the mailbox which had a skull and crossbones on it. It was a normal skull, with swords crossed behind it and a pair of wings around it. Over the skull and crossbones was the word 'Baroque'. "I hope it works."

**-x-**

"I'm calling it quits…" Zoro mumbled, "Ahamahammaa…" Zoro mumbled something unintelligible and passed out on the table, **FWUMP!**

"That one's finally down after thirteen mugs!" someone called out.

"Hah-ha, you're such a lightweight!" Ricky laughed as he and Nami sat at a table with a pile of passed out drinkers on the floor around them.

"Oh, come on!" Nami taunted the unconscious swordsman. "You quittin' already Zoro? You wuss!"

"Those other two are both at twenty glasses!" someone pointed out.

"They've out-drank everyone!" someone exclaimed. "The only one left is the sister!"

"You two should probably think about stopping," commented the dark-skinned woman wearing a black and white nun outfit who was sitting next to the passed out Zoro on the third couch.

"Not in your life, Mister!" Ricky retorted.

"That's _sister_," the nun corrected him. "Really there's no shame in losing."

"Yeah Ricky!" Nami taunted, "No shame in losing… TO ME!"

"I won't lose to you!" Ricky snapped. Both of them were clearly more than a little drunk. Nami's face was flushed and she was having trouble controlling the volume of her voice, Ricky appeared to be getting a lot more emotional, which was huge for him.

**FWUMP! **Luffy fell out of his chair and passed out, his stomach was so huge that five people could probably fit inside it. "This is a new feeling…" Luffy said to himself, "I think I'm _full_…"

**FWUMP! FWUMP!** Another two cooks were passed out next to the first one.

"I'm out," the sister groaned as she fell forward on the table and passed out next to Zoro, **FWUMP!**

Nami was swaying in her seat while Ricky was leaning back against the cushion of his couch. "What's the matter Nami, starting to feel it?" Ricky teased her.

"LIKE HELL!" Nami shouted. "I WON'T LOSE TO YOU!"

"Uh… you two are both from the same crew…" a villager timidly said as he held out the sack of prize money, "So you both win the prize money…"

Nami snatched away the sack and put it on the table between them, "I DON'T SHARE! AND I WON'T LOSE TO YOU!" She didn't seem to realize that she was shouting.

"Hah-ha, you must be _really _drunk to think you actually have a chance at beating me!" Ricky laughed.

"They're both at twenty-five glasses!" someone realized, "And they're not stopping!"

"Aaaahh!" Usopp sighed, "Whisky Peak, what a wonderful town!" He fell backwards and passed out in the chair he was sitting in.

"We've stumbled upon pure paradise!" Sanji commented before he passed out across the lap of three of them women he'd been flirting with.

Igarappoi stood and surveyed the room, Luffy was down on the floor, Zoro had been out for a while now, Sanji and Usopp had just fainted. But Ricky and Nami were still trying to out-drink each other.

A worried pair of villagers approached the mayor, "Those two are both at twenty-seven glasses! We're starting to run out!"

"We drugged the last seven glasses with enough sleeping pills to knock out a full-grown elephant!" another exclaimed. "But they're still not going down!"

"I'll handle this," Igarappoi offered as he began to make his way over to the two pirates.

"YOU'RE A WORTHY OPPONENT!" Nami shouted in her 'speaking voice'. Once she finished her twenty-eighth mug, they'd all started to blur together and she had long since lost count. It was just a matter of who passed out first, her or Ricky. "BUT I _WON'T _LOSE!"

"Less talky, more drinky," Ricky replied as he grabbed his twenty-ninth mug and started to drink from it.

Igarappoi came over and stood behind the couch they were both sitting on. "Eh-hem, maa… maaa… maaaa… I'm pleased to see that you and your crew are enjoying yourselves," he said as he reached out and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "As I said earlier, our town prides itself on its hospitality!"

**Gulp!** Ricky finished off the mug and slammed it down, "Ugghh… yeah thanks… we're having a great time."

**KER-RACK!** Igarappoi suddenly pushed Ricky and Nami together, causing their heads to crack together. After all they'd drank, they were easily knocked out. **FWUMP! **Nami slumped against Ricky causing him to fall backwards onto the couch with Nami on top of him. Igarappoi rubbed his hands together and walked away, leaving the two unconscious pirates 'cuddled' together on the couch.

"There, now they're all out," Igarappoi concluded as the left the inn and stared up at the night sky. "Sweet dreams… brave adventurers. My how the cactus rocks gleam under the pale moonlight, beautiful as ever."

"**You're a poet, Igarappoi," **came the voice of Mr. 9. Igarappoi turned and spotted Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday sitting on the roof of the inn, "Or should I say, **Mr. 8**?"

"Oh, it's you two," realized Igarappoi AKA Mr. 8,

Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday jumped down from the inn roof and stood behind him. "So where are they?" Ms. Wednesday asked.

"They've fallen… into the Abyss…" Mr. 8 answered.

**Krek! "Damn, my head is killing me,"** came a voice as the Sister came out of the inn. "It didn't seem like those two would ever pass out, even after we started doctoring their drinks."

The sister pulled off her hood to reveal a head of short orange hair. "So tell me, was it _really _necessary to put on this elaborate show for these idiots?" She pulled off her black nun-dress to reveal an extremely muscular physique and a red and white checkered dress.

"I get that no one wants to hear me whine," the Sister AKA Ms. Monday continued, "but it's my duty to point out all of the food we wasted. We could've just ambushed them at the harbor. We're already short on supplies and we won't be getting any whale meat any time soon."

"We tried our best, but then those pirates showed up!" Mr. 9 protested. "That annoying red-haired one made us promise to stop hunting it. I'd like to see you try it!"

"I'd like to see _you_ try out-drinking him and that girlfriend of his," Ms. Monday groaned as she held her head.

"Calm down, both of you," Mr. 8 ordered, "Before you question the validity of my plan, you should see this." Mr. 8 pulled a pair of wanted posters out from under his suit jacket. They were of 'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy and 'One Eye' Ricky.

30,000,000 plus 20,000,000 equals 50,000,000.

"FIFTY MILLION BERRIES?" Ms. Monday, Ms. Wednesday, and Mr. 9 shouted.

"Only a fool judges pirates by their appearance," Mr. 8 lectured. "That goes forr…" **KOFF! **"Eh-hem, maa… maaa… maaaa! That goes for all of you."

"Hm, twenty million for the First Mate… that seems about right," Ms. Monday reasoned.

"And now our prey has been trapped," Mr. 8 told them. "That's news the boss will enjoy. For now, confiscate everything of value from their ship."

"What do we do with them now?" asked Ms. Monday. "Kill them?"

"If they die the bounty drops thirty percent," said Mr. 8. "The government prefers to hold public executions. Now go, I want them alive!"

"**Hey, sorry to interrupt," **came a voice. Mr. 8, Ms. Monday, Mr. 9, and Ms. Wednesday all turned around to see Zoro sitting on the roof of the inn holding his sword out beside him. "But would you mind letting my Nakama sleep a little longer? They've had a long day and the journey was exhausting, or so I'm told."

"Mr. 8, Ms. Monday!" a villager exclaimed as he and another came out from the inn hold in a gun, "One of them escaped from the room while we weren't looking!"

"He's right over there," Ms. Wednesday pointed out as she glared up at the green-haired swordsman on the roof.

"Sneaky wretch," Mr. 8 muttered. "You should've stayed asleep with you friends."

"A good swordsman never lets his guard down," Zoro replied. "Plus I figured you were up to something when you knocked two of my crew out." Zoro stood up on the roof and spotted the other villagers, they were all holding weapons and were glaring at him. "Judging by the scowls and the disguises, I'd say that you're all bounty hunters. Your specialty is robbing drunk pirates who fall for your hospitality. I'll give you points for originality, but that's about it."

"I count a hundred of you guys," Zoro continued as he held _Wado Ichimonji_ out beside him. "And I'll fight all of you. You hear me… **Baroque Works**?"

"Gaahh! HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?" Mr. 8 demanded.

"I used to be in a similar line of work," Zoro explained. "Your company tried to entice me with a job offer. Naturally, I said no. Do the same rules apply? Employee identities kept secret, cheesy codenames, the boss' identity and whereabouts a mystery. Baroque Works, the group that faithfully carries out their orders… like herded sheep. Heh, that's some secret."

"This is unexpected," Mr. 8 commented. "But if you know all of our secrets, then we have no other choice but to kill you. And another gravestone shall be added to the Cactus Rock's tonight."

Upon a closer look, the needles on the giant cacti that covered nearly the entire island were actually cross-shaped tombstones. Baroque Works had clearly been in business on this island for a long time because there were MILLIONS of needles/tombstones on the giant rocks around the island.

"KIIILLLL HIIIIMMMM!" Mr. 8 shouted. "AAAAAHHHH!" Mr. 8 stopped shouting when he realized that Zoro was no longer standing on top of the inn, he had disappeared.

One hundred bounty hunters hadn't seen the swordsman disappear. "H-he d-disappeared," Ms. Wednesday stammered.

Zoro had a big order on his hands. He had to face a town filled with over a hundred bounty hunters out for his head.

**-x-**

Next chapter it's 'Pirate Hunter' Roronoa Zoro versus One Hundred Bounty Hunters.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	4. Chapter 4

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer: **The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonnan Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. Please support the official release.

**Summary:** There's another pirate on board the Going Merry, follow the Straw Hats as they reach the Grand Line and embark on a journey to save a Princess' Kingdom.

**Rating:** This is One Piece so it's TV-14 (T), NOT 4-Kids, rated for language, blood, and violence.

**One Hundred Bounty Hunters:**

**-x-**

"He's gone!" Mr. 9 exclaimed as he, Mr. 8, Ms. Monday, Ms. Wednesday, and the other ninety-six bounty hunters stared up at the roof of the inn that Zoro had just been sitting on. One minute he was there, the next he'd vanished. They were Baroque Works Agents and Zoro knew about them, he needed to be killed or their secrets would get out.

"What? But how the hell could he just disappear?" Mr. 8 wondered. The crowd of bounty hunters glanced around them for any sign of the green-haired swordsman. But he wasn't on any of the roof tops or any of the nearby alleys.

Suddenly they spotted him… standing in the middle of the crowd pretending to look up at the empty rooftops.

Zoro smirked while the bounty hunters backed away from him and aimed their guns at him from all sides. They had him surrounded.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?" someone demanded. "FIRE!" **BANG! BANG! BANG! **But once again Zoro had vanished and the bounty hunters ended up shooting each other due to their close proximity and the fact that they were standing in a circle.

"Incompetent morons!" Mr. 8 snapped once the dust cleared and he spotted all the bounty hunters on the ground, but no Zoro. "They just shot each other!"

"Yeah, and the pirate got away!" Mr. 9 added.

"GRR… JUST KILL HIM! HE'S ONLY ONE MAN!" Mr. 8 ordered. **Skish… **Mr. 8's eyes bugged out as the blade of a sword poked through his curled hair and positioned itself beside his face. Mr. 8 stood still while Zoro stood behind him with his back to the larger man.

"You know you're going to have to ask yourself… will one gravestone really be enough?" questioned Zoro.

"THERE HE IS!" one of the bounty hunters realized as they aimed their guns at Zoro… and Mr. 8 who he was standing back-to-back with.

"NO! WAIT! DON'T SHOOT! YOU'LL HIT ME!" Mr. 8 shouted. He grabbed his saxophone and raised it up over his head, "IGARAPPA!"** BRUPOW-POW-POW!** Mr. 8 blew into his saxophone and it opened fire and shot a series of bullets at the bounty hunters behind him that were getting ready to shoot him in order to get Zoro.

When the smoke and dust cleared another bunch of bounty hunters were on the ground. But Zoro had one again disappeared.

"Alright you idiots," Mr. 8 growled. "Where did he disappear to this time?"

In around the corner in an alley, Zoro was leaning back against the wall and was catching his breath. "So that thing's a weapon," Zoro realized. That guy with the rollers had just tried to shoot him with a _saxophone_. Good thing Zoro was naturally suspicious or it might've hit him along with the other bounty hunters. "Dangerous… I'd better watch out."

Mr. 8, Mr. 9, Ms. Monday, and Ms. Wednesday stood together in the crowd of bounty hunters. "It seems that this guy may actually be able to put up a fight," Mr. 9 commented, "even against us…"

Ms. Wednesday signaled for the other bounty hunters to spread out a search, Ms. Monday cracked her knuckles, and Mr. 8 gripped his saxophone. "Can he actually be so arrogant to think that he can possibly fight all of us by himself?" Mr. 8 demanded. "What kind of a man would even consider challenging us after knowing that we're all with Baroque Works?"

**-x-**

Back in the party room in the inn the other Straw Hats were all out. Luffy was swelled up like a balloon from all the food he'd eaten and was sleeping soundly, occasionally letting out a snore. Sanji and Usopp were asleep on the floor nearby.

Sanji let out a mumbled, "Ladies please… come closer…"

Usopp was actually talking in his sleep, "And now it's time for Usopp Cheer Number 71…"

Ricky was on his back on the couch with Nami on top of him. They'd both been knocked out when Mr. 8 slammed their heads together. Due to all they had to drink earlier, neither of them had woken up yet.

Zoro was alone against one hundred bounty hunters.

**-x-**

"He couldn't have gotten far!" one of the Baroque Works Agents called out as he and the others ran around searching for Zoro. "Let's find him men!"

In his hiding place at the edge of an alley Zoro reached down and gripped the handle of _Yubashiri_. Zoro wasn't really alone, he had his three swords with him.

"Ah yes, my new recruits from Loguetown," Zoro said to himself, "_Yubashiri_ and _Kitetsu III_… now's a good a time as any to see what you two are made of. And with these thugs we don't need to hold back."

"**AHA!"** came a shout from above Zoro, "I FOUND YA!" Zoro looked up and saw a bounty hunter wearing a cowboy hat standing on the roof above him pointing two pistols down at him. "DIE!" **BAM! BAM!** The bounty hunter fired but Zoro lunged backwards through the door he was leaning against and rolled into the house. "HE DUCKED INTO THE HOUSE!" yelled out the bounty hunter.

**KA-CHAK!** Six bounty hunters appeared at the two windows and the door and aimed their guns at him. Zoro lunged across the room and dove behind a table, then knocked it up on its side just as they opened fire, **BAM! BAM! BAM!**

"Let's start with _Yubashiri_," Zoro decided as he leaned against the table and watched as bullets whizzed passed him. **SLISH!** Zoro sliced the table in half and charged through it towards the door, **SWASH!** Zoro slashed _Yubashiri_ as he flew out the door passed the six bounty hunters standing out side of it. "Light… well-balanced…" Zoro commented before he lunged away. It took a second, but then blood shot out of the wounds Zoro had made on the bounty hunters and they crashed to the ground, **THUD!**

"THERE HE IS!" a bounty hunter shouted as he and another two Baroque Works Agents chased Zoro down the street. "THIS WAY GUYS!"

"Well I guess they found me," Zoro remarked as he rounded a corner and ran up some wooden stairs to the rooftops.

"He's coming your way!" a bounty hunter called out as he watched Zoro reach the roof from below.

"HE'S MINE!" announced one of the bounty hunters that had been lying in wait. He had a bazooka-like gun on his shoulder and fired a cannonball at Zoro. **BOOM! **But Zoro dropped down onto his back and the cannonball flew over him and smashed into a building across the way.** KRASH!**

"That was close," Zoro muttered as he gripped the top of the stairs he'd climbed up and attempted to get back up.

"Hahaha," the bounty hunters on the roof laughed. "Time to die!" The four of them charged at Zoro while he was getting up.

"GRAAHH!" On another rooftop Ms. Monday let out a yell as she raised a grog barrel over her head and threw it at Zoro.

Zoro glanced over his shoulder at the barrel that was coming at him and then slashed his sword, **SLA-SLA-SLISH!** The barrel was cut cleanly into four parts and flew passed him and slammed into the faces of the four bounty hunters, **WHAM! WHAM!**

"All that good brew… what a waste…" Zoro taunted.

"Grr…" Ms. Monday growled as she glared across the rooftops at Zoro.

"ARGH!" A bounty hunter rushed at Zoro from behind wielding a big stone mallet. In a flash Zoro drew _Kitetsu III_ and slashed at the bounty hunter looking to block the mallet, **SLISH! **But the cursed sword caught Zoro off guard as it cut THROUGH the mallet and sent the pieces flying off to the side. Zoro shot up and lashed out and punched the bounty hunter in the face with the hand he was holding _Yubashiri_ with. **POW! **The bounty hunter was knocked out and fell to the ground while Zoro stared down at _Kitetsu III._

"What the hell is it doing?" Zoro wondered before he addressed the troublesome sword. "Whoa _Kitetsu III_ you're quite sharp. But you're also a bit of a problem child. A Legendary Sword should only cut when its master wants it to. Cursed or not, you're going to listen to me now."

"RAAAH! DIE!" came a loud shout. Zoro turned in time to see a boy charging him with a dagger. **Klang!** Zoro easily knocked the knife away, then glared at the boy who fell down to the ground.

A nun ran over and protectively hugged the boy to her chest, "No! Please have mercy on the little boy!" the nun pleaded while the boy cried. "I beg you! Have mercy on us!"

"…" Zoro stared silently.

"Or try some blinding powder!" called out the nun as she pulled out a cross and shot off some gray powder from a hole in the middle, **FWOOOSH! **The boy drew a gun and the nun pulled a sword out of who-knows-where then they lunged at Zoro and attacked.

**WHAK! WHAK!** "Use that cheap trick on someone with a kinder heart," Zoro told them as he stood off to the side with his back to the nun and child. **FWUMP!** They both fell to the ground unconscious. "I used the flat of the blade… forgive me." Zoro turned and started climbing up a ladder to the rooftops. It was always beneficial to have the high ground.

"HE'S GONE UP THE LADDER!" called out a Baroque Works Agent as he and another two ran to the base of the ladder.

"Grr… corner the guy!" one of the others growled.

**-x-**

A group of bounty hunters carrying weapons charged through the inn looking to cut Zoro off. They stepped on Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji as they went through.

Usopp sat up and had footprints all over him. "Ugh… I dreamed someone stepped on me…" he mumbled before he fell backwards and passed out.

Sanji unconsciously reached out and held Usopp's hand, the sleeping cook whispered sweet nothings to the marksman thinking he was one of the pretty girls in his dream.

"Zzzzzzz…" Luffy just kept on snoring and sleeping. He didn't even seem to notice the footprints all over his swelled belly.

While still unconscious, Ricky's arms wrapped around Nami and held her protectively, Nami, also still unconscious, responded by burrowing into his embrace.

Zoro was still alone.

**-x-**

"HAHAHA! THERE'S NOWHERE TO RUN NOW!" a bounty hunter laughed as he and a few others climbed up a ladder after Zoro. But he stopped and stared at shock when Zoro reached down and grabbed the top of the ladder. **KREEEK!** Zoro shoved the ladder and it tipped backwards with all of the bounty hunters now clinging to it.

Before the ladder could fall, Zoro leapt from the rooftop he was on to the top of the falling ladder and used it as a springboard to reach the rooftop across the alley. **SKISH!**

Zoro flew through the air and realized that the rooftop he was intent on landing on was filled with bounty hunters that had their guns aimed at him. **BANG! BANG! BANG! **The bounty hunters fired but the bullets just whizzed passed Zoro as he began his descent.

"Two-Sword Style …" Zoro began as he held _Kitetsu III_ and _Yubashiri_ out at his sides, "HAWK WAVE!" Zoro landed and slashed both swords at the bounty hunters, **SLISH!** **SWASH! **The bounty hunters collapsed to the ground leaving Zoro standing over them.

"RAAAHHH!" Another group of bounty hunters leapt onto the roof top after Zoro. **Woosh… **Zoro drove his swords into the roof and cut a circle then stepped to the side while the bounty hunters landed.

"I wouldn't be standing there if I were you…" Zoro casually warned them. **FWOOOM! **The roof under the bounty hunters gave way and they all went crashing down into the building.

Zoro stared at the wall in front of him and saw a shadow that depicted someone large coming at him from behind. "RAAAHHH!" Ms. Monday let out a yell as she swung tHe ladder she was holding. But Zoro dropped down onto the ground resulting in her smashing the ladder into the wall. **KRAK!**

"Alright… that was _too_ close…" Zoro complained.

Ms. Monday threw her ladder to the side and slipped a pair of brass knuckles out of her pocket and onto her right hand. "It was a good effort… but there is no man who can best my strength," Ms. Monday told him as she reached out and grabbed Zoro by the throat as he was getting up. Ms. Monday raised Zoro up into the air then slammed him down onto the roof, **WHAM!** "TASTE MY SUPERHUMAN FIST!" She shouted as she pulled back her right hand and then drove the brass knuckles into Zoro's forehead with such force that the roof cracked around them, **POW!**

"Well we've wasted euhggghhh… maa… maaa… maaaa," Mr. 8 cleared his throat before he addressed Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday who were still standing behind him. "Well we've wasted enough time… but at least we finally put an end to him. Now let's go."

The three Baroque Works Agents turned to walk off when a loud yell of pain rang out, "AAAAAAAHHHHH!" It was a _female_ scream of pain.

"Ms. Monday!" Mr. 9 exclaimed as they looked up at the roof and spotted Zoro standing tall. He was gripping the kneeling Ms. Monday's head with one hand while his other was in his pocket.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Ms. Monday wailed as she clutched at Zoro's arm while he applied pressure to his grip on her face.

"What's the matter, muscle-woman?" he taunted her. "Didn't you wanna pit your strength against mine?" Zoro released her and Ms. Monday went crashing down onto the roof, "Well I guess you lost."

Zoro stood over the prone Ms. Monday with blood from the gash on his forehead dripping down his face passed his left eye to his mouth. "Is that all you can offer Baroque Works?" questioned Zoro as he licked the blood that had reached his mouth with his tongue. "Cause you're gonna need to do a lot better than that."

**-x-**

**A Question of Duty:**

**-x-**

Zoro walked over to the edge of the rooftop and stared down at Mr. 8, Mr. 9, and Ms. Wednesday. So far all he'd gotten for his troubles against Baroque Works was a gash on his forehead. But he'd wiped the blood off of his face and there wasn't much left to it.

"It can't be!" a bounty hunter exclaimed as he stared up at the swordsman. "He beat Ms. Monday in a battle of strength!"

"Now it all makes sense," Mr. 8 realized. "The marines must've made a mistake on that poster."

"It does make sense," Mr. 9 commented. "I can understand why this guy would have a thirty million berri bounty placed on his head. He must be the _real _captain of those pirates."

"He must be," Ms. Wednesday agreed. "While the First Mate is dangerous and could be worth twenty million… it seemed strange that the good-natured kid would fetch a price of thirty."

"How disgraceful," said Mr. 8. "The Boss left us in charge of this town. And he's not going to be pleased if we lose to one measly pirate."

"Well then, it looks like we finally get to fight," Ms. Wednesday reasoned.

"Here's something you may not know!" Mr. 9 called up to Zoro. "In Baroque Works the smaller an agent's number is, the greater their power as well as their rank in the company. Take the two of us, Mr. 9 and Mr. 8, we are single digit agents. And don't forget Ms. Wednesday. Our abilities are much greater than the riff-raff you've been fighting against so far tonight."

"Heh-heh," Zoro laughed, "I've found that fancy titles mean nothing when it comes to fighting. The strongest wins and that's it."

Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday glared up at him while Mr. 8 held his saxophone in front of him and shouted, "IGARAPPA!" **BRUPOW-POW-POW! **A bunch of bullets shot out the instrument but Zoro quickly jumped out of the way and dodged them.

"Let's go Ms. Wednesday!" Mr. 9 called out.

"Of course, Mr. 9," Ms. Wednesday agreed. Mr. 9 leapt up onto the rooftops after Zoro while Ms. Wednesday raised her fingers to her lips and whistled, **TWEEEE!** "COME, CARUE!"

"**QUACK!"** A large yellow duck about the size of a full-grown ostrich answered her call. The duck was all yellow with the exception of his black tail-feathers and the black spots on his beak and face. He wore a blue cap and a green saddle with a pink bag attached to it. A small barrel of water with a bendy-straw in it was attached to the collar around his neck. He was Carue, Ms. Wednesday's spot-billed duck.

Carue stared at Ms. Wednesday and held out one of his large yellow wings.

"NO! NOT SHAKE! COME HERE!" Ms. Wednesday demanded. Carue came over and Ms. Wednesday took her place and sat in the saddle holding the reigns. "Now come on, Carue, show them how fast you are! Leave them in the dust!"

"QUAACK!" Carue agreed. **Plop!** The spot-billed duck promptly tucked his legs in and sat on the ground.

"HEY! WHO TOLD YOU TO SIT?" Ms. Wednesday scolded the duck as she lashed out and hit Carue on the back of the head,** BONK!**

"Are you kidding, an ostrich?" questioned Zoro as he stared down at Ms. Wednesday and her strange pet in confusion.

"**Hahahaha!" **came a loud laugh, Zoro looked up and spotted Mr. 9 standing on the roof of the bell tower up above him. "You get distracted so easily! How can you hope to follow my acrobatics?" **Swish!** Mr. 9 flipped off of the bell tower then did a series of handsprings and flips as he sprang across the rooftops towards Zoro. "HOTBLOODED BAT OF GUTS!" shouted Mr. 9 as he pulled out a pair of steel bats with the number '9' on them and swung at Zoro, **KLANG! **Zoro got his swords up and managed to block.

"Hahaha! You'd better be careful not to nick your precious blades!" Mr. 9 warned him. "These bats are made of metal!" Zoro stood with his back to Mr. 9 who saw that as a sign of weakness. "What's the matter? Are you afraid to fight me?"

"WAAAHHHH!" Mr. 9 let out a startled yelp as Zoro spun around and attacked him with _Yubashiri_. Zoro casually flicked his wrist and advanced on Mr. 9 while the Baroque Works Agent desperately used his two bats to deflect and block the blows. **KLANG! KLANK! KLANK!**

"What happened to your fancy acrobatics, huh?" Zoro taunted as he backed Mr. 9 up to the edge of the roof.

"You wanna see them so badly?" questioned Mr. 9. "THEN WATCH CAREFULLY!" **WHUP!** Mr. 9 did a backflip away from Zoro… and off of the roof. "WAAAAHHH!" Mr. 9 let out a scream as he fell downwards and smashed through the top of a wooden awning. **KRASH!**

"Isn't there anyone worth fighting around here?" Zoro wondered as he stared at the smoke that had resulted from Mr. 9's unpleasant landing.

"**You want someone worth fighting?" **came a feminine voice from behind him. "Why don't you try your hand against me, Mr. Bushido?"

Zoro turned and saw Ms. Wednesday standing on top of Carue with her arms up over her head. "Take a good look at this," she told him as she discretely squeezed a bottle of perfume in one of her hands. "Now enjoy my Perfume Dance… heehee…" Ms. Wednesday started swaying her hips from side-to-side while the perfume she'd sprayed drifted closer to Zoro. She was still wearing her blue diagonally striped shirt that seemed to be molded to her skin as well as a tight white pair of short shorts.

Zoro stared in surprise wondering what the crazy girl was trying to do when his nose was assaulted by an extremely pungent perfume. "Uggh…" Zoro groaned as he covered his nose and dropped down to his knees. **KOFF! KOFF!**

"Heehee… good boy," Ms. Wednesday praised him with a sultry giggle. She slipped a ring onto her left pinky finger and then pulled on the sharp jewel that was attached to the ring with a string. "And now… PEACOCK SLASHER!" **FWIP! FWIP! FWIP!** Ms. Wednesday swung the bladed jewel around using the ring on her left pinky, "GO CARUE!"

"QUUUAAAACK!" Carue agreed as he charged at the kneeling swordsman… and ran right passed him.

"YOU RAN RIGHT PASSED HIM!" Ms. Wednesday scolded the duck as it kept going… and ran off the roof. "AAAAAHHHH!" **KRASH! KRASH! **Ms. Wednesday and Carue went crashing downwards leaving Zoro standing alone on the rooftop.

"These guys are so pathetic, fighting them is starting to get embarrassing," Zoro muttered. That was _two _potential opponents that had just run off of a roof in the middle of a battle.

"**IGARAPPA!"** Mr. 8 shouted from behind Zoro as he blew into his saxophone and fired a barrage of bullets at Zoro, **BRUPOW-POW-POW!**

Zoro lunged to the side and dodged the bullets and once the smoke cleared Mr. 8 found himself standing alone on the roof.

Mr. 8 scanned the rooftop and spotted a hole large enough for a man to slip through, "He slipped down through that hole…" Mr. 8 realized as he walked over to the hole and stared down into it. "But that won't keep him safe."

**-x-**

Ms. Wednesday pulled herself up off of the ground, "Carue, you're not helping!" she scolded the duck who was now playing dead. Ms. Wednesday looked up and found herself standing in front of the inn that the rest of the Straw Hats were still inside of.

"If he won't hold still, then we'll have to get a hostage to _make _him hold still," she reasoned as she entered the inn and peered around it.

Her eyes fell on Luffy, who was sound asleep and was still inflated like a balloon. He was taking up a lot of room and was hard to miss.

"I can't use him," Ms. Wednesday reasoned. "If he gets killed during the fight his bounty will decrease by thirty percent." She couldn't afford to lose that kind of money.

Ms. Wednesday glanced at the floor beside Luffy and spotted Sanji and Usopp. "Hmm… Long Nose looks like he'd put up the least fight," Miss. Wednesday commented. "But would he really stop Mr. Bushido from attacking us?"

"Wait, I got it! That girl!" Ms. Wednesday realized. "I was on that ship, she's the one who runs it. Mr. Bushido wouldn't be able to get away if anything happened to her. She'll be the perfect hostage."

The blue haired girl turned around and spotted her target… in the arms of the pirate worth twenty million berries. From the time she spent on the Going Merry, Ms. Wednesday had come realize that the First Mate was very intelligent and had been to the Grand Line before. That made him dangerous.

**Gulp! **Ms. Wednesday strengthened her resolve and slowly approached the couches the two were unconscious on.

"**Don't even think about it," **Ricky called out without opening his eye, his protective hold on Nami tightened.

Ms. Wednesday stared wide-eyed at them. "But… I… hostage…" she stammered. "You… you're supposed to be unconscious!"

"I would've stayed that way if you weren't talking to yourself about kidnapping Nami," Ricky replied, still with his eye closed.

"I'm comfy, I don't feel like being a hostage," Nami spoke up.

"You can't decide whether or not you want to be a hostage!" Ms. Wednesday snapped.

Ricky finally opened his eye and glared at the blue haired girl, causing her to take two involuntary steps back.

Nami grinned and nuzzled against Ricky's chest, "Trust me, you don't want this one to get involved," Nami assured Ms. Wednesday. "If he gets angry, he'll make Zoro seem tame. Threatening me is one of the easiest ways to anger him. Since we're both trying to shake off the effects of whatever you jerks spiked our drinks with, you could probably get away if you ran away now."

Ms. Wednesday quickly grabbed Luffy by the leg and ran out of the inn as fast as she could, putting as much distance between her and the scary one-eyed pirate and his girlfriend as possible.

"So... what's going on?" Nami wondered.

"Zoro's handling things," Ricky answered. "The prize money's still on the table. Other than that, I don't sense anything worth stealing. Let's give it five more minutes, then go investigate."

"Works for me," Nami agreed as she closed her eyes and went back to sleep. Ricky's arms were still wrapped protectively around her, and after he'd scared off her would-be kidnapper, she never felt safer.

**-x-**

"COME BACK HERE SWORDSMAN AND GET A TASTE OF HOW DANGEROUS I AM!" Mr. 8 called out from the rooftops as Zoro hit around a corner and regrouped.

"That horn of his complicates things," Zoro said to himself. "How do I get close enough to fight?"

**KRESH! **"TAA-DAA!" Further down the alley Mr. 9 popped out of the rubble and held his bats out beside him. He green sleeves of his outfit had been torn, but he was still conscious. "You may have won our first fight!" Mr. 9 growled, "But you won't get away with it! No tricks from you this time!"

"I didn't trick you, you jumped off a building," Zoro reminded him.

"HOME-RUN-HIDE-A-BAT!" Mr. 9 called out as he swung one of his bats at Zoro and caught him off guard when the top half flew off. **BANG! **The top half was attached by chain which wrapped around Zoro's wrist, **Whup! Whup! Whup! **"Hahaha! Whatcha gonna do now, tough guy!"

"Kick your ass," Zoro replied as he stood still with chain around his arm.

"Hmph, excellent work," Mr. 8 commented as he stared down at the 'trapped' Zoro from up on the rooftop.

"HAHAHA!" Mr. 9 laughed. "COME ON, DO IT MR. 8! KILL HIM NOW! HAHAHA! YOU WON'T GET AWAY!"

"**That's right,"** came the voice of Ms. Wednesday. "Don't move." Zoro looked passed Mr. 9 and saw her and her ostrich standing next to a still sleeping Luffy. "If you even think about doing anything foolish Mr. Bushido, you're friend here will be paying the price." Ms. Wednesday pulled out a sharp dagger and held it threateningly.

"Hahaha! Well done, Ms. Wednesday!" Mr. 9 chuckled. "Now he can't run away and he can't fight back!"

"That idiot," Zoro muttered to himself as he glanced at the sleeping captain. "Can't he at least be awake when he's taken hostage?"

"Preparing to fire!" Mr. 8 called out as he tugged on his bowtie. **Ka-chak! Ka-chak! Ka-chak! **Gun barrels came out of the six rollers in Mr. 8's hair. "FIRING SQUAD… READY!"

"WHAT?" Zoro exclaimed.

Mr. 8 slipped his fingers into the loops of his bowtie and pulled, "IGARAPPAPPA!" **BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!** Mr. 8 opened fire and all six of his roller-guns fired at Zoro.

"Oh great, more guns," Zoro groaned as he leaned back and grabbed the chain around his arm. **YANK!** Zoro used his brute strength and the chain connecting them to pull Mr. 9 towards him… and into the line of fire.

**BA-BA-BOOM!** Mr. 8's blast exploded on Mr. 9, then Zoro turned and ran in the other direction and threw the chain and the Baroque Works Agent passed him… into Ms. Wednesday and Carue… **WHOOOM! **The three of them went flying backwards and smashed into the wall behind them.

This left Zoro, Mr. 8, and the still sleeping Luffy.

"IGARAPPAPPA!" **BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!** Mr. 8 fired his roller-guns at Zoro again, but Zoro ran and dodged them. Mr. 8 turned to face Zoro and kept firing, **BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!**

"I'm gonna borrow your stomach, Luffy!" Zoro called out as he ran up to the sleeping captain and jumped onto his giant belly. **BWOING! **Zoro bounced off of Luffy like a trampoline and flew up in the air towards Mr. 8. Zoro drew _Wado Ichimonji_ and slashed Mr. 8 as he flew passed, **SLAK! **

Blood shot out of the gash on Mr. 8's stomach as Zoro put his trusty sword away, then the final Baroque Works Agent collapsed to the ground,** THUMP!**

"That's it," Zoro said to himself. Mr. 8, Mr. 9, Ms. Wednesday, and Carue were all out cold. Zoro had won.

Zoro walked over to the edge of the roof and sat down. "It's over. Now maybe I'll get some peace and quiet."

Down below Luffy sat up and stared around in surprise, "Huh… how did I get outside?" he wondered. "That's weird." **ZZZZZ…** then he promptly went back to sleep.

**-x-**

Zoro may have thought it was over, but things were only just getting started. This is the Grand Line, not everything is as it appears, the night's not over.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	5. Chapter 5

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer: **The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonnan Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. Please support the official release.

**Summary:** There's another pirate on board the Going Merry, follow the Straw Hats as they reach the Grand Line and embark on a journey to save a Princess' Kingdom.

**Rating:** This is One Piece so it's TV-14 (T), NOT 4-Kids, rated for language, blood, and violence.

**The Night's Not Over:**

**-x-**

Zoro sat on a rooftop overlooking the quiet town of Whisky Peak. The battle was over. Zoro had beaten Baroque Works. Zoro had taken out Ms. Monday and another one hundred bounty hunters, and then beat Mr. 8, Mr. 9, Ms. Wednesday, and Carue all at the same time.

"Now maybe I can get some peace and quiet," Zoro grumbled to himself.

**-x-**

A trio of Baroque Works Agents that had survived the battle with Zoro were running out of town as fast as they could.

"Three single-digit agents lost to one man!" one of the bounty hunters exclaimed. "I never thought I'd see that day that would happen!"

**Huff! **"We've got to escape from here!" another agent panted. "But where can we go?"

"We're just gonna have to find some place to hide until this all blows over," the third agent decided.

**Fwap! Fwap!** The three agents screeched to a halt at the sound of wings, then they spotted a familiar vulture and otter sitting on top of the sign marking the graveyard.

"AAAAAHHH! THE UNLUCKIES ARE HERE!" the agents screamed.

"Now hold on a second!" one of the agents protested. "I know it looks like we're running away but we're not, I promise!"

"Please spare us!" another agent begged as he dropped to his knees in front of the two animals. "Please don't report us to the Boss, okay?"

There was an evil glint behind the sunglasses that the otter, Mr. 13, and the vulture, Ms. Friday, were wearing. They leapt off of the sign at the three agents, who let out a scream of terror.

"**Hold it!"** a deep masculine voice cut through the air and the Unluckies stopped their attack and landed in front of the three agents.

"**There's a lot of action tonight for such a sleepy town," **came a second voice, this one was soft and feminine. **"Shouldn't everyone be in bed?"**

The three men and the two animals turned and spotted a man wearing a long brown coat and a woman wearing a yellow dress.

"Eh-hah," the man chuckled. "The Boss sent us all the way to the front lines, and this is what we find? What a pathetic little group."

Mr. 13 and Ms. Friday turned and smiled at the man and the woman while the three bounty hunters shook with terror.

**KA-BOOOOOM!**

The three agents were left in an unconscious heap on the ground. Mr. 13 and Ms. Friday were perched on top of them. The silhouettes of a tall man in a coat and a smaller woman carrying an umbrella could be seen through the lingering smoke from the explosion.

**-x-**

Zoro sat on the edge of the roof drinking a bottle of rum that he'd found… somewhere. He glanced downward and noticed that the three agents he'd beaten were starting to stir.

**KOFF! KOFF!** "Huff… ugghh… I can't die here," Mr. 8 groaned as he attempted to crawl out of the alley he, Mr. 9, Ms. Wednesday, Carue, and the still inflated and sleeping Luffy had been left in. "I have an important mission to complete… I must keep going… Ugghh… uhhh…"

"**The three of you lost against a single pirate?" **came the same deep masculine voice from before.** "Now that's just sad."**

The three single digit agents and the duck looked up in surprise at hearing the voice. They saw a man and a woman standing a few feet away from them.

The man was tall and had dark skin and had short unruly black hair. A pair of dark sunglasses hid his eyes from view. He wore a long brown coat coat that went down passed his knees, it was zipped up and had large 5's on the bottom left side and on the left side of the chest. A red scarf could be seen around his neck through the top of the coat, he also wore gray pants and black shoes.

Beside him, stood a much smaller woman. She had light skin, short blonde hair, and a pair of big blue eyes. She wore a short yellow dress with lemon slices on it, white gloves, white high-heels, yellow lemon slice earrings, and a yellow hat that made the top of her head look like a lemon. She carried an opened blue and green striped umbrella over her shoulder.

"Mr. 5! Ms. Valentine!" Mr. 8 gasped.

"Hmph, so you can't do your jobs," Mr. 5 grunted as he stared coldly at the defeated agents with his hands in his pockets.

"Kyahahahaha!" Ms. Valentine laughed. "Well, that's clearly the difference between our rank and yours."

"Grr… you came here… just to laugh at us?" Mr. 8 growled.

"Nah, that's a bonus," Mr. 5 stated.

"Kyahahahaha!" Ms. Valentine giggled, "We're here under the Boss' orders."

"Hahahahaha…" Mr. 9 weakly chuckled, "With you guys here to fight we can finally defeat him… He doesn't stand a chance against you…"

"That's right," Ms. Wednesday agreed. "Let's track him down and show him what Baroque Works can really do!"

"Hmph, seriously Ms. Wednesday, stop with the jokes," said Mr. 5. "We didn't come here to clean up your mess."

"Did you really think we'd come all the way to the end of the Grand Line to hold your hands?" Ms. Valentine teased them. "Kyahahaha, you're even more pitiful than you look."

"But… but then what mission are you here for?" asked Mr. 9.

"You mean you haven't figured it out?" questioned Mr. 5. "There are people here whose crimes against the company are grave enough that the Boss sent us to deal with it. He said someone had learned his secrets. I don't know what secrets exactly, and I don't wanna know. Obviously, someone else did. But knowing those secrets is against company rules. Our motto is 'Mystery', everyone's identity is to be kept strictly secret, no matter who they are. And if someone's dumb enough to nose around in the Boss' business… well then… that's a crime punishable by death."

"So," Ms. Valentine continued, "While we were conducting our search to find out who had uncovered the Boss' secrets we learned something! Kyahahahaha! It turns out, a rather high-ranking individual from a _certain_ kingdom has somehow managed to infiltrate Baroque Works."

While this discussion was going on, all the agents were oblivious to the red-haired treasure hunter and the orange-haired thief that were silently listening in from around a corner.

"A kingdom?" Mr. 9 repeated, "Wait, wait, hold on a second! I may be wearing a crown but I'm not a King or anything like that, I swear. It's just an innocent hobby!" Mr. 9 took off his crown and threw it away.

"Shut up, you idiot!" Ms. Valentine snapped.

"You still don't get it," Mr. 5 commented. "The spy is someone from the Kingdom of Alabasta."

"_They know! It's all over now!" _Mr. 8 thought to himself in shock. He shot up to his feet and pulled on the loops of his bowtie, "DIE! IGARAPPAPPA!" **BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!** Mr. 8 roller guns fired at Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine. "YOU WILL NOT LAY A HAND UPON OUR PRINCESS! NOT WHILE THE CAPTAIN OF ALABASTA'S ROYAL GUARD STILL STANDS!"

"Igaram!" Ms. Wednesday exclaimed in surprise as she shot up to her feet.

"**Igaram, Captain of the Royal Guard," **Mr. 5's voice came through the smoke. The dark cloud cleared to reveal that Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine were completely unharmed. "And Princess Nefertari Vivi of Alabasta Kingdom… we have come here in the name of the Boss of Baroque Works to see that you are both eliminated." Mr. 5 held up a small picture of a younger-looking Ms. Wednesday.

**-x-**

Around the corner, Nami gasped while Ricky raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.

"This isn't good…" Zoro commented as he finished his bottle of rum. He seemed to grasp the seriousness of the situation. "…I left Luffy down there with them." Or not. Luffy was still sleeping behind the shocked Mr. 9, Ms. Wednesday, and Carue. "I'd better go do something about it…"

**-x-**

"IGARAPPAPPA!" Igaram opened fire and blasted Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine with a seemingly endless barrage of bullets from his roller-guns. **BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! **"GO! PRINCESS VIVI, YOU HAVE TO ESCAPE!"

"IGARAM!" cried out Ms. Wednesday… or as she was really known, Nefertari Vivi, the Princess of Alabasta.

**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!** Igaram continued firing until Mr. 5 flicked something out of the smoke and explosion. **Choo!** The small projectile went flying and hit Igaram… and exploded, **KA-BOOOOOM! **

Vivi and Mr. 9 gasped in shock as the smoke cleared and Igaram dropped down to the ground. "IGARAM!" Princess Vivi shouted.

"**Don't bother,"** came Ms. Valentine's voice from up above her. Princess Vivi looked up as saw the blonde Baroque Works Agent floating in midair while holding her umbrella up over her head. "Kyahahahaha!" Ms. Valentine dropped down and swung her leg at Princess Vivi, **SWISH… KRAK!** Princess Vivi ducked but Ms. Valentine managed to smashed the band holding her long blue hair into its high ponytail.

Princess Vivi slipped her left pinky into a familiar ring and swung the bladed jewel at the blond, **SWISH! **But she missed as Ms. Valentine floated up into the air then came down and landed next to a completely unharmed Mr. 5. **Tmp!**

"You monsters!" Princess Vivi growled as she glared at the two Baroque Works Agents.

"You mean you're really a princess, Ms. Wednesday?" questioned Mr. 9 as he dropped to his knees and bowed to his partner. "Oh wow!"

"I'M A VERY BUSY PRINCESS RIGHT NOW, MR. 9!" Princess Vivi snapped.

"Well I've had enough fun for one night," said Zoro as he ran through the alley and in between the Princess and the two agents dragging his still sleeping captain with him. "See ya…"

"Princess… Vivi…" Igaram groaned from the ground.

"Oh Igaram, you're hurt…" Princess Vivi realized as she stared down at the wounded man.

"Vivi, please, forget about me…" Igaram wheezed, "You must get away from here… for… our homeland… If you were to be harmed… ughh… Alabasta Kingdom would suffer… Please Princess, you must hurry!"

"If you think you can escape from us, you're mistaken," said Mr. 5 as he stuck his finger up his nose and started picking. Was this really the most appropriate time for that?

Princess Vivi slipped her right pinky into another ring and pulled out another one of her bladed jewels. She twirled both of them around in front of her. **Fwip! Fwip! Fwip! **"LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN TAKE ME!" Princess Vivi shouted as she got ready to attack the nose-picker.

The Princess was stopped when Mr. 9 stood in front of her and held one of his metal bats in front of her. "This whole princess-thing is pretty confusing," Mr. 9 admitted as he stood in between his partner and the two agents looking to kill her. "But we've been fighting together for a long time, so get going." Mr. 9 looked over his shoulder at Princess Vivi and smiled, "I'm going to buy you some time for a head start!"

"Thank you, Mr. 9," said Princess Vivi.

"Pretty manly of me, don't you think?" Mr. 9 bragged. "BYE-BYE, BABY!" **WHUP! WHUP!** Mr. 9 held his bats and did a series of handsprings and flips across the alley towards the two agents.

"You're only loyalty should be to Baroque Works and the Boss," Mr. 5 stated as he finally found what he was digging for and pulled his finger out of his nose along with a booger. "Forming such pathetic friendships is for the weak. Time that you learn that! Here's my… NEZ-PALM …"

Mr. 9 flipped towards Mr. 5 and swung his metal bat at him, "HOT-BLOODED BAT OF GUTS!"

**Fwip!** Mr. 5 flicked the booger at Mr. 9, who understandably flinched after getting hit in the face with someone else's snot, "CANNON!" **KA-BOOOM!** The booger exploded and blew Mr. 9 backwards into the waterway at the far end of the town, **SPLASH!**

"Oh no! Mr. 9!" Princess Vivi exclaimed.

"Hold on a second… did that just come out of his nose?" questioned Zoro.

**Whap!** Zoro looked down and saw Igaram grabbing his ankle with both hands.

"Hey! What're you doing?" Zoro demanded as he tried to shake the wounded man off of his leg.

"Swordsman," Igaram called out, "I have an unreasonable request, but I need someone with strength such as yours!"

"Yeah right, you've gotta be kidding me!" Zoro snapped. "Would you let go of me!"

"Both of those villains posses Devil Fruit Powers," Igaram told him. "There's nothing I can do to stop them! That's why I'm begging you now, please protect Princess Vivi of Alabasta in my place! PLEASE!"

"Kyahahahaha!" Ms. Valentine cackled as she and Mr. 5 advanced on Princess Vivi.

"Carue, run!" Princess Vivi instructed as she got on her duck. For once the duck followed her orders perfectly and turned and ran away. **TMP!TMP!TMP! **

"And off she goes," Ms. Valentine chimed.

"She won't get far," said Mr. 5. "LET'S GO MS. VALENTINE!"

"Right behind you, Mr. 5!" Ms. Valentine agreed as the two of them ran off after Princess Vivi and her duck.

"Surely you will be rewarded if you can deliver the Princess safely to our home of Alabasta Kingdom," Igaram continued to plead with Zoro. "I am just a simple servant, but I am begging you to do this! Please protect the Princess! I beg you!"

"FORGET IT!" Zoro snapped. "I'M NOT HELPING YOU! UNTIL A FEW MINUTE AGO YOU WERE TRYING TO KILL ME!"

"**So… about this reward…" **came a voice. Igaram and Zoro turned and saw Nami and Ricky sitting on a ledge overlooking the alley.

"We'll help you," Ricky decided.

"…for a billion berries!" Nami added.

"NAMI!" Zoro exclaimed.

"And I'm here too," Ricky casually remarked.

**-x-**

**Secret Criminal Organization:**

**-x-**

"Whaaaa..." **Koff! **"Maa… maaa… maaaa…" Igaram was clearly surprised by Nami's insane price.

"Shouldn't you two be unconscious?" asked Zoro.

"The Princess woke us up when she came into the bar looking for a hostage," Ricky informed him as he and Nami hopped off of the ledge and landed in the alley. "You said you'd take care of things so we didn't see the need to get involved until now."

"Uhhh… whatever," Zoro groaned.

"Maa… maaa… maaaa…" said Igaram as he continued his attempts to clear his throat.

"So, are you gonna give us that billion berries or not, Captain?" Nami inquired, "Because if we don't help your precious Princess, then she's probably gonna die."

"I am just a simple soldier," Igaram told her. "I can not promise such an immense reward."

Nami knelt down in front of Igaram and stared at him, "Surely you're not saying that your Princess' life is worth less than that," Nami remarked. "Pay up!"

"That's blackmail," Zoro realized.

"I just said we'd help," Ricky stated for the record as he stood beside Zoro with his hands in his pockets. "It's kind of our thing."

"I can't promise anything," Igaram admitted. "But if you're willing to deliver the Princess to Alabasta then you had best negotiate the terms of the reward with her."

"Hehehe, which means I have to save her first, huh?" questioned Nami.

"Please understand, her life is in danger!" Igaram wheezed.

"Oh alright, we'll save your Princess first," Nami conceded, Igaram smiled in relief while Nami stood up and glaced at Zoro, "Well Zoro, go get her!"

"ARE YOU CRAZY!" Zoro exclaimed, "I'M NOT GOING ALONG WITH YOUR CRAZY MONEY-MAKING! YOU DO IT!"

"You're so stupid," said Nami, "The money's mine, but the contract involves all of us."

"Hold on," Ricky cut in. "As the crew's financial manager I'll need at least ten percent."

"Alright," Nami agreed, "one hundred million for you and the others, nine hundred million for me, sounds fair enough."

"WHAT KIND OF LOGIC IS THAT?" Zoro demanded.

"All you've gotta is swing your little swords and cut up a few guys," Nami reasoned.

"Oh really, is that all?" Zoro questioned sarcastically. "DON'T BOSS ME AROUND! I'm not that idiot cook!"

"Oh I see, you're just afraid that you'll end up losing to them," Nami reasoned.

"YOU WANNA SAY THAT AGAIN, YOU GREEDY BITCH?" Zoro yelled. While Zoro and Nami were arguing, Ricky watched as Luffy got up and walked away… still sleeping.

**Whap!** Ricky slapped Zoro on the back of the head, "Watch your tone," he scolded the swordsman, causing him to glare at him.

"WHY DON'T _YOU _DO IT THEN?" Zoro suggested, "Why do _I _have to do your dirty work?"

"I would," Ricky told him, "but I'm still trying to shake off the effects of whatever they spiked our drinks with. And I left my sword on the ship when _someone_ said he'd handle things."

"This is entirely different!" Zoro protested.

"Look, if Luffy was awake he'd agree before they even finished explaining what we're doing," Ricky explained. "I don't wanna go through the trouble of tricking you into doing it, and I don't want to have to resort to ordering you. Maybe these two can at least provide you with a little challenge."

"Fine!" Zoro conceded, "But I'm doing it under protest!" Zoro glared at Ricky and Nami, "You greedy jerks deserve each other!" Zoro turned and stormed off to save the Princess.

"Hehehe, THANKS ZORO!" Nami called out after him.

"SHUT UP!" Zoro shouted.

"I'm so ashamed," Igaram groaned. "If I were stronger I could've protected Princess Vivi like she deserves."

"Oh she'll be fine," Nami assured him. "Zoro's as strong as an ox. He can handle it."

"If anything should happen to Princess Vivi… our Kingdom would crumble…" said the worried Igaram, he was practically crying. "She must escape! She has to!"

**-x-**

"RUN! CARUE!" Princess Vivi urged her duck as they ran through the streets of Whisky Peak. "There's a ship docked behind the Cactus Rocks. We're going to take it and escape from this place. Then we'll be on our way to Alabasta!"

**-x-**

Elsewhere, a still inflated Luffy had just finished taking a leak in the waterway. "Ahh, that's better," Luffy sighed, "Now to get back to sleep."

Luffy turned around and spotted something that made his eyes go wide in surprise. "WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED HERE?" Luffy shouted. A bunch of the bounty hunters that Zoro had beaten were lying unconscious in the street. To Luffy, they were still the nice people that had thrown a party for them.

**-x-**

"HURRY CARUE!" Princess Vivi called out as her duck continued running.

"QUACK!" Carue agreed.

**KA-BOOOM!** The wall of one of the buildings in front of them suddenly exploded.

"CARUE STOP!" Princess Vivi ordered. The duck came to a halt and the Princess spotted a familiar silhouette in the smoke. "It's Mr. 5! MOVE!"

"Kyahahaha!" Ms. Valentine cackled as she floated down out of the sky and landed on a pile of boxes in time to watch Princess Vivi and Carue run passed.

"It's kind of cute that she's still trying," Mr. 5 commented as he slowly walked after the running duck. He was confident that the Princess wouldn't escape.

Carue kept running and went to run around a corner, but Princess Vivi was surprised when Ms. Monday stepped out from the around the corner and stood in front of them. "MS. MONDAY!" Princess Vivi exclaimed.

"Go on, you can reach the ships by going through here," Ms. Monday instructed as she pointed over her shoulder. She still looked beaten up from her encounter with Zoro. "I'll stay here and hold off the others."

"You sure?" Princess Vivi asked.

"After losing to that green-haired swordsman we're all going to be punished for failing our mission anyway," Ms. Monday explained as she picked up a log that was as tall as she was and was about as thick as one of her extremely muscular legs. "At least if I do that, I can do down while helping to protect a friend."

Princess Vivi stared at Ms. Monday in surprise and tried to fight back tears at the thought of another of the Baroque Works Agents that she'd worked with sacrificing herself so she could escape.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING AROUND HERE FOR?" Ms. Monday demanded. "If you get killed and captured, then Mr. 8 and Mr. 9 will have sacrificed themselves for nothing! GO ON!"

"Thank you," Princess Vivi sobbed as she and Carue hurried off.

"First Mr. 9 defected, and now you," Mr. 5 commented as he walked over to Ms. Monday and pulled up one of the long sleeves of his trench coat, exposing his bare arm.

"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" Ms. Monday shouted. "I made a promise to a friend."

"Kyahahahaha!" Ms. Valentine laughed as she casually sat on a box further down the street. "That's adorable!"

"YOU ARE AN UTTER DISGRAGE…" Mr. 5 shouted as he ran towards Ms. Monday who swung the massive log around like a bow-staff. **SWISH!** Ms. Monday shot the end of the log out at Mr. 5, but Mr. 5 dodged to the side then lashed out his exposed arm, "...TO THE NAME OF BAROQUE WORKS! EXPLODING CLOTHESLINE!" **KA-BOOOM! **Mr. 5's arm exploded as it connected with Ms. Monday and sent her crashing to the ground in the middle of a heated explosion.

"No… Ms. Monday…" Princess Vivi gasped, as she watched another one of her friends fall from in front of a rocky pass on the outside of town.

"I am Human Dynamite," Mr. 5 explained. "I can make any part of my body explode. Thanks to my Bomb Bomb Fruit Powers, there isn't a single mission that I've failed to complete."

"KYAHAHAHA!"Ms Valentine laughed as she floated up in the sky as spun her umbrella around to seemingly keep her airborne. "And thanks to the Kilo Kilo Fruit Powers that I possess, I can bury that traitor Ms. Monday in the ground forever! I can change my weight whenever I want! Right now I'm light enough to be lifted by a slight breeze. But I think it's time to start gaining weight…"

"Five Kilos!" Ms. Valentine called out as she gained weight and started to descent, "Fifty Kilos… a Hundred… Five Hundred…" Ms. Valentine plummeted down out of the sky at an alarming speed, "a Thousand… TEN THOUSAND KILO PRESS!" **KER-RASH!** The ten thousand kilogram Baroque Works Agent slammed into the prone body of Ms. Monday and created a crater from the impact.

"Kyahahaha," Ms. Valentine cackled as she stood up next to Mr. 5, she was completely unharmed. "Do you really still think you can escape from us?"

"You don't have a chance of getting out of here in one piece," said Mr. 5.

Princess Vivi bit her lip in frustration, she wouldn't let her friends' sacrifice be in vain, "I _will_ survive, I _will _escape!" she vowed. "I _will _make it back home to Alabasta Kingdom."

"Eh-hah," Mr. 5 chuckled as he stuck his finger up his nose and started digging. He found what he wanted and pulled the booger out, "TAKE THIS! NEZ-PALM… CANNON!" **Swip!** Mr. 5 flicked the explosive booger at the Princess who stood there in shock not knowing what to do.

**SKISH!** Zoro suddenly leapt down from a roof overhead and landed in front of Princess Vivi on the point of his sword. _Wado Ichimonji _cut the booger in half as it split and flew passed both Zoro and Princess Vivi, then both halves exploded. **KA-BOOOM-BOOOM!**

"Mr. Bushido!" Princess Vivi exclaimed as two giant boulders that had been blown up by the bomb fell and slammed down into the Princess' path. "That… could've been me…"

"So who's this clown?" Mr. 5 wondered.

"Aaaahhh! I just cut someone's snot!" Zoro complained as he stared at the leftover mucus on his precious sword.

"Damn it," Princess Vivi cursed as she started spinning one of her bladed jewels. **Fwip! Fwip! Fwip!** "I don't have time for this! Don't you ever give up!"

**SLISH! **Zoro cut the string and the jewel went flying as he pointed the tip of his sword at Princess Vivi's neck. "Calm down," Zoro told him. "I'm under orders to rescue you."

"What?" questioned Princess Vivi, "rescue me?"

"Hmph," Mr. 5 grunted. One more person to blow up.

**-x-**

"By the way, who won?" Ricky asked Igaram, as they waited in the alley for Zoro to come back with the Princess.

"What?" questioned Igaram.

"The drinking contest," Ricky clarified. "We left the prize money there on the table because we couldn't remember who won."

"No point in taking the prize money when I didn't know for sure if I beat him to get it," Nami reasoned.

"So who was winning before you came over and knocked us out?" Ricky inquired.

"I don't know," Igaram answered. "Is now really the time for something like that? Baroque Works is out to kill my Princess!"

"Speaking of which," said Nami, "Baroque Works… what kind of company is it?"

"Uggh… it's a secret criminal organization," Igaram explained. "It specializes in assassinations, espionage, and bounty hunting. That company is so secretive that none of the employees know the Boss' identity or face. But they will still do anything the Boss commands them to."

"Why would any rational person listen to some big boss who's identity they don't even know?" questioned Nami.

"He's obviously after something huge," Ricky reasoned. "Everyone wants their cut so they're willing to follow orders like good little sheep."

"You're right," said Igaram, "the Ultimate Objective of Baroque Works is to create a Utopia. Everyone who does well in the company will be guaranteed high social standing within the Utopia. This is the promise that drives them to blindly follow."

"Now that makes more sense," Nami commented.

"The Agents all have numbers as code names," Igaram continued. "The Boss' codename is Mr. 0. The closer an agent's number is to zero the stronger and more skilled they are, and the higher their future standing will be. The Agents from Mr. 5 and above are especially powerful."

"Okay, so if this Mr. 0's Master Plan is to create a Utopia," Ricky reasoned. "And you and your Princess were desperate enough to infiltrate the organization, it would be safe to assume that he's going to base it in Alabasta Kingdom."

"That's sadly true," Igaram replied. "My homeland is in grave danger."

Ricky continued to guess about Baroque Works based off of the information Igaram gave him, "And if the Boss is using a codename and is worried enough to send agents out to kill people who have learned his identity, then that means he's someone with a big reputation in Alabasta."

"The Princess is the one who found it out," Igaram informed him. "But if I tell you, they're likely to send assassins after you as well."

"Don't worry, I've already got a pretty good idea of who it is," Ricky replied. "Now you want us to get the Princess back to Alabasta, how do you plan on us getting out of here without being detected?"

"Well, I had an idea," Igaram replied, suddenly taking charge, "Boy, come with me, girl, make sure your swordsman gets the Princess away from those other two."

Ricky glanced at Nami and shrugged, she hopped off of the barrel she was sitting on and headed off to find Zoro. Ricky went over to Igaram and pulled him up off of the ground then threw his arm around his shoulders to hold him up.

"We'll use a decoy strategy…" Igaram began to explain as Ricky carried him off.

**-x-**

"So you're the swordsman who beat up all the lowly employees who were stationed out here," Ms. Valentine realized.

"Why would you want to protect the Princess of Alabasta?" Mr. 5 inquired.

"I'm under orders," Zoro admitted.

"Good reason," Mr. 5 remarked, "but one way or another, we're gonna have to eliminate you because you're in in the way of _our_ orders."

"Kyahaha!" Ms. Valentine laughed, "Aw, what a shame!"

"Eh-hah," Mr. 5 chuckled as he once again stuck his finger up his nose.

"**I FOUND YOU!" **came a loud shout. Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine turned and saw Luffy standing in the road behind them. Zoro grinned at the sight of the panting captain. "ZOOOROOO!"

"What is it now?" Ms. Valentine wondered.

"Luffy!" Zoro called out. "Thanks for coming, but I've got this one. Or did those greedy jerks drag you into this too?"

Zoro took a closer look at Luffy and realized that he wasn't panting he was _seething_. Luffy was angry about something, but he didn't know what.

"YOU ARE GONNA PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID!" Luffy hollered at Zoro. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

"WHAT?" Zoro exclaimed, he didn't have a clue what was going on, but for one reason or another, Luffy seemed to be really angry with him.

**-x-**

The surprises just keep on coming. Next chapter it's a vicious battle between Nakama, Luffy versus Zoro.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	6. Chapter 6

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer: **The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonnan Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. Please support the official release.

**A/N:** This chapter is going to be long, I wanted to finish the Whiskey Peak Arc all in one chapter, so this has three manga chapters in it. It'll go from Luffy and Zoro's fight, to the visit from the Vice President of Baroque Works.

**Luffy versus Zoro:**

**-x-**

Luffy stood behind Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine and glared passed them at Zoro. Princess Vivi and Carue were behind him, but had nowhere to go since the pass they had planned on running through was now blocked.

"YOU ARE GONNA PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID!" Luffy hollered at Zoro. He was still swelled up like a balloon due to all of the food he'd eaten. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

"WHAT?" Zoro exclaimed. "WHAT KIND OF NONSENSE HAVE YOU GOTTEN INTO YOUR HEAD THIS TIME?"

"SHUT UP AND GET READY!" Luffy snapped. "I'M GONNA KICK YOUR UNGRATEFUL LITTLE ASS!"

"Ungrateful?" Zoro repeated.

**-Short Flashback from a Few Minutes Earlier-**

Luffy finished taking a leak in the waterway that ran through Whisky Peak. He turned around and spotted a bunch of the nice people who had fed him and thrown a party for his crew lying in an alley unconscious. "WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED HERE?" Luffy waddled into the cluster of people and lifted up the head of one of the men that seemed to be conscious. "What happened?" Luffy asked. "Who did this to you?"

"It was that friend of yours…" the man answered, "The swordsman with the green hair…"

"Zoro?" Luffy repeated in surprise.

**-End Short Flashback from a Few Minutes Earlier-**

"Everyone here was nothing but nice to us!" Luffy yelled. "They welcomed us and threw us a party! THEY GAVE US FOOD! AND YOU REPAID THEM BY CUTTING THEM ALL UP WITH THOSE SWORDS OF YOURS!"

"Well… yeah…" Zoro admitted. "But… there's something you don't know…" Those men had all been bounty hunters. They had fed them food so they'd pass out and then they could cash in on Luffy and Ricky's bounties.

"JUST SHUT UP AND FIGHT ME!" Luffy shouted.

"This guy's just a complete idiot…" Princess Vivi realized as she sat on her duck and stared in disbelief. Carue who was rather dim himself, nodded in agreement.

"Now they're fighting amongst themselves," Mr. 5 commented as he stood in between the bickering pirates with his hands in the pockets of his brown coat, "How pathetic."

"Kyahahaha!" Ms. Valentine laughed. "Maybe if we wait long enough they'll just kill each other."

"Uhhh… hold on Luffy," Zoro called out as Luffy waddled closer, "could you just listen to me for a second? They were actually…"

**BWOING! **Luffy leapt up into the air and flew over the two Baroque Works Agents and launched himself at Zoro, "NO EXCUSES!" Luffy pulled back one of his arms and swung it at Zoro for a high-powered punch. **SHWOOM!**

"WHOA!" Zoro exclaimed as he ducked out of the way, **POW!** Luffy's powerful punch knocked a huge hole in the solid rock pass that Zoro had been standing in front of. "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?"

"YEAH!" Luffy answered. "DIE!" **SHWOOOP!** Luffy lashed out his leg for a powerful kick but Zoro barely managed to get out of the way. **THWHAM!** Luffy smashed the rocky pass to pieces.

"GRAAAAHHH!" Luffy yelled as he lunged at Zoro for a vicious head-butt. **WHAM! **Again, Zoro managed to jump out of the way and Luffy smashed a hole in the rock pass with his hard head.

"He's gone crazy!" said Zoro as he backed away from Luffy and attempted to plead with him, "Luffy! Stop this!"

**BWOING!** Luffy launched himself up into the air and flew at Zoro, "RAAAAHHH!" Zoro and Luffy went flying backwards into the wall of a building on the outskirts of Whisky Peak. **WHAM!** Mr. 5, Ms. Valentine, Princess Vivi, and Carue could only stare in shock as the two of them fought.

"Well Mr. 5, it looks like they're too busy beating each other up to cause us any trouble," Ms. Valentine realized.

"Apparently," Mr. 5 agreed. "So why don't we just leave those two idiots to their fight while we do the job we were sent here to complete… eliminate Princess Vivi of Alabasta Kingdom."

**Swish! Swish! **"Hey touch guy, quit running away!" Luffy snapped as he swung his fists at Zoro, who was doing his best to dodge Luffy's attacks. **WHAM! **The crossed the street and smashed into the front wall of building on the other side of it.

"LET'S GO MS. VALENTINE!" Mr. 5 called out as he charged at the Princess.

"Right, Mr. 5!" Ms. Valentine replied as she followed behind him.

"QUIT SCREWING AROUND DAMN IT!" Zoro yelled as he lashed out his leg and kicked Luffy in his fat belly, **THWAK! **Luffy went flying backwards and smashed into the two Baroque Works Agents, **WHUMP! **The three of them sailed clear across the street and smashed through the front of a building. **KRASH!**

"That dumb-ass," Zoro growled as he, Princess Vivi, and Carue stared down at the dusty wreckage that Luffy, Mr. 5, and Ms. Valentine had been knocked into.

**-x-**

Inside the house they'd been knocked into, all three people were still conscious, they were just a little dizzy. "Ugh… now you and your friend have really managed to get in the way of our plans," Mr. 5 grumbled as he staggered back up and glared down at Luffy.

"Wh-what happened?" questioned Ms. Valentine as she pushed herself up off of the ground. She'd lost her yellow hat at one point, "What's going on?"

"Since you two want to kill each other so badly," said Mr. 5, "I'll tell you what… we're gonna do you a favor. We'll kill you both ourselves, okay?"

**Huff… **Luffy grunted as he stared up at the Baroque Works Agent.

**-x-**

**KA-BOOOM! KA-BOOOM!** **KA-BOOOOM!** Explosions went off on the other end of the street. Zoro, Princess Vivi, and Carue all wondered what was going on.

**Shoo!** Ms. Valentine came flying up out of the smoke with her umbrella over her head, "NOW I'M REALLY ANNOYED!" she shouted down at Zoro. "I hope you're ready to experience my Kilo Kilo Fruit Powers! Kyahahahaha! Prepare to be smashed into a thousand tiny pieces and buried a hundred meters in the ground!"

"Mr. Bushido, you have to get out of the way!" Princess Vivi warned Zoro as she watched the blonde float towards them.

"BE QUIET!" Zoro snapped. "I have more important things to worry about right now!"

**Krek… **"That was a good workout, I finally started to digest some of that food," commented Luffy as he carried the unconscious form of Mr. 5 along with him.

"He fought… Mr. 5… and won?" questioned Princess Vivi in surprise. "He took out a Baroque Works Officer Agent like it was nothing!"

"Alright, now let's finish this," Luffy resolved as he glared at Zoro.

Unnoticed to Zoro, Ms. Valentine was floated over his head, "Here I come!" Ms. Valentine called out. "I hope you're getting scared! I may look light now, but I can increase my weight to ten thousand kilograms, you know!

"Luffy, just hear me out for a second!" Zoro attempted to explain. "Everyone who lives here in Whisky Peak is a bounty hunter! Which makes all of them our enemies!"

"HEY! PAY ATTENTION TO ME, YOU JACKASS!" Ms. Valentine yelled as she glared down at Zoro.

**Thud!** Luffy dropped Mr. 5 on the ground, "YOU'RE JUST LYING!" he shouted. "ENEMIES WOULDN'T GIVE US TASTY FOOD, WOULD THEY?"

"TASTE MY TEN THOUSAND KILO PRESS! KYAHAHAHA!" Ms. Valentine cackled as she changed her weight and started plummeting downwards. **SHWOO…**

"Find then," Zoro relented as he turned to the side and pulled his bandana off of his arm. He seemed completely oblivious to the blonde who fell passed him and smashed into the ground, **KER-RASH! **"It doesn't look like there's any sense in trying to talk to you."

"GRRRRR…" Luffy growled as Zoro tied his bandana on his head and prepared to fight.

"You know, you're really a moron!" Zoro snapped. "This time I'm not gonna hold back! It'll be your own fault if you die!"

"SOUNDS GOOD TO ME!" Luffy roared.

"Hold on… what's going on here?" Princess Vivi wondered. "I thought you guys were on the same side!"

"GUM… GUM…" **SHOOOM!** Luffy stretched her arms out behind him and charged at the swordsman. "BAZOOKA!"

Zoro drew his swords and ran to meet Luffy, "DEMON…SLICE!"

**WHAM! **Luffy and Zoro smashed into each other sending a shockwave through the town. The two pirates locked up, neither of them willing to budge an inch.

Luffy was growling as he clutched Zoro's wrists and attempted to keep his swords away from his face. "Let's see which one's stronger," said Zoro, "Your rubber hands or my steel? What do you say?"

"Yeah, let's settle this once and for all!" Luffy replied.

Zoro changed his grip on the swords in his hands and lashed out at Luffy, "DRAGON… TWISTER!" **SLA-SWISH!** Zoro lashed out with a powerful tornado-like attack that sent Luffy flying up into the air over his head.

"GUM… GUM… PISTOL!" **SHWOOOM!** Luffy shot his arm out and socked Zoro in the stomach, **POW!**

**KRASH! KRASH!** Luffy and Zoro went flying in opposite directions and smashed into buildings on opposite sides of the road. A cloud of dust obscured everything from view.

"Well now what am I supposed to do?" Princess Vivi wondered as she sat on her duck and stared at the quiet street. "I don't know how safe we'll be going through there…"

"Quack…" said Carue as he timidly padded towards the street, keeping his eyes peeled for any movement both form the pirates AND the two Baroque Works Agents. **Tmp… Tmp… Tmp… **"Quack…"

**SHOOOM!** Luffy and Zoro suddenly burst out from their respective houses and charged across the street, the duck was a few feet away from Luffy at the time and let out a loud quack of terror, "QUAAACK!"

"RAAAAHHH!" Luffy growled as he charged across the street.

"GRRAAAAHH!" Zoro snarled as he ran out in the opposite direction.

**POW!** Luffy and Zoro's fists collided in a deadlock, then Zoro lashed out with one of his swords, **SWISH!** Luffy dodged the sword and swung his leg at Zoro, **SKISH! **Zoro dodge the attack and jumped backwards then he lashed out with one of his swords. **SLIK!** Zoro cut Luffy on the cheek while Luffy retaliated by punched Zoro in the stomach, **POW! **

"Damn it…" Mr. 5 cursed as he and Ms. Valentine staggered back up. "Those two are making fools of us on our own turf! The name of Baroque Works will be shamed if we fail in our mission here!"

"Mr. 5, we can still defeat them!" said Ms. Valentine. "We haven't failed yet!"

"LET'S GO MS. VALENTINE!" Mr. 5 instructed as he charged at the two pirates.

"RIGHT, MR. 5!" Ms. Valentine agreed as she ran after him.

"YOU CAN'T BEAT US!" Mr. 5 shouted at Luffy and Zoro. "PREPARE TO DIE AT THE HANDS OF BAROQUE WORKS OFFICER AGENTS!"

Luffy and Zoro stopped fighting and glared at the two agents, "SHUT UP AND GO AWAY!" they growled, causing Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine to stop in their tracks and stare in surprise. "YOU'RE INTERRUPTING… OUR FIGHT!" Luffy swung his arm around while at the same time Zoro whipped out one of his swords, **WHAM! **The two of them smacked Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine off to the side and stood tall in the middle of the road.

**-x-**

**It's All Right:**

**-x-**

Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine went flying and smashed through the walls of the buildings behind Luffy and Zoro. **THOOOM!**

"Annoying bastards," Zoro muttered.

"Messing with our fight…" Luffy growled.

Princess Vivi sat on her duck and stared in shock, "They took down two Baroque Works Officer Agents… unbelievable…"

"Wanna finish this?" Zoro offered.

"Yeah!" Luffy agreed.

Luffy clenched his fist and his muscles bulged as he got ready to fight again. Zoro growled and tightly gripped the handles of his swords.

"GRAAAAHHH!" Luffy growled as he charged Zoro.

"RAAAHHHH!" Zoro snarled as he faced off with Luffy.

"**ENOUGH!"** **KA-POW!** Nam came out of nowhere and punched both Luffy and Zoro in the head, both of the powerful fighters went crashing down to the ground.

Winner: Nami

"What the heck do you think you're doing?" Nami demanded as she glared down at them. "It's lucky for you that you managed to keep the girl safe! You almost lost us a billion berries!" Nami pulled the two of them up by their collars, "YOU UNDERSTAND?"

"What do you mean?" Princess Vivi asked. "What berries? Why are you helping me?"

**Pow!** Zoro weakly punched Luffy in the face, Nami pulled her head back as Luffy retaliated and slugged Zoro in the face, **Pow! **

"About that, I think we need to have a little chat," Nami commented as she attempted to ignore Luffy and Zoro. Zoro had grabbed the inside of Luffy's mouth and was stretching it with a fishhook. Luffy had his hand pressed into Zoro's chin and was trying to push him away. "You and I have to work out a contract for a reward."

"What… but…" said Princess Vivi, she was still confused.

**KA-POW! **"KNOCK IT OFF!" Nami clubbed both Luffy and Zoro on the back of the head and sent them crashing down to the ground. Nami looked up at Princess Vivi and attempted to explain now that Luffy and Zoro had FINALLY stopped fighting.

**-x-**

"SHISHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed once the situation had been explained to him. Nearby, Nami was attempting to explain her vision of things to Princess Vivi. "Oh! Why didn't you just say so Zoro? I thought you got mad and beat everyone up because they didn't have a dish you wanted!"

"THAT'S SOMETHING _YOU_ WOULD DO!" Zoro snapped.

"Shishishishi! What a funny mix up!" Luffy exclaimed.

"YOU GUYS, SHUP UP!" Nami yelled. Then she turned back to Princess Vivi. "There it is, in exchange for taking you home, I'd like one billion berries. You saw how strong these two guys are. I've got three more. If you ask me, it isn't a bad deal."

"I can't," Princess Vivi replied. "Although I appreciate the help you've given me so far."

"Why not?" asked Nami. "Aren't you a Princess? Aren't you rich?"

"Do you know anything about Alabasta Kingdom?" Princess Vivi inquired.

"I've never heard of it," Nami admitted.

"Alabasta is a great nation, a peaceful kingdom," Princess Vivi explained, "… at least… it used to be…"

"Used to be?" Nami repeated, "And now?"

"We're in the middle of a civil war," Princess Vivi told her. "In recent years, signs of discontent began to appear. Finally the people revolted and the Kingdom fell into utter chaos. I learned of a secret organization… called Baroque Works. I found out that our people were being manipulated by this organization. But that was the only information I could gather about them. I didn't know what to do… so I went to Igaram for help. He's kept a close eye on me ever since I was a child."

"You mean the guy with the rollers?" questioned Luffy.

"Yes," Princess Vivi answered. "I asked him to help me infiltrate Baroque Works to see who was pulling their strings behind the scenes… and what exactly they were up to. "

"You're pretty brave for a Princess," Zoro commented. "Were you able to find out what their plan was?"

"Igaram said it was to create a Utopia," said Nami. "Is that it?"

"It's not," Princess Vivi replied. "That was just the cover story the Boss was using. It's a lie to cover their tracks. Their true goal is to take over Alabasta! I have to get back somehow to warn everybody, to tell them the truth and stop the fighting! If I don't do something, if I don't tell them…" The Princess trailed off and started crying at the thought of her nation being taken over.

"So that's it," Nami realized. "I'm starting to get the picture. I suppose you wouldn't have much money lying around in the middle of a civil war."

"So did you find out who's in charge?" Luffy inquired.

"What?" Princess Vivi gasped. "THE BOSS' IDENTITY? YOU SHOULDN'T ASK THAT!"

"But you know, don't you?" questioned Luffy.

"ASK ME ANYTHING BUT THAT!" Princess Vivi pleaded. "IF I TELL YOU, YOU'RE LIVES WILL BE PUT IN DANGER TOO!"

"Hehehe, alright I'll pass," Nami replied. "This guy is trying to take over an entire country, after all. I don't really want someone like that chasing after me, thank you."

"That's right, you don't," Princess Vivi assured her. "I don't care how strong you people are, you wouldn't stand a chance against one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea! Against Crocodile!"

"Who now?" asked Luffy.

SHE'D JUST TOLD THEM THE BOSS' IDENTITY! Princess Vivi and Nami gasped in shock at what she'd just let slip. "You just had to say it," Zoro grumbled.

The four of them looked up and suddenly spotted an otter and a vulture perched on the roof of a building across the street. THE UNLUCKIES HAD JUST HEARD THEIR ENTIRE CONVERSATION! Mr. 13 jumped on Ms. Friday's back and the vulture flew off before they could stop it.

Nami grabbed Princess Vivi by the collar and shook her back and forth, "THE BIRD AND THE OTTER! WHO ARE THEY?" Nami demanded. "ARE THEY GOING TO REPORT THAT YOU JUST TOLD US THE SECRET TOO?"

"Hey a Warlord! That's cool!" Luffy exclaimed as he smiled at Zoro.

"No too bad," Zoro remarked.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Princess Vivi apologized as Nami continued to shake her, "It just slipped out!"

"SLIPPED OUT?" Nami repeated in outrage. "NOW THOSE CREEPS WILL BE AFTER US TOO!" Nami dropped the Princess and cried. "We just came to the Grand Line but now we're being hunted by a Warlord! That's more than I can handle!"

"So when do we get to see this guy?" Zoro wondered.

"I wonder what he looks like," Luffy replied.

"YOU TWO SHUT UP!" Nami yelled. She promptly turned and stalked off. "It's been nice knowing you idiots, thanks for everything!"

"Where are you going?" Luffy called after her.

"They don't know what I look like yet!" Nami told him. "I'M LEAVING!"

Nami stopped when she found her path blocked by Mr. 13. The otter had a sketchpad in front of him and was just adding the finishing touches to an incredibly accurate sketch of Nami. **WHIP!** Mr. 13 turned his sketchpad around and then pulled out two other pages with pictures of Luffy and Zoro.

"Wow! That's so life-like!" Nami praised the otter as she applauded its artistic abilities. Mr. 13 promptly jumped onto Ms. Friday's back and the vulture flew away.

Nami turned around and stormed back over to Luffy, Zoro, and Princess Vivi. "NOW THERE'S NOWHERE LEFT TO RUN!"

"I'm really sorry," Princess Vivi apologized again.

"She'll get over it," Luffy assured her.

"Where was she planning on going anyway?" Zoro wondered. "Looks like the three of us are going to be sitting right at the top of Baroque Works' hit list."

"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed. "That sounds awesome!"

"Um… I have five hundred thousand berries saved up…" Princess Vivi offered Nami who was sitting in the corner hugging her knees to her chest. She'd just gone emo.

"**Looks like we missed Nami freaking out," **came a familiar calm voice.

"**You have nothing to fear!" **sounded a louder deeper voice.

Luffy, Zoro, and Princess Vivi turned and spotted Ricky and… Igaram?

The Captain of the Royal Guard was dressed in drag. His hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, the six rollers that his hair used to be in now went down his back. He wore a blue and purple diagonally striped shirt, an opened green coat that was lined in fur, short white shorts, and a belt made out of gems. It was an exact copy of Princess Vivi's outfit, it looked a lot better on the sixteen year old Princess than it did on the large older man.

"Maa… maaa… maaaa! It's going to be alright Princess," Igaram told Princess Vivi. "I've come up with a plan."

"Igaram, why are you dressed like that?" asked Princess Vivi as she and Luffy got up and approached the cross-dressed Captain of the Royal Guard.

"Allow us to introduce you to your decoys," Ricky continued as he held up three dolls which he had personally outfitted with wigs and costumes to make them look like Luffy, Zoro, and Nami.

"Wow! That's a funny outfit, mister!" Luffy commented.

"They're all insane," Nami muttered, who was still being emo in the corner.

"Princess Vivi, please listen to me carefully," Igaram requested. "Once Baroque Works' intelligence network learns what happened here, agents will be sent after you immediately. They're aware that you know the Boss' identity…"

"Yes, and knowing them, they'll send a thousand of them," Princess Vivi reasoned, causing Nami to flinch in terror.

"Now here's my plan," Igaram continued, "Disguised like this I will pretend to be you. I'll take the three dummies Mr. One Eye prepared on board with me and I will sail a straight course to Alabasta."

"So these things are us?" questioned Luffy as he stared at the dummy version of him. It had a messy black wig, a red t-shirt, and a pair of blue pants with the legs rolled up so they looked like shorts.

"It was a quick thing, I worked with what I had," Ricky replied. The Zoro dummy had a short blueish-green wig, a white t-shirt, and black pants while the Nami dummy was wearing a long orange wig, a pink shirt, and a solid yellow skirt. "With all the bounty hunters around here, they had a lot of costumes… they could've been a lot worse."

"While Baroque Works is busy chasing after me, the rest of you will take Princess Vivi and head to Alabasta Kingdom following a less direct route," Igaram told them.

"Hold on!" Nami objected, she finally stopped being emo and rejoined the conversation. "Who said we were gonna take her with us? We still haven't discussed the matter of payment." Nami's desire for money seemingly overrode the feelings of terror.

"Payment for what? Take her where?" questioned Luffy.

"I promised roller-guy that we'd get the Princess back home safely," Ricky explained to the Captain. "Since we don't have a set course… I figured 'why not'."

"Oh, is that what all this yelling's about?" asked Luffy. "Sure, we'll take her."

Ricky turned to Zoro, "Told you he'd agree to it before we finished explaining," he reminded the swordsman.

"CROCODILE MAY ALREADY BE AFTER US!" Nami yelled.

"Is this Crocodile really that dangerous?" Luffy inquired.

"He's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea," Ricky explained. "That makes him a legally recognized pirate… like Hawk Eye Mihawk. I've heard that he's been based in Alabasta for the last three years and is seen as some kind of hero. That's why I've never been to Alabasta. When he was a pirate he had a bounty of eighty one million berries."

"EIGHTY-ONE MILLION!" Nami screamed, "THAT'S OVER FOUR TIMES WHAT ARLONG'S BOUNTY WAS! TURN IT DOWN!"

"Will you do this for us?" Igaram requested.

"Sure!" Luffy agreed. "It sounds like it'll be fun!"

Nami palmed her face and looked depressed. She didn't think that being hunted by a former pirate with a bounty of 81,000,000 berries was 'fun'.

**-x-**

"Maa… maaa… _maaaaa_…" Igaram cleared his throat and tuned his voice to a falsetto so he could act is part as Princess Vivi. "Now I, Vivi, will leave from here!"

"Shishishi! Great imitation old guy!" Luffy cheered.

"Imitation of who?" questioned Zoro, who wasn't as impressed.

"Princess, please give me the Eternal Pose," Igaram requested. Princess Vivi reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a glass ball in a wooden holder and handed it to the man.

"What's an Eternal Pose?" Nami inquired.

"It's a special Log Pose that locks onto the magnetic signature of one specific island… eternally," Ricky explained. "I'm guessing that's one for Alabasta, so that'll take him straight there. We'll be using a regular Log Pose to take a less direct route."

"That's right," said Igaram. "I have never gone the indirect island-hopping route to Alabasta, but you should only have to pass two or three islands if you follow the Log. Please, take care of the Princess in my absence."

"Don't worry, we'll watch out for her," Ricky assured him.

Igaram smiled down at Princess Vivi, "I expect that your journey will be a difficult one. Please, be careful."

Princess Vivi struggled to fight back tears, the man that had looked after her for so long was leaving. She strengthened her resolve and shook his hand.

Igaram boarded the boat along with the three dummies and set off. "May we meet again in our homeland," he called out to Princess Vivi.

"_It's up to you to save our country Princess,"_ Igaram thought to himself.

"And there he goes," Luffy commented. "Shishishi! That guy was a funny old man!"

"He's also very reliable man," Princess Vivi added as she watched the boat sail away.

**KA-BOOOOOOM!** As soon as it reached the ocean, Igaram's ship suddenly exploded. The enormous blast was even bigger than the island it had just sailed away from.

Princess Vivi, Luffy, Ricky, Zoro, and Nami all stared at the firey explosion with different degrees of shock, horror, and surprise.

"OH NO! THEY GOT HIM ALREADY!" Nami exclaimed.

Luffy put his hat on, it hid his eyes but he still looked angry. "I LIKED THAT GUY!"

"I think it's time to go," Zoro announced.

"Nami, how's the Log Pose?" Ricky asked.

"It's all set," Nami answered as she glanced at the Pose on her wrist.

"Get the Princess and meet us at the Going Merry," Ricky instructed. "Luffy, Zoro, and I will take care of everything else." Ricky turned to Luffy and Zoro, "Let's go guys!" The three of them quickly ran off leaving Nami to deal with the shocked Princess.

"VIVI HURRY!" Nami shouted as she ran over to Princess Vivi and put her hand on her shoulder. "WE HAVE TO LEAVE! IF THEY GET US NOW IT'LL ALL BE FOR NOTHING!"

Princess Vivi bit her lip so hard that it bled, she'd just witnessed the person who'd looked after her since she was a child die in a horrific explosion. They were supposed to meet up in Alabasta, but he'd been killed mere minutes after he'd set off.

Luffy, Ricky, and Zoro ran off, and Ricky continued to give orders to prepare to leave, "Luffy, go back to the inn and get Sanji and Usopp then meet us at the Going Merry. Zoro and I will go straight there and get it ready to sail."

Right," Luffy agreed as he ran back towards the inn while Ricky and Zoro headed for the harbor.

Back at the shore, Nami grabbed Princess Vivi and hugged her, "Don't worry, we're going to get you home," she assured the girl who was attempting to fight back tears. "I know they don't look like much, but they're strong. Those five saved the East Blue. Baroque Works, Crocodile, those guys are the one's who should be worried!"

**-x-**

**The Course:**

**-x-**

Luffy ran as fast as he could back to the inn in Whisky Peak. **KRASH!** He smashed through the door and spotted Usopp and Sanji still asleep on the floor. Luffy grabbed Usopp's nose and Sanji's ankle then took off, "Let's go!" **KRASH!** Luffy ran through the doorway while Usopp and Sanji smashed through the walls beside it. Usopp and Sanji had just received a rude awakening.

"OW! OW! YEOW!" Usopp complained as Luffy dragged him along the ground by his long nose.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Sanji demanded as Luffy raced off towards the ship. "LUFFY! STOP IT! WHAT'S GOING ON?"

"OWW! MY NOSE IS GONNA FALL OFF!" Usopp screamed as he and Sanji were dragged through the streets of Whisky Peak by their crazy captain.

**-x-**

"Hurry, Vivi!" Nami called out to the Princess as the two of them ran through Whisky Peak towards the harbor.

"Coming," Vivi replied as she frantically searched the streets for any sign of her faithful duck companion. _"Carue isn't here!" _

**-x-**

Out off the coast, a mysterious figure floated through the smoke and flaming residue of the explosion that had blown up Igaram and his decoy boat. **"A decoy?" **questioned the mysterious figure, it was a woman with long dark hair and a purple cowboy hat. She held her face up with one of her arms and seemed almost bored as she floated through the wreckage. Luffy's dummy bobbed passed. **"That's **_**almost**_** cute."**

**-x-**

At the harbor, Ricky and Zoro were on board the Going Merry getting it ready for departure. Zoro was leaning over the railing of the front deck and grabbed the anchor as it rose to meet him. "I got it!" he called down to Ricky, who was down in the anchor room using the capstand to hoist the anchor. Zoro grunted as he hooked the end of the anchor on part of the railing.

"Now come down here and help me load the cannons with some cannonballs," Ricky instructed. "Oh, and I think we have the beginnings of an infestation."

"Huh?" questioned Zoro as he hopped the railing of the front deck and looked into the anchor room at the 'infestation'. "Oh… I think that's Vivi's ostrich."

"Well that's a relief," Ricky said as he eyed the duck that had snuck on board their ship. "Listen duck, if you're gonna be on the ship, you're gonna help. Zoro, grab two cannonballs and load up the cannons in the storage room. Duck, you take another cannonball and load the cannon on the deck. I'll load the one in here. We need to be armed in case they come after us."

Carue grabbed a cannonball in his beak while Zoro picked up two and they quickly left Ricky while he loaded the anchor room cannon.

Luffy arrived dragging Usopp and Sanji in tow. "HEY! I GOT 'EM!" he called out.

"Good," Zoro replied as he carried two cannonballs across the main deck. "Bring 'em up, we're ready to go."

Luffy glanced down at the cook and the marksman he'd been dragging and saw that they'd passed out, "Hey! You guys are _still_ asleep?"

"**We don't have time to look for him!"**Nami shouted as she and Vivi ran up to the ship.

"I'm not going to just leave him here!" Vivi argued.

"Hey what's the problem?" asked Zoro.

"Apparently her duck's gone missing!" Nami snapped. "And now she's refusing to leave without him!"

"You mean him?" Ricky inquired as he pointed to the duck they'd found on board.

"Quack!" Carue greeted them with a wave of his wing.

"HE'S HERE?" Nami and Vivi exclaimed at the same time.

"He was on board when we got here," Ricky told them with a shrug.

"One Eye thought we had an infestation," Zoro added with a grin.

"When you've been on the Grand Line for a while you'll realize that anything is possible," Ricky informed him. "An infestation of large ducks wouldn't be that unusual in comparison to some of the other stuff I've seen here. Hurry up and get on."

"Sail the ship upriver," Vivi instructed as she climbed up the rope ladder onto the ship. "We can catch the current a little further up. It's the fastest way out of here!"

"ALRIGHT! LET'S GO!" Luffy called out once everyone was on board.

Ricky climbed up a rope ladder and pulled on the yard so the main sail dropped, then he ran to the galley and took the whipstaff.

Vivi silently sat on the deck next to Carue. "Hey!" Zoro called out to her. "How many people do you think Baroque Works will send after us?"

"I'm not sure," Vivi admitted. "There are about 2,000 loyal employees in Baroque Works. I've heard that there are several bases like this one in Whisky Peak."

"Would they really send a thousand people?" questioned Nami.

"It's possible," Vivi offered.

"Whoa! The ship's leaving!" Usopp realized as he and Sanji finally woke up.

"Wait! Why do we have to leave?" questioned Sanji. "This town's amazing! There are so many cute girls!"

"Who knows if we'll ever have this much fun again!" Usopp protested. "Even pirates deserve a vacation!

"We should've just left 'em behind," Zoro groaned. "Nami will you explain it to them?"

**BONK! BONK! **"I just did," Nami informed him as she dusted her hands off.

"Okay that was fast," Zoro commented while Sanji and Usopp were left unconscious on the deck with large lumps on their head.

"I left out the complicated parts," Nami replied with a shrug.

"We should be reaching the sea soon," Vivi told them as the Merry sailed through the foggy waterway and out to the ocean.

"Cool! Look at all the fog!" Luffy observed as he stared around in wonder.

"Finally, it's getting light out," Nami realized.

"**I'm just glad we got away from the people who were chasing us,"** came a soft feminine voice from behind the Straw Hats.

"That's for sure," Nami agreed without looking at who she was agreeing with.

"**With all this fog, we'll have to be sure to avoid the rocks," **the voice advised.

"I'll take care of it!" Nami assured them. "Wait…" Nami glanced at Vivi and saw her and Carue standing silently next to her, Sanji and Usopp were still down on the deck, the voice was too feminine to be Zoro's, and Luffy was on her other side. "Did you?"

Luffy shook his head. As one, they turned around and stared in shock when they spotted a mysterious woman sitting on the railing in front of the galley.

"This ship is nice," the mysterious woman commented. She had straight black hair that went down passed her shoulders. She wore a fancy purple cowgirl hat, a purple vest that was laced up in the front, a short purple skirt, and purple cowboy boots. Her elegant facial features made her resemble a crane and her eyes were dark blue with a ring of lighter blue around them. She had her legs crossed and was leaning her elbow on one of her knees while she casually rested her chin against her hand and surveyed the people in front of her.

"What? Who's that?" Zoro demanded as the Straw Hats, the Princess, and the duck stared up at the mysterious woman in surprise.

"It's… it's you!" Vivi stammered.

"Fufufu, I just happened to run into your dear Mr. 8 a little ways back," said the woman with a casual chuckle. "He didn't look so good."

"So you killed Igaram!" Vivi realized.

"YOU! WHAT'RE YOU DOING ON MY SHIP?" Luffy demanded. "AND HOW DID YOU GET HERE? WHO ARE YOU?"

"Answer him!" Vivi ordered. "What are you doing here, **Ms. All Sunday**?"

"…" The woman silently sat on the railing. She had been revealed as Ms. All Sunday, the Vice President of Baroque Works.

"You know who she is?" questioned Nami. "Which of the number guys is she partnered with?"

"Her partner is Mr. 0," Vivi answered, "The Boss."

"WHAT? CROCODILE'S HER PARTNER!" Nami shrieked.

"So she's a bad guy?" Luffy realized.

"She was the only one who knew the Boss' identity," Vivi explained. "That's how we found out who he actually is… by following her back to him."

"To be accurate, I allowed it," Ms. All Sunday reminded her.

"So… she's a good guy then," Luffy commented.

"I know you knew we were there!" said Vivi. "You were the one who told the Boss what we knew! Weren't you?"

"That's right," Ms. All Sunday replied.

"Alright, then she _is_ bad," Luffy decided.

"Luffy, would you cut it out already!" Zoro scolded him.

"YOU STILL HAVEN'T TOLD US WHAT YOU'RE DOING HERE!" Vivi snapped.

"Oh that," Ms. All Sunday stated, "You were just so serious about the whole thing that I couldn't help myself. A princess doing whatever it would take to help her country while making herself an enemy of Baroque Works. The idea was just so… pathetic."

"Grr… YOU KILLED HIM!" Vivi screamed as Igaram's last words to her echoed in her mind. _"May we meet again in our Homeland."_

Zoro drew one of his swords and Nami pulled out her bow staff while Sanji and Usopp appeared on opposite sides of Ms. All Sunday. Usopp had his slingshot aimed at her while Sanji was pointing a pistol.

"Sanji… you do realize what you're doing here… right?" questioned Usopp.

"Nope, not a clue," Sanji admitted. "I just know that Ms. Wednesday needs me."

"I would really appreciate it you would… stop pointing those at me!" She only sounded slightly irritated as Usopp and Sanji were suddenly launched over the railing. **FWIP!**

**Klak! **Nami's bow staff was knocked out of her hands and fell to the deck **KLANK!** Zoro sword was knocked from his grip and fell to the deck at his feet, at the same time Sanji and Usopp finally hit the deck, **THUD!**

"Whoa!" Luffy exclaimed in surprise.

"She must have power from…" Vivi started to say.

"…a Devil Fruit!" Zoro finished for her.

"But which one?" Nami wondered. "What's her power?" Ms. All Sunday casually sat on the railing, now that the Straw Hats had been disarmed she was no longer irritated.

"WHOA! SHE'S BEAUTIFUL!" Sanji swooned as he sat up and finally got a good look at the woman. He had hearts in his eyes.

"Now there's no need to get so excited," Ms. All Sunday told them. "You can all calm down. I haven't been given any orders to follow you. I have no reason to fight you."

**FWUP!** Luffy's straw hat suddenly flew off of his head and Ms. All Sunday casually caught it and twirled it around on her fingers. "So you're the Captain?" Ms. All Sunday inquired. "I've heard so much about you, Monkey D. Luffy."

"GIMME MY HAT BACK!" Luffy shouted. "THAT'S JUST ASKING FOR A FIGHT! YOU WANT ME TO COME UP THERE AND TAKE IT?"

"You are a bad person!" Usopp called out as he hid behind the main mast. "I demand you leave this instant!"

Ms. All Sunday placed Luffy's straw hat on top of her cowboy hat but failed to notice the galley door quietly opening behind her.

"What rotten luck," Ms. All Sunday told the Straw Hats. "Picking up a Princess who Baroque Works has already made up their mind to see eliminated. And you Princess, being protected by a mere handful of pirates. But your luck gets even worse, according to the direction your Log Pose is indicating, your next destination is **Little Garden**. We won't even need to lift a finger. You'll all be dead long before you reach Alabasta."

"MY HAT!" Luffy hollered, "GIVE IT BACK!"

"L-leave now! E-evil person!" Usopp stammered from his hiding place behind the mast.

"**Nice insult Usopp," **came Ricky's voice as he walked out from the galley and casually sat down on the railing next to Ms. All Sunday. "Who're you?"

"RICKY, SHE'S MR. ZERO'S PARNTER!" Nami shouted.

Ricky stared at Ms. All Sunday with his eyebrow raised, silently asking if that was true. Ms. All Sunday nodded, silently telling him that Nami was correct.

"And who might you be?" Ms. All Sunday inquired. "You're not on the list."

"'One Eye' Ricky, First Mate of the Straw Hat Pirates," Ricky answered, "And you are?"

"Ms. All Sunday," Ms. All Sunday replied.

The Straw Hats and Vivi stared up at the First Mate of the Straw Hats and the Vice President of Baroque Works as they faced off in Passive Aggressive Combat.

"That may be your code name, but that's not really who you are… is it?" Ricky inquired with a sly grin.

Ms. All Sunday's eyes widened and for the first time on the ship she looked surprised. "How did you…"

"I routinely check wanted posters issued by the World Government," Ricky interrupted. "A girl who couldn't possibly be older than ten with a bounty almost four times mine tends to stand out."

"I see," Ms. All Sunday commented. "You'll prove to be quite the problem for Mr. 0."

"I intend to," Ricky admitted, "But how about you let him find out about Long-Nose, the Cook, and myself on his own?"

"Hmm… and why would I intentionally withhold such vital information from the President of Baroque Works?" Ms. All Sunday inquired.

"Because in exchange, the marines won't receive an anonymous tip of the suspicious criminal activity going on in Alabasta," Ricky told her. "Your bounty is worth four times mine and has been active for twenty years. Treason is a bigger crime than piracy. Who do you think they'll be more interested in, a pair of fugitives with a combined bounty of one hundred sixty million berries, or a hand-full of pirates from the East Blue worth fifty million?"

"You have a point." Ms. All Sunday admitted, she tilted her head to the side and was surveying Ricky with interest. The simple action made her look even more like a crane. "Very well. It may be worth seeing his reaction to withhold this bit of information."

Winner: Ricky

"Good," Ricky said, "Now then… what has Luffy so worked up?"

"SHE WON'T GIVE ME MY HAT BACK!" Luffy shouted, he hadn't been able to follow any of Ricky and Ms. All Sunday's passive aggressive conversation.

"Anyone can stand around and yell," Ms. All Sunday remarked, seemingly unimpressed.

"Have you tried asking nicely?" Ricky suggested, he sent Ms. All Sunday a pointed look. "Would you **please** give him his hat back? It has sentimental value and means a lot to him. As you can see, he gets cranky when people touch it without his permission."

**Fwip!** Ms. All Sunday tossed the straw hat back to Luffy and threw something else to Vivi. "To knowingly sail into danger is just silly," she informed the Princess.

"An Eternal Pose?" questioned Vivi as she stared at the glass ball in her hands.

"Using that you can just skip right passed Little Garden without stopping," Ms. All Sunday explained. "The Pose points to a place called Nanimonai Island. None of our agents know that course, so you won't be followed."

"Wait… so she's good after all?" asked Nami.

"Why are you giving this to us?" Vivi demanded.

"It's gotta be a trap," Zoro decided.

"Who knows," Ms. All Sunday replied.

"Your call Captain," Ricky informed Luffy. "Do we go on an adventure to an unknown island where we could run into more Baroque Works Agents? Or do we trust a potential enemy and go to an island that she claims is safe?"

Luffy adjusted his hat and walked over to Vivi who was conflicted over the decision. _"What do we do?"_ Vivi wondered. _"I don't want to accept a gift from someone like her. But these people have taken me on their ship, the safest course might be best…"_

"Forget your thingy!" Luffy snapped as he snatched the Eternal Pose from Vivi, "We don't need it!" **CRUNCH! **Luffy crushed the glass ball in his hand. Now it was useless.

**THWAK! **Nami swung her leg and kicked him in the face, "YOU JERK!" she shouted down at the Captain. "SHE JUST WENT OUT OF HER WAY TO SHOW US AN EASIER COURSE TO FOLLOW! MAYBE SHE ACTUALLY IS TRYING TO HELP US GET AWAY!"

"Nami calm down," Ricky ordered. "It's Luffy's decision as Captain."

"She's not deciding the course we take," Luffy resolved.

"I see, that's too bad," Ms. All Sunday remarked.

"Grr… you're too reckless!" Nami scolded the captain.

"She killed the funny guy with the rollers," said Luffy. "He was nice, so now I hate her."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ms. All Sunday replied as she started to take her leave. "And I'm sorry you didn't accept my offer. If you survive… I hope we'll meet again."

"I hope not," grumbled Luffy.

"We'll see you in Alabasta," Ricky told her. "Take care."

Ms. All Sunday gave him a faint nod then leapt off of the Going Merry and landed on the shell of a large sea turtle that was about half the size of the Merry. "Let's go Bunchi!" Ms. All Sunday instructed the turtle.

**Snort!** The turtle pulled its head up out of the water, it was wearing a white cowboy had and had a comfortable looking seat on its shell.

"WHOA! A TURTLE!" Luffy exclaimed as Ms. All Sunday and Bunchi floated away.

"Hmph, I just wish I knew what her game was," Vivi grumbled as she dropped down to her knees on the deck. "I don't have the slightest idea what's going through her head."

"It's obvious… she's curious," Ricky explained as he hopped off of the railing and walked across the deck. "She knows you're the biggest threat to Crocodile and Baroque Works and she heard you'd teamed up with a group of pirates. She probably wanted to meet us before we got to Alabasta."

"Then why does she keep toying with me?" asked Vivi. "Why would she give us a way of potentially avoiding the other Baroque Works Agents?"

"That woman's been alone most of her life," Ricky reasoned. "The only reason why she'd do something is if it benefited her in the long run. I have two theories. One, Zoro was right and it was a trap. She'd be rewarded for capturing the last bit of resistance against Crocodile."

"What's the other?" questioned Vivi.

"She's bored," Ricky stated bluntly. "Like I said, she's curious and wanted to meet us. Maybe she wanted us to get to Alabasta faster so we'd confront Crocodile sooner and alleviate her boredom."

"Trust Ricky to know the motivations of someone even less emotional than he is," Nami muttered as she shook her head. "Well, she's gone now, there's no use worrying."

"We're used to scheming women around here," Zoro said as he glanced at Nami .

"Would someone explain what's going on?" Usopp requested. "None of this makes sense!"

"Oh Ms. Wednesday, are you really one of us now?" asked Sanji.

"EXPLAIN ALREADY!" Usopp shouted, "WHOA! WHO'S OSTRICH IS THIS?"

"QUACK!" said Carue.

**-x-**

It took a while, but things were finally explained to Sanji and Usopp.

"I see," said Sanji. "It's too bad I missed out on all the fun. But it sounds like there'll still be plenty of demand for my skills. No need to worry, you're sleeping Prince has awoken, Princess!"

"WHOA!" Usopp exclaimed. "Glad that wasn't me!"

"I'm sorry," Vivi apologized. "But is it really alright that I'm on your ship? I'm just causing you all a lot of trouble."

"It's a little late for apologies don't you think?" questioned Nami as she walked over and poked Vivi on the forehead. "If you didn't want to cause us trouble, you shouldn't have told us who you were!"

"I'm… sorry for that," Vivi apologized again.

"Don't worry about it," Ricky told the Princess. "She'll probably hold it over you for a while, but I don't think the others mind."

"Well for now, at least we know where we're heading to," Zoro reasoned.

"Little Garden, huh?" questioned Sanji.

"Remember what she said?" Usopp asked. "Are we gonna die!"

"Shishishi! Who knows!" Luffy laughed. "NOW LET'S EAT! I'M HUNGRY!"

**-x-**

Off in a distance, Ms. All Sunday was riding away on Bunchi. "First stop, Little Garden," Ms. All Sunday commented. "This should be fun."

Awaiting the Straw Hats on Little Garden were big jungles, wild animals, and GIANT footprints. The Straw Hats might be in trouble.

**-x-**

The Whiskey Peak Arc is over, next up, the start of the Adventures in Little Garden.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	7. Chapter 7

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer: **The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonnan Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. Please support the official release.

**A/N:** This chapter's gonna be a little short because it's only one manga chapter. Originally I had this chapter and the third part of the last chapter together as one chapter. But I decided to split them up so I could keep the Whiskey Peak Arc and the Little Garden Arc separate.

**Adventures in Little Garden:**

**-x-**

"Aw, no snow," Luffy complained as he sat on the figurehead of the Going Merry a day later. They were still heading for Little Garden and the Straw Hat Pirates was anxiously awaiting the bizarre weather that they had experienced while heading to Whisky Peak.

"Snow, in this climate?" questioned Zoro who was lying against the railing nearby.

"Sure, why not?" Luffy replied. "It already happened once. You just missed it because you were asleep."

"It's not gonna snow here," Ricky bluntly told him as he sat back against the back railing of the front deck and stared up at the sky. "The ocean back there was a lot different. It was being affected by the magnetic fields from seven different islands. We're only dealing with the magnetic field coming from Little Garden. I've never been to Little Garden before, but I don't think it snows there."

"Aww," Luffy whined, "but snow's so awesome!"

"You've been to the Grand Line before, haven't you Mr. One Eye?" asked Vivi who was standing outside the galley but had heard Ricky's answer. She was wearing a light green button down blouse with black slanted stripes going down both sides.

"I've explored all the world's oceans," Ricky explained. "I was a member of two other pirate crews before this one. The first one, I spent a year exploring all the other oceans, and then the other one was mainly based in the New World. I went back to the East Blue and reunited with Luffy. He's my kid brother so I need to keep him from getting in too much trouble."

"Well at least one of you knows not to underestimate the Grand Line," Vivi commented.

"Hey!" Sanji called out as he exited the galley carrying a tray of glasses filled with a green drink, ice cubes, and a bendy straw, "Who wants to try my special drink?"

"Quack!" Carue agreed as he ran to the main deck followed by Usopp.

"Woohoo!" Luffy cheered as he and Ricky leapt the railing of the front deck followed closely by Zoro.

The male members of the Straw Hat Pirates and the Princess' duck gathered on the main deck and each took a glass of Sanji's special drink.

"Not bad Sanji, not bad," Ricky praised the cook as he sipped his drink and headed up the steps to the deck in front of the galley. He noticed that the Princess seemed to disapprove of the relaxed nature of the crew.

"Hey, do you guys wanna get out the fishing gear?" Luffy suggested.

"Fishing? Hell yeah, I'm in!" Zoro agreed.

"Sounds good to me," Usopp said. "I'll even make you one of my custom fishing rods. You'll love it."

"Quack!" said Carue who was having trouble with his bendy straw.

"No, no, it goes like this," Sanji corrected the duck as he guided the straw into the glass.

**Slurp!** Carue downed the entire glass in one gulp.

"Well, someone's sure thirty," Sanji commented as he slid another glass over to Carue. "Here, have another." **Slurp! **Carue quickly guzzled down the second glass. Sanji quickly replaced it with another glass which Carue drank down again. **Slurp!**

**Slurp! **Shishishishi!" Luffy and Usopp both laughed as they watched Carue continue to slurp down more glasses of Sanji's special drink. "Ahahahahaha!"

Vivi watched in shock as the Straw Hats continued to frolic on the deck, the only one not joining in was Ricky, who was causally leaning against the wall next to the galley door sipping his drink.

**Krek! **The galley door opened and Vivi turned to Nami as she walked out, "They're acting like idiots!" she pointed out.

"Maybe this will help," Nami replied as she handed Vivi a glass of Sanji's special drink with a wedge of lemon on the rim of the glass. Nami had changed into a white shirt with violet sleeves and a violet ring around the collar. She had a glass of her own. "Just relax. These guys may go through their goofy phases, but when things get rough they're great to have around. Trust me." Nami turned to Ricky and held out her glass, "Cheers!"

**Clink!** Ricky and Nami gently knocked their glasses together and went back to their drinks while watching the rest of the crew.

"Sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me," Vivi apologized as she slowly sipped from the glass Nami had handed her, "I'm getting worked up over nothing."

"On a ship like this one, everyone's happy and upbeat," Ricky calmly said. "It's easy to forget your troubles here. I know you have a lot on your plate, but worrying about it won't help. It'll only make things seem worse. Just relax and enjoy yourself. Your duck seems to have the right idea."

Vivi peered over the railing and watched Carue stagger and sway around the deck with a happy look plastered on his beak and swirls in his eyes. "Quaaaack… quaaaaack!" quacked Carue.

"How many has the duck had?" Ricky wondered. "I think he's wasted."

"Hehehehe," Nami giggled as she watched the crew and the drunken duck. "Not even a lightweight, he's a featherweight."

Vivi smiled slightly, "It is rather relaxing."

**SPLASH!** Off in a distance a dolphin jumped out of the water. "Hey look, it's a dolphin," Sanji pointed out as he sat on the railing, "A pirate's best friend."

"It's beautiful!" Nami commented as she watched the dolphin swim closer and then leapt out of the water.

**SPLASH! **The 'beautiful' dolphin turned out to be five time the size of the Going Merry and leapt clear over the pirate ship. "IT'S HUGE!" Luffy exclaimed. **SPLASH!** The dolphin landed in the water on the other side of the Going Merry and sent an enormous wave towards the ship. "LET'S RUN AWAY!"

"AYE-AYE!" Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji shouted as the three of them ran around the ship and prepared to dodge the giant wave.

"QUACK!" the drunken Carue cried out as he frantically ran around the deck of the Going Merry.

Vivi watched in astonishment as the Straw Hats quickly went from relaxed to busy. Usopp climbed the main mast and helped Sanji drop the sail while Zoro ran passed her into the galley and took the whipstaff.

"She was right," Vivi realized.

Ricky smiled at her before he glanced behind them, "Heads up!" he called out, "It's coming back!" The giant dolphin seemed to be following the Going Merry and leapt out of the water after the pirate ship. **SPLASH!** "Hang onto something!"

"THIS ONE'S GONNA BE A BIG ONE!" Luffy shouted.

**SPLASH!** The dolphin landed in the water behind the Going Merry, but the ship was positioned just right so it could catch the wave and ride it at an even faster speed that they were previously going.

**-x-**

Another day later, the Going Merry was still on course to Little Garden. "Nami, what's the Log Pose say?" Ricky asked as he and Luffy stood on the main deck and awaited the navigator's orders.

"Gimme a second, I'll check," Nami told them as she held her arm out in front of her and stared at the needle in the middle of the Log Pose. The needles seemed to be pointing somewhere to the left. "Port side, full!"

"Turning full!" the Straw Hats chorused and the Going Merry turned left and kept going.

Eventually, they spotted an island in a distance. "Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed as he sat on the sheep's head and watched as the island they were sailing towards got bigger and bigger. The rest of the crew, including Vivi and Carue were gathered on the front deck behind him.

Nami held up the Log Pose again, the needle was pointing straight at the island in front of them. "There's no mistaking it," Nami told them. "Cactus Island and this one here are definitely pulling against each other. That's our next stop!"

"Shishishishi! This is it!" Luffy exclaimed, "The second island in the Grand Line!" They had finally made it to Little Garden.

**-x-**

Some distance away was an island called Cukor Island. It's most distinguishable feature was the huge umbrella-like tree that shaded all of the buildings and houses on the surface of the island. The entire island was a peaceful resort.

Up on top of the umbrella tree was a luxurious hotel with a pool. **"Mr. 3…" **A soft voice called out.

"Yes, my dear, hold on," a mysterious man replied in a calm sophisticated voice as he poured himself a cup of tea. He lifted his glass and inhaled the rich scent, "Ahh, there's nothing quite like the rich aroma of Earl Grey." His facial features were obscured due to the fact that he was relaxing pool-side under an umbrella.

"I'm bored!" chirped the girl sitting next to him. She was short and couldn't have been older than sixteen. She had big innocent eyes, pink circles on her cheeks, and reddish-brown hair went down passed her shoulders in a pair of braided pigtails. She wore a pink hat with a wide brim, a dark blue t-shirt with the word 'golden' on it in gold, and over that an opened blouse with white clouds on it. She also wore a maroon dress with white designs on it, green and purple striped socks, and pink and white sneakers. For accessories, she wore bracelets on both of her wrists and a simple necklace around her neck.

"On the one hand you say you're bored," the man commented as he sipped his tea. "On the other, you don't like working, correct?"

"Uh-huh," the girl replied with a nod. She was sitting on a chair with her knees tucked under her and was holding a piece of paper in front of her.

"Then why don't you cease your complaining and revel in the enjoyment of this rare slice of freedom circumstances have generously afforded you?" the man suggested. He wore a blue and white vertically striped shirt with a collar and a purple bowtie. He also wore beige pants and a pair of blue and white glasses on his face. He had somewhat tanned skin and had black hair. "How grand to be able to take a long vacation, a privilege few officer agents like us ever get to indulge."

"And one more thing," the man added. "I would appreciate your mindful and immediate discretion in not calling me by my codename in public. Otherwise people will discover that I am indeed Mr. 3."

"Sure," the girl agreed. Although she felt that he gave that away himself with his hair, it resembled the wick of a candle and was shaped like a 3. For a smart guy, Mr. 3 was kind of stupid. However, she was too laid back to make a big deal over it.

"Incidentally," said Mr. 3 the Baroque Works Officer Agent, "I couldn't help noticing you've been perusing that piece of paper over the last couple of days. Why does it grab you so?"

"It's an order from the Boss," the girl, Ms. Goldenweek answered as she casually showed the paper to Mr. 3.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME SOONER?" Mr. 3 demanded. He snatched the orders away from Ms. Goldenweek then laid back in his lounge chair and read it. "It says Mr. 5 has been taken down. Hmm, if someone had to be terminated I wish it would've been someone useless like Mr. 2."

"Then you'd get promoted," Ms. Goldenweek commented.

"It's not that necessarily," Mr. 3 replied. "Rather, the downfall of Mr. 5 is hardly exciting news at all. The man excelled at nothing but his own idiocy, clinging to his Devil Fruit Powers like a drowning rat. You are correct that a portion of my indifference stems from the fact that Mr. 5's misfortune provides me with no gain. All we may learn is that power means nothing if not properly harnessed."

Mr. 3 finished his tea and sat up, "Superior criminals are those who execute their crimes using superior intellect. Never-the-less, whoever beat Mr. 5 should be made an example of. If for no other reason than to preserve the reputation of terror our organization has painstakingly cultivated." The Straw Hats had another pair of even more dangerous officer agents gunning for them. What would happen at Little Garden?

**-x-**

"I can see why they called his place Little Garden," Luffy commented as the Going Merry sailed along the coast of the island. It looked like a jungle with countless trees and flowers growing all around it. The island had numerous volcanoes around it and two large mountain ranges on opposite sides of it.

"I can't," Zoro replied, "What's little about it?" Luffy seemed to miss the fact that all the trees, flowers, and the occasional animals WERE HUGE!

"Well, at least we'll be able to stock up on supplies," Ricky reasoned. "We had to leave Whiskey Peak in a hurry. With the size of everything here it shouldn't be too hard to get everything we need."

"This place looks pretty harsh if you ask me," said Nami. "Why the cute name?"

"Y-yeah, it's like a jungle out there!" Usopp remarked. "Maybe we'd be better off skipping this one."

"We have to be careful," Vivi warned them. "I can't help but remember the warning Ms. All Sunday gave us."

"_But your luck gets even worse. According to the direction your Log Pose is indicating, your next destination is Little Garden. We won't even need to lift a finger. You'll all be dead long before you reach Alabasta."_

"So… you mean we'll be attacked by giant monsters?" questioned a frightened Usopp.

"Who knows!" Luffy replied with a smile.

"Look, I'm sure we can make it to the next island without going ashore this island," Usopp decided.

"The only way to reset the Log is by going ashore," Nami told him.

"Like Ricky said, we're in dire need of restocking our food supply," Sanji pointed out.

"Guys! There's our ticket in!" Zoro observed as he pointed to a waterway that seemingly led deeper into the jungle covered island. The Going Merry quickly changed course as they sailed down the waterway into Little Garden.

"Think they'll have a barbeque restaurant here?" asked Luffy.

"We didn't travel all this way for barbeque!" Sanji scolded him.

"I thought the point of this visit was to get food," Luffy replied.

"Food, as in supplies we're going to cook later," Sanji explained. "Geez, what're you thinking?"

"I don't know, Usopp might be right about this one," Nami commented as she took a good look at the land they were going passed. "Just take a look at the gargantuan plant life here. I've never seen anything like it, not even in books."

**GWAAA! GWAAA!** A loud cry from _something_ rang out causing everyone on board the Going Merry to flinch.

Sanji spotted Nami who was clamping her hands over her ears, "Oh, you're so adorable!"

"Why thank you," replied Usopp who was standing next to Nami holding his hands over his own ears.

"THAT'S NOT FUNNY, I WAS TALKING TO NAMI!" Sanji snapped.

"What was that screeching?" Nami wondered.

"It's alright, it's only a bird," Sanji replied as he pointed over his shoulder at a large shape coming out of the sky above him.

"Uh… Sanji…" said Ricky. As the 'bird' flew closer. It looked like a cross between a lizard and bird and was covered in dark green feathers that were tipped in purple. It was half the size of the Going Merry.

"What?" questioned Sanji. "Don't tell me you're scared of the bird too. It's perfectly harmless. Nothing to worry about!"

**GWA! **The bird let out a loud cry causing most of the Straw Hats to flinch back. Sanji spun around and stared in surprise at the massive bird that was coming right for him.

**WHAM! **"Get out of the way!" Ricky exclaimed as he dove at the cook and knocked him out of the way. **WHAP! **The giant lizard-bird clamped its talons around Ricky's body and then took off. "I hate birds…"

"RICKY!" Nami shouted as the bird carried the First Mate off into the sky.

"HEY YOU STUPID LIZARD!" Luffy yelled up at the bird as he jumped onto the figure head and pulled his fist back. "GIMME BACK MY BROTHER!"

"Luffy, don't worry about it," Ricky calmly called down to the captain as he wiggled in the bird's grip. "I'll take care of it and hopefully get a better look at the island."

"You idiot!" Sanji snapped, "That thing plans on _eating_ you!"

"I've got it under control," Ricky assured them before the bird disappeared over the trees.

"Did our First Mate just get carried away by a giant bird?" questioned Zoro before he added, "…again?"

"Looks like it," Luffy replied.

**BOOOOM!** A loud explosion rang out cutting off any reply that Zoro would get.

"Hear that?" Nami asked as she shook in terror. "Is that the sound you expect to hear in a normal jungle?"

"That sounded like a volcano erupting!" Usopp shrieked. "We're all gonna die!"

**GRRRR! **A growl came and a HUGE tiger came out of the trees.

"A tiger!" Nami gasped as Usopp let out a terrified squeak.

"IT'S GIGANTIC!" Usopp exclaimed as the tiger walked along the shore and followed the Going Merry, it looked about ready to pounce. Usopp and Nami quickly ran to the other side of the front deck while Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji stood between the tiger and their Nakama.

**GRRRAAAAAAHHH! **The tiger suddenly let out a pain-filled growl and fell to the ground covered in blood. It was dead.

"WHAT?" Nami shouted. "LUFFY, WHAT JUST HAPPENED? I know normal, this is definitely not it! Someone explain to me how a mammoth tiger can just keel over covered in blood!"

"LOG POSE AND FOOD BE DAMNED!" Usopp exclaimed, he was covered in sweat and looked terrified. "We're not setting foot on that island!"

"We can still reset the reading on the ship," Nami reasoned. "We'll just sit tight until then. When Ricky comes back and that's done, we'll leave and never look back!"

**-x-**

The Straw Hats found a place to stop and Zoro dropped the anchor. They stood on the Going Merry and stared at the jungle on both sides of them.

"Shishishishishi!" Luffy laughed, he had a giddy smile plastered on his face. "Sanji, go make lunch! I'm gonna need some more energy!"

"Energy for what?" Nami demanded. "What're you doing? You're not leaving here!"

"I wanna go on an adventure!" Luffy exclaimed. "Wanna come along?"

Nami turned around with tears in her eyes, _"It's useless. I can't stop him, he's too enthusiastic."_

"_Is he crazy?" _Usopp whined in his mind. _"Somewhere out there is a monster big enough to grind a tiger into dust."_

"Sanji, I'm starving!" Luffy complained as the cook headed for the galley.

"Right, be patient," Sanji told him. "I'll have it for you as soon as I can."

"Hey, can I come too?" Vivi requested, causing Nami and Usopp to stare at her in shock.

"Yeah, sure," Luffy quickly agreed.

"NO! VIVI, YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" Nami exclaimed.

"I'd rather not sit here with nothing to do but worry about my troubles," Vivi replied. "This will keep me busy until the Log's reset. I'll be fine. I'll have Carue with me."

"QUAAACK?" The duck in question looked terrified.

"I think he's just gone into shock," Nami observed as she stared at the dock who was standing stock still on the deck, he looked like Usopp at his worst.

"Miss. Vivi, if you need anything to eat, don't worry," Sanji told her. "I'll pack you a lunch."

"Thanks," Vivi said gratefully. "Would you mind packing something for Carue?"

"Of course, just leave it to me," Sanji assured her as he disappeared into the galley.

**-x-**

A little while later, Sanji tied a backpack onto Luffy's back after filling Carue's saddle bag, and then put the duck's small barrel back on his collar. "Alright, two pirate lunches for Luffy and Miss. Vivi, and a special drink for Carue," stated Sanji as he stood up.

"Thanks!" Luffy said as he leapt from the Going Merry to the shore.

"Quack!" Carue quacked as he hopped off the ship and followed after Luffy.

"See you guys later!" Vivi called out as she rode Carue into the jungle after Luffy, "Don't worry, everything will be fine!"

"Vivi sure is brave," Usopp commented.

"What else can you expect from someone who had to infiltrate Baroque Works," Nami remarked.

"I'm bored, I'm gonna take a walk," Zoro decided, he leapt off of the Going Merry and onto Little Garden leaving Nami and Usopp staring after him in shock.

"Hey Zoro, wait up!" Sanji called after him. "We're kind of short on food. If you find any animals that appear edible, bring 'em back."

"Okay, that's easy," Zoro agreed. "I can see why you'd want to send me. Cause I could bring back something you couldn't catch yourself."

"WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?" Sanji demanded. "I won't let that remark go unchallenged. You're saying you can capture bigger game than I can? Like my hunting skills are inferior?"

"Yeah, that's right," Zoro taunted him as he turned around and glared at the cook. Sanji glared right back, lightning passed between the eyes of the swordsman and the cook.

"Challenge accepted," Sanji decided as he leapt from the boat onto the shore next to Zoro. "Okay, winner brings back the most pounds of meat."

"What do you mean 'pounds'?" Zoro repeated. "I'll bring back tons!"

"Why don't you let your hunting do the talking for you," Sanji retorted as he and Zoro split up and took dividing paths off into the jungle.

"Heh, good luck, Cook," said Zoro before the two of them disappeared into the jungle.

"I'll never understand it, why do those two jerks have to be so competitive?" questioned Nami as she and Usopp stood alone on the Going Merry with tears going down their cheeks.

"Don't cry, if it makes you feel better, I'm just as stumped by their behavior as you," Usopp attempted to reassure her.

Usopp and Nami were left terrified and alone on the Going Merry, they sat on the deck and hugged their knees to their chest.

"We're sitting ducks," Usopp whimpered.

"DON'T YOU THINK I ALREADY KNOW THAT!" Nami yelled.

The two of them sighed as they thought about their current situation. Ricky got carried off by a giant bird, Luffy, Vivi, and Carue had gone off on an adventure, and then Sanji and Zoro were competing in a hunt and had left them alone on Little Garden, which was anything but little.

"Wait a minute, why didn't I think of that before?" Nami asked herself as she got up.

"Huh? Where are you going?" questioned Usopp as Nami ran into the storage room. "Nami, what's wrong?" Usopp ran after her and followed her into her room in time to see her pulling books off of her bookshelf and throwing them on the floor. "Nami, what're you looking for?"

"Quiet!" Nami scolded him. "I remember reading something in a book."

"Reading about what?" inquired Usopp.

"Little Garden," Nami answered.

**-x-**

Luffy was running through the jungle followed by Carue when he suddenly skidded to a stop and stepped into a stream. "Hey look, it's a shellfish!" pointed out Luffy as Vivi and Carue came back over. Luffy had found a weird creature with a spiral shell and small tentacles coming out of its face. "It's some kind of squid."

Vivi got off of Carue and came over for a closer look. Luffy held up the shelled squid and smiled, "Shell-squid-fish!"

"How strange," Vivi commented, "It sort of looks like an ammonite."

**BOOM! BOOOM!** Loud thuds echoed in a distance. There was something weird about this island.

**-x-**

"This island looks practically prehistoric," Ricky remarked as he casually rode on the back of the huge prehistoric bird/lizard that had carried him off. The bird/lizard in question had a lump on its head, "Although, that would explain a few things. Hey Bob, take me closer to that volcano over there."

**Gwwaaa…** Bob the giant bird squawked in reply.

**-x-**

Sanji walked through the jungle with his hands in his pockets when he suddenly stopped and stood up straight. "I've got a feeling that someone's been following me for a while," he said to himself. "Nah, couldn't be."

**THUD! THUD!** A _DINOSAUR_ CAME OUT OF THE JUNGLE BEHIND HIM!

Sanji stood in front of the dinosaur and was oblivious until the hungry dinosaur drooled on him. He slowly looked up in time to lunge out of the way of the dinosaur's mouth, **WHAM! **Sanji found himself in combat against a giant dinosaur, he was about the size of two of the beast's sharp pointed teeth put together.

"Can't you see I'm busy?" Sanji snapped at the dinosaur as it let out growl and charged him. "COLLIER SHOOT!" **THWAK! **Sanji jumped up and kicked the dinosaur in the neck, the giant dinosaur was knocked out and landed in a heap on the ground. **THUD!**

**-x-**

"Hmm," said Zoro as he stood face-to-face with an enormous triceratops, he was about the size of one of its horns. "I don't know what you're supposed to be but I'm guessing you're edible."

**-x-**

Luffy, Carue, and Vivi ran through the jungle but suddenly stopped again when Luffy noticed something. "Hey that's weird, what's a Sea King doing on land?" The 'Sea King' was actually an enormous brachiosaurus who's long neck stuck high up above the tree line.

"A DINOSAUR!" Vivi screamed. "Somehow this island has been frozen in time! It's stuck in the age of the dinosaurs! Travel in the Grand Line is so difficult, no species ever migrated between islands so their ecosystems were preserved. Some of these islands have developed extremely sophisticated cultures while others remain in a sort of evolutionary stagnation with little to no progression to several thousand years!"

Luffy just stared blankly, he couldn't understand half the big words that Vivi was using. All he knew was that this island was filled with enormous monsters that were nowhere else.

"I can only assume that it's the random climates within the Grand Line that make this possible," Vivi reasoned. "I mean, what other explanation is there? We're standing on an island that pre-dates mankind!"

**SHOOOOM!** Luffy suddenly rocketed passed Vivi and launched himself at the dinosaur and grabbed onto its neck, "DINOSAUR!" Luffy cheered as he clung to the brachiosaurus' giant neck.

"ARE YOU INSANE? GET OFF THAT THING!" Vivi yelled.

**-x-**

"Usopp! Usopp!" Nami called out as she came out of the storage room carrying a book.

"Nami, what now?" Usopp asked as he stood on the front deck staring off into the jungle. "Did you find your book yet?"

"Uh-huh," Nami said as she held it up. "This is bad! I know what island this is!"

"What? What's wrong Nami?" Usopp asked.

Nami didn't answer, she and Usopp stared in terror and GIGANTIC figure cloaked in a red aura that was now standing in front of the Going Merry.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!" The two of them screamed at the top of their lungs and sent bird flying around in a panic.

Nami dropped the book she had found down to the ground and it fell opened to the page she had been reading.

"_**To those that reside here and call this island home, it must seem as though they have stumbled up on their very own private garden. Thus I have aptly named this wondrous, terrifying place, Little Garden." – Louis Arnot, Explorer.**_

**-x-**

Next chapter the Straw Hats and Princess Vivi encounter something BIG.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	8. Chapter 8

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer: **The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonnan Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. Please support the official release.

**BIG:**

**-x-**

**RAAAWWWRRR!**

Sanji stood in the middle of the jungle on Little Garden as the brown dinosaur that he'd kicked in the neck got back up and charged him.

"You're a rude son of a bitch," Sanji growled as the dinosaur lunged at him. **SKISH!** Sanji leapt up into the air and dodged the dinosaur's massive snout then came down and drove his foot into the top of the dinosaur's head for a vicious ax-kick, **THWHAM!**

**WHAM!** The dinosaur's head was smashed into the ground with such force that it was lodged there. Sanji now had something for his hunting challenge with Zoro.

**-x-**

"We both use three-sword-style," Zoro commented as he eyed the gray triceratops' three massive horns. Each of them were about as big as he was. The triceratops pulled back and got ready to fight while Zoro drew his three swords.

Zoro charged the dinosaur and slashed all three of his swords, **SLISH! SLISH! SLOSH!** Zoro landed behind the triceratops and put _Kitetsu III _and _Yubashiri_ away, then slowly slid _Wado Ichimonji_ into its white sheath, **Klik! THUD!** The triceratops keeled over and fell on its side. It was dead.

Now both Sanji and Zoro had food for their hunting challenge. But the two huge dinosaurs appeared to be about the same size.

**-x-**

The Going Merry was still docked in the waterway of Little Garden, Usopp and Nami, who had been left alone on the ship, could only stare in horror as a giant figure that towered above the already enormous tree-line thundered towards the ship. **THOOM! THOOM! THOOM! **The figure toppled over the big trees that barely came up to it's waist and created a path as it cut through the island towards the waterway the Going Merry was anchored in.

"AAAAAHHHH!" Usopp and Nami screamed and cried at the same time, but that only seemed to amuse the giant figure.

"GEBABABABABA!" the figure laughed in a deep booming voice.

Nami and Usopp stared in horror as the giant leaned down so he could see them properly. He was fat and his head was small in comparison to his massive body, he had dark skin and a pig-like nose with nostrils as big as his eyes. He had a relatively short dark yellow beard that came out from his entire chin and looked like a half-circle. He wore a large Viking-style battle helmet on his head, a furry red and white tunic, a pair of yellow and black striped pants, big yellow shoes, two thick leather belts which were attacked to a weapon holder, one which went around his waist and the other that went diagonally across his chest, and finally he wore a long blue cape that went down to the back of his knees. He had a large round shield strapped to his left arm and had a massive battle ax in a holster at his waist behind his cape. One of the horns on the giant's helmet was about twice the size of Usopp or Nami. HE WAS GIGANTIC!

"WELL WHAT IS THE ANSWER?" the giant boomed down at them.

"Could you repeat that?" Nami whimpered. "I didn't catch it… Please… sir?"

"I asked if you had any alcohol," the giant repeated. "I drank mine."

"We have a little," Nami answered.

"Oh you do? That's perfect!" the giant replied.

"A-and your welcome to it all!" Nami timidly added.

"GRAAAHHHH!" the giant suddenly roared.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Nami and Usopp screamed.

The giant looked behind him and saw that his ass had just been bitten by a Tyrannosaurus Rex about a third his size.

"Ugghhhooouuuhhh..." Usopp made a weird moaning sounded while Nami stammered in shock, "A d-dinosaur!"

The giant drew his battle axe and spun around to confront the dinosaur that had bitten him, **SHLUK!** With one powerful swing of his battle axe he decapitated the dinosaur.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Nami and Usopp hugged each other and cried as they watched the dinosaur's headless body hit the ground. **THUD!**

"I AM BROGGY!" the giant shouted as he held up the dinosaur's head. "ELBAPH'S MIGHTIEST WARRIOR! I AM INVINCIBLE! GEBABABABABABA!"

Broggy showed the dinosaur head to Nami and Usopp, "I've got meat!" he exclaimed. "The two of you are invited to my home as my guests!"

**Fwump!** Usopp and Nami fell to the deck and stopped moving, leaving Broggy staring down at them in confusion. He reached down and poked Usopp with one of his massive fingers which was about as big as the marksman. "You okay?" Broggy asked.

"Just… pretend you're dead…" Usopp whispered to Nami as he laid on his back and stared up at the sky. "No matter what happens… don't move a muscle…"

"But playing dead only fools bears," Nami said quietly while keeping her eyes closed. "It won't work."

"Huh?" questioned Broggy as he stared down at the two 'dead' pirates.

**-x-**

"WHOA! WHAT AN AMAZING VIEW!" Luffy exclaimed from high up above the trees as he surveyed the island. There were numerous active volcanoes, trees covering the entire surface of the island, and prehistoric birds flying around. "This is a perfect spot for our lunch!"

"WE AREN'T HERE TO HAVE A PICNIC LUFFY!" Vivi yelled up at him from down on Carue. "WE NEED TO KEEP MOVING!"

**GWAAA!** Luffy was distracted by the cry of a familiar green and purple prehistoric bird. The bird was coming right towards him. **WOOOSH!** The bird flew passed Luffy and did a barrel-roll before it ascended up into the air and did a big loop-de-loop and came back down to hover next to Luffy. Even more familiar than the bird was the red-haired pirate riding on its back.

"What's up, Captain?" Ricky greeted him with wave.

"Me!" Luffy replied. Ricky took a moment to stare at the grayish-green brachiosaurus that Luffy was standing on the head of. It was a lot bigger than Ricky's bird and was currently occupied eating some leaves off of a tree. "What're you doing on that flying lizard?"

"Same as you," Ricky answered. "Me and Bob here were having a look around."

"ARE YOU TWO INSANE?" Vivi shouted up at them. "LUFFY, YOU'RE ON A _DINOSAUR_!"

"The one Luffy's on seems to only eat plants," Ricky pointed out as the brachiosaurus extended its long neck and took a bite out of the leaves of a nearby tree. **CHOMP!** "Bob's more of a threat than that. He tried to eat me earlier, but I taught him some manners… right Bob?"

**Gwwaa!** Bob the bird squawked in agreement. The lump on his head and finally disappeared. Vivi and Carue just stared up at the Captain and his First Mate in shock.

"Anyway," Ricky continued as he turned back to the Captain. "This island's incredible! It's got active volcanoes all over it. I counted seven."

"WHOOAAA!" Luffy gasped as he stared off in a distance at the smoking volcanoes.

"But the most interesting things I've seen here are these two huge mountains," Ricky told him. "There's two of them on opposite sides of the island. They have these huge caves all over them."

"I SEE THEM!" Luffy exclaimed, the two mountains were hard to miss. "LOOK AT THOSE CAVES!"

"If you go to investigate, be on your best behavior," Ricky instructed him.

"Why?" asked Luffy.

"Cause something _interesting_ lives in each of them," Ricky answered with a sly grin.

Luffy's eyes went wide, "VIVI! WE'VE GOTTA GO SEE THOSE MOUNTAINS!"

"FORGET ABOUT CRITIQUING THE LANDSCAPE!" Vivi shouted. "GET OFF THAT THING!"

Ricky smiled, "I'll leave you to it. Don't let anything eat the Princess, alright?" Luffy nodded enthusiastically in reply. Ricky addressed his bird, "Bob, let's fly!"

**GWA!** **WOOOSH!** Bob swooped downwards and brushed the tree-line, then ascended up into the sky so he was high above the island and flew off in a distance.

Luffy watched Ricky fly off on his bird, then remembered the mountains that Ricky had recommended. **Shwooop!** Luffy stretched down off of the top of the brachiosaurus' head and dangled upside-down so he could stare it in the eye. Incidentally, Luffy was about a third the size of the massive dinosaur's eye.

"Hey!" Luffy called out to the dinosaur. "I wanna go see that mountain, so if it's not too much trouble, would you mind taking me there?" **CHOMP! MUNCH! **The dinosaur wasn't paying attention and just kept eating. "You haven't listened to a word I've said, have ya? Gimme a ride, would you?" Luffy stretched backwards so he was sitting on the edge of the dinosaur's head and pointed at the cave-filled mountain he wanted to investigate. "It's over there! That way!" **SHWOOP!** Luffy stretched his arms out and grabbed the brachiosaurus around the neck under the chin and forcibly turned the dinosaur's head.

**RAAAAAHHHH!** The brachiosaurus let out a cry of pain as it suddenly found itself pried away from its lunch and short of breath. **BWWAAA! BWWAAA! BWWAAA!** The brachiosaurus let out a series of loud wails, it sounded like a distress call.

**SHWOO!** The brachiosaurus tilted its head back and Luffy was sent flying off of its head and went sliding down its extremely long neck. **WOOOOSH!** Luffy reached the bottom of the dinosaur's neck and kept going across its large back, then went flying off of the brachiosaurus… and landed on the snout of AN EVEN BIGGER brachiosaurus.

The second brachiosaurus was completely different than the first one. The first one was all green and seemed to only be interested in eating plants. The second one was bigger and was black with scars all over its body. It looked like a carnivorous dinosaur.

Luffy didn't care though, because when the other brachiosaurus went up to its full height the rubber pirate was given an even better view of the island. "WHOA! I CAN SEE EVEN BETTER FROM UP HERE!" he exclaimed. The cave-filled mountain that Ricky had pointed out was even closer. Vivi and Carue could only stare in shock as the dinosaur snapped its head up and sent Luffy flying up into the air. **FWIP!** Luffy went up then came down… into the dinosaur's mouth, **GULP! **

"IT ATE HIM!" Vivi screamed.

"QUACK!" Carue shrieked.

"It got dark all of a sudden," Luffy commented as he sat on the dinosaur's tongue inside its mouth. **GULP!** The tongue tipped backwards and Luffy was sent tumbling down the dinosaur's throat.

**THOOM!** Something stomped on the ground near the carnivorous brachiosaurus and lashed out a giant sword. **SWISH! **The brachiosaurus' entire neck was hacked clean off of its body and Luffy acme flying out the opened end and landed in the opened hand of a and Carue stared in disbelief while Luffy stared up at the giant in awe.

The giant had a long blue beard that went down to his waist and looked incredibly muscular. He wore a battle helmet with a ridge on the top and eye pieces that went around his eyes. He wore a furry white tunic around his abdomen which was bound to him by a series of large leather belts. He wore beige pants and long back boots, as well as a long blue cape that went down to the back of his knees.

Strapped to one arm was a large round shield and gripped in the other hand was a long sword that was about the same length as his gigantic arm. The giant stood over the dead dinosaur and was over twice its size, making him around a thousand times Luffy's size.

"GEGYAGYAGYA!" the giant laughed. "What a lively human! You're the first visitor I've had in a long time!"

"Wow!" Luffy exclaimed as he stared at the giant. "You're huge! Are you human?"

"Human, what a joke! Gegyagyagyagya!" the giant laughed. "I AM DORRY, THE GREATEST WARRIOR OF ELBAPH! GEGYAGYAGYAGYA!"

Vivi dropped down to her knees next to Carue, who had fainted, and stared in awe. "It's a… giant…" she realized. "I've heard that they exist but I've never actually _seen_ one before!"

Luffy remembered what Ricky told him, _"If you go to investigate, be on your best behavior… Something __**interesting **__lives in each of them."_

Remembering his manners, Luffy introduced himself to Dorry, "Well hi, I'm Luffy! And I'm a pirate!"

"GEGYAGYAGYAGYA!" Dorry laughed happily. "A pirate? Well good for you my friend! GEGYAGYAGYAGYA!"

"Carue, wake up!" Vivi urged her duck as she shook his side. "We have to get out of here while we can!"

"By the way, I'd like you to meet Vivi and Carue," said Luffy as he pointed down to the Princess and her duck. "SAY 'HI' TO DORRY!"

"That's great Luffy, you just can't shut up!" Vivi scolded, clearly fearful of the giant. Carue seemed to be even more afraid because he was convulsing on the ground.

"GEGYAGYAGYAGYA!" Dorry laughed. "YOU'RE ALL INVITED TO MY HOME!"

**-x-**

Meanwhile, Broggy was kneeling in front of a large fire and was blowing on the flames as they cooked numerous large pieces of dinosaur meat. "Delicious dinosaur!" the giant commented.

"How long do we have to lay here pretending to be dead?" Usopp asked Nami as the two of them laid on the backs inside the cave-filled mountain that served as Broggy's home.

"I don't know," Nami hissed back. "This may work on bears, but it isn't worth a damn on giants!"

Usopp opened his eyes and peered around him, "EEK!" he let out a shriek when he spotted a pile of skulls in one side of the cave.

"Huh?" said Broggy as he turned peered into his home after hearing Usopp's startled cry. The boy and the girl weren't moving, so he turned back to the meat he was cooking, "Must've imagined it."

"We're supposed to be dead, moron!" Nami quietly scolded him.

"I'm sorry, I could help it," Usopp apologized. "There are tons of skulls everywhere!"

"The next ones he takes will be ours," Nami whimpered.

"This is the end, he's gonna pick our bones clean!" Usopp whispered.

"Enough," Nami decided as she pushed herself up off of the ground. "I'll be damned if I'm just gonna sit around here and wait to die!" Nami looked over at their 'jailor' who was singing to himself while cooking the dinosaur he'd killed.

"Yum-my, yum-my, yum-my, di-no-saur meat!" Broggy sang, "Yum-my in my tum-my tastes so sweet! Grill it on the fire take a big bite! Eat all I can and sleep good to-night! Yum-my, yum-my, yum-my, di-no-saur meat…"

As the giant went on to sing the verse again, Nami and Usopp tip-toed out of the cave and around the side of the mountain. Once they were out of the giant's line of sight they took off running into the jungle screaming at the top of their lungs. "AAAAAAAAAHHHHH-HAAA-HAAAA-HAAAAA!" They ran as fast as their legs could carry them until they eventually skidded to a stop in a clearing and panted.

"We made it!" Nami gasped, "Amazing!"

"Yeah… at least we got… far way… from that giant stomach…" Usopp wheezed. **Drip!** Usopp felt a drop of water on the back of his neck, he looked up and quickly realized that it was DROOL coming from a HUGE SABER-TOOTH TIGER! "AAAAAAAHHHH!" Usopp shrieked in terror.

"But… we ran from the belly of a hungry giant… right into the belly of a hungry tiger…" Nami stammered as she stared at the saber-tooth tiger in terror.

**RAAAWWWRR!** The saber-tooth tiger let out a roar and Nami and Usopp took off and were once again running through the jungle screaming at the top of their lungs with the vicious cat that was twice the size of either of them in hot pursuit.

"AAAAAHHHH-HAAA-HAAA! HHEEELLLP!" Usopp screamed as he leapt over the leaning trunk of a tree while Nami ran under it. The saber-tooth tiger leapt over the tree and closed in on the two.

**THOOM! THOOOM! GRAAAAAAWWRRRR!**

Nami, Usopp, AND THE TIGER suddenly found themselves running away in the opposite direction while being chased by A TYRANNOSAURUS! The dinosaur was greenish-blue and made the tiger look tiny.

"AAAAAAHHH! DINOSAUR!" Nami cried as the two of them chased after the much faster tiger to escape the dinosaur that seemed intent on eating all three of them. "PLEASE I DON'T WANNA DIE! I CAN'T DIE WITHOUT MY BERRIES! PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP US!"

They ran through a clearing and a shadow fell from over head, Nami, Usopp, and the tiger ran right under it while a voice called out. **"Bludgeon… STOMP!" **Hearing the familiar voice, Nami and Usopp skidded to a stop and turned around in time to see Ricky fall out of the sky and drive his steel boots into the tyrannosaurus' head. **WHOMP!** The dinosaur smashed face-first into the ground and was knocked out, **KER-RASH!**

**Skish!** Ricky leapt off of the dinosaur's head and landed in front of Usopp and Nami and gave the saber-tooth tiger a one-eyed glare that sent it running off into the jungle.

"RIIIICKYYYY!" Nami let out a squeal of relief as she launched herself at the one-eyed pirate. Ricky staggered backwards as Nami grabbed him in a hug that saw both her arms and her legs wrapped tightly around him. Usopp joined Nami a second later and clung to Ricky's back. The two of them bawled their eyes out while Ricky looked mildly irritated.

"EVERYTHING HERE WANTS TO EAT US!" Usopp whimpered, "The giant, the tiger, and that dinosaur! We only had a choice of whose stomach we ended up in!"

"Please, don't let it eat us!" Nami pleaded. "I'm too young and pretty to get eaten!"

"So you want me to save you from a man-eating giant," Ricky summarized. Nami and Usopp meekly nodded. "I'll do it… for 100,000 berries each."

"HOW CAN YOU EVEN THINK OF MONEY AT A TIME LIKE THIS?" Nami yelled.

"I seem to recall _someone_ screaming 'I can't die without my berries'," Ricky countered. "Now you sound like a hypocrite."

"I'm not paying you to save my life!" Nami snapped.

"Well you two are being really clingy," Ricky explained, "I find that highly annoying. So I'm gonna charge you 100,000 berries to deal with the giant problem."

Usopp let go of Ricky's back and rummaged through the pockets of his overalls before he forked over the money, which Ricky slipped into his bottom left pocket.

"NEVER!" Nami yelled, she let go of Ricky and backed away from him. "YOU WON'T GET BERRI FROM ME!"

"You sure?" Ricky asked as he pointed at something behind her.

**Gulp!** Nami slowly turned around. **THOOOM! THOOOM!** THE GIANT WAS COMING THEIR WAY! "FINE! FINE! I'LL PAY!" Nami conceded. She reached into the waistband of her skirt and shakily handed Ricky a 100,000 berri bill. Ricky flashed a sly grin as he pocketed it. "NOW SAVE ME!"

"Sure," Ricky agreed as he stepped passed Nami to face the oncoming giant. Nami and Usopp ducked behind him and held him like a meat-shield.

"AH! Flying Cyclops!" Broggy greeted Ricky. "Hello again! Are you friends with those two? I invited them to dinner at my home but they ran off before the meat was fully cooked. It's done now, would you like to join us?"

"I'd be honored to join you, Mr. Giant," Ricky answered. "And I'm sure my two Nakama have worked up their appetites with all the exercise they just got." Nami and Usopp could only give a weak nod.

"GEBABABABABA!" Broggy laughed. "OH! Was that why they took off running? Very well, I'll see you at my home! Don't take too long or the meat will get cold!" Broggy stood up and stomped off for his cave.

Ricky calmly turned to face Usopp and Nami. "He went out of his way to prepare food. He'd think we're being rude if we refused after he went through all that trouble. Do you want to make him angry and skip out?" Nami and Usopp frantically shook their heads. Ricky smiled and raised two fingers to his lips and whistled, **TwweeeeEEEEE! **

**GWWAAAA!** Nami and Usopp both stared in surprise as the bird that had carried Ricky off earlier came flying down into the clearing and landed next to them. "All aboard," Ricky said as he hopped onto Bob's back and held his hand down to Nami and Usopp. They looked reluctant. "Look, you can either trust me, or stay here." Ricky motioned to the side with his head, THE TYRANNOSAURUS WAS STARTING TO STIR!

Usopp quickly jumped onto Bob's back while Nami jumped up and grabbed Ricky's outstretched hand. Ricky lifted her up onto the bird's back. He sat down and grabbed some feathers coming out of the big bird's neck. "Hang on," he instructed. **WHAP!** A split second later, Nami and Usopp were both clinging to him. "Not to _me_!" They didn't let go, they seemed terrified at the prospect of flying on a giant man-eating bird to an even more gigantic man-eating giant's cave. "Ugghh… Bob, get us to the giant's house."

**GWWAA!** Bob squawked as he took off and flew up above the trees towards the cave-filled mountain that served as Broggy's home.

"You named the giant prehistoric bird _Bob_?" questioned Nami.

"If you don't like it, feel free to get off," Ricky offered, "I can land this thing anywhere."

"Now that I think about it, Bob's a great name for a giant prehistoric bird," Nami corrected herself with a forced smile.

"Is this why he called you 'Flying Cyclops'?" Usopp asked.

Ricky nodded, "I trained Bob to do tricks. I met the giant before and did some mid-air flips and stuff, he laughed and let me go. Now let's go to lunch."

"Yeah… where we're gonna be the main course," Nami whimpered. Ricky shook his head and grinned.

**-x-**

**Dorry and Broggy:**

**-x-**

Ricky, Usopp, and Nami were seated on a log at the home of the big fat giant known as Broggy. The giant in question placed a slab of meat that was bigger than the three of them put together in front of them.

"Gebababababa!" Broggy laughed. "Go on! Eat hardy my friends! It tastes delicious!" **CHOMP! **Broggy bit into a chunk of meat that was the same size as their as tore a hunk off with his teeth. To the huge giant, this was simply finger food. To the three pirates, this was a mountain of meat that was bigger than they were.

"We'd be rude to decline such a generous offer," Ricky agreed, he proceeded to use his sword to cut chunks of meat for Nami, Usopp, and himself. Then he cut himself with his sword and put it away.

"I don't wanna eat," Usopp whimpered, still terrified at the prospect of being eaten by a giant. "He's trying to fatten us up so he can eat us."

"We're so young, we're probably at the peak of flavor," Nami added, sharing Usopp's fear. "Ricky. can't you do something?"

"What do you want me to do?" Ricky inquired as he ate some of the meat he'd gotten himself. "Attack a giant head-on? That's not the way I do things. And besides, he's not going to eat you. We'd hardly be filling even if he _did_ fatten us up first."

"He's not?" Nami and Usopp said at the same time.

"Of course not," Ricky replied before he turned to Broggy. "You hear that Mr. Giant, they think you're going to eat them!"

"GEBABABABABA!" Broggy laughed. "You three are so tiny, dinosaur meat is sweet and much more filling! I haven't had guests in such a long time. I wouldn't want to eat my visitors."

"Then… then what about those skulls!" Usopp exclaimed as he pointed to the pile of skulls he'd spotted in Broggy's cave.

"Those bones came from other humans," Broggy explained. "This island is a dangerous place for tiny humans like you. I only killed the one's that attacked me."

"So… you're _not_ gonna eat us?" Nami clarified.

"OF COURSE NOT!" Broggy exclaimed. "GEBABABABABABA!"

Nami turned to Ricky and glared at him, "Then I want my money back!" Nami growled at him. "I paid you to save me, not to take me to lunch!"

"You paid me to save you from the giant," Ricky agreed, "It's not my fault you didn't know he wasn't interesting in eating you." Ricky flashed her a sly grin and Nami's eyes went wide, HE'D SWINDLED HER! Ricky – 2, Nami – 1

"YOU JERK!" Nami lunged at him and tackled him to the ground, then started strangling him.

"Nami… you made me… drop my meat!" Ricky wheezed.

"GEBABABABABA! What a lively bunch of humans!" Broggy laughed as he watched the smaller girl strangle the larger one-eyed boy.

Without the threat of being eaten looming over his head, Usopp began eating some of the dinosaur meat he'd been offered. He'd worked up an appetite running through the jungle and the dinosaur meat was surprisingly sweet and very filling.

Nami eventually grew tired of strangling Ricky and sat on top of him as she turned to Broggy, "Can I ask you a question, Mr. Broggy?" she asked.

"What's on your mind, girl?" questioned Broggy.

"Um… how long will it take to reset the Log on this island?" Nami inquired.

"ONE WHOLE YEAR!" Broggy answered with a grin.

**KOFF! **Usopp choked on his meat and fell off of the log. Nami fell forward and ended up lying on top of Ricky. "You can't strangle me one minute, then use me as a pillow the next," Ricky complained before he slid out from under her. "We'll have to figure out another way off the island. We'll meet up with the others later, for now we should enjoy some of this dinosaur meat while we have a chance."

Ricky stood up and cut himself another chunk of meat, cut his arm, then calmly sat down next to Usopp and began to eat. "You know who'd love this," Ricky idly commented. "Luffy."

**-x-**

Speaking of Luffy, he, Vivi, and Carue were currently having a feast of their own at the home of Dorry the Giant.

Dorry and Luffy's laughter could be heard from far away, "GEGYAGYAGYA!" "SHISHISHISHI!"

"This sure is good, Mr. Giant." Luffy commented as he sat on a huge leg of dinosaur meat. He had managed to make a dent in it that was almost as large as he was, but there was still a lot more to go.

Vivi and Carue were sitting off to the side eating the lunch Sanji had prepared for them.

"Why thank you for the compliment!" Dorry replied as he held the pirate lunch that Sanji had prepared for Luffy in between his fingers. "Your pirate goodies are excellent too my little friend. Although, the portions are a little small! Gegyagyagya!"

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Luffy agreed as he took a big bite from the slab of meat. "But the cook on my ship made it especially for this trip, so I'm glad you liked it. Otherwise I'd have to beat you up."

"GEGYAGYAGYAGYA!" Dorry laughed. "Was that a threat, shorty?" Dorry gave Luffy a good-natured glare. "I like you, little pirate! You're funny!"

"They're becoming fast friends," Vivi commented quietly to Carue as they watched the pirate and the giant interact.

"By the may, mister," said Luffy, "Why do you choose to live out here all by yourself? Don't you have a village to call home?"

"I came from a village," Dorry answered. "A village of warriors called Elbaph. It once was home, but I no longer call it that."

"Why?" Luffy asked.

"There are certain rules in Elbaph which must be obeyed," Dorry explained. "If a fight breaks out and neither side yields, judgment is handed down by Elbaph's God. Whoever he deems to be righteous will be declared the winner and be granted survival as well as divine protection."

"So Elbaph's God decides," Luffy commented. "That doesn't seem fair."

"Fair or not, all that matters is that this island is our battle ground," Dorry told him. "As in our homeland, our God will decide who is righteous and worthy of winning both the duel and his life. Gegyagyagyagya! We've been fighting for a century! But Elbaph has yet to choose a champion! GEGYAGYAGYAGYA!"

"You guys have been fighting for more than a hundred years!" Luffy exclaimed.

"From a human's point of view, one hundred years may seem like a long time," Dorry replied. "But it isn't considering a giant's average lifespan is three-times yours. Gegyagyagyagya!"

"Even with all the time in the world, I'd think your desire would wane after a hundred years of the same battle," Vivi reasoned, finally joining the conversation. "At this point is there any real animosity left between you? Or are you just fighting to fight?"

**-x-**

Elsewhere on Little Garden, Sanji was dragging the dinosaur that had attacked him back to the Going Merry. "Well, there's little risk of being outdone by moss ball will this one," Sanji said to himself. "I almost feel sorry for him. With this slab of meat he doesn't stand a chance."

At the same time, Zoro was dragging the triceratops that he'd killed along behind him. "I beat him," Zoro said out loud. "With this haul that pervy-cook doesn't have a hope of winning."

The paths the two pirates were taking intersected and Zoro and Sanji suddenly found themselves facing each other.

"Hey Zoro," Sanji greeted him.

"Hey Sanji," Zoro returned.

The two of them eyed each other's kill. "I am the winner!" They both said at the same time. They glared at each other and then shouted, "YOU'VE LOST, DAMN IT!"

Sanji and Zoro laid the two dinosaurs next to each other so they could decide who had won the hunting challenge.

"As you can see, my catch is bigger," Sanji pointed out, the tail of his dinosaur went out further than Zoro's.

"Moron, this competition's about weight!" Zoro protested. "How much meat we can bring in… not the length of the beast! Mine is obviously way beefier than yours!"

"Hah! Who cares how husky your dinosaur is," Sanji argued. "All that matters is the amount that can be cooked. That thing's all bones, you're carrying about four pounds of meat."

"That thing you're lugging around is nothing but muscle and skin!" Zoro insisted.

"Ughh, this is pathetic," Sanji groaned. "I'm not gonna waste my time arguing with you. Tell you what, I'll go capture another beast just to shut you up!"

"Well if you're gonna go after a different one, then so will I!" Zoro told him. "I won't let you cheat me out of my win because of a dumb technicality."

**THOOOM! THOOOM!** In the middle of the island a large volcano erupted. It was seen by everyone on the island.

"Okay, the next eruption from that volcano will signify the end of the competition," Sanji decided. "You have until then to secure your prey and return to the Going Merry."

"I can handle that, you're on," Zoro agreed.

**-x-**

**THOOM! THOOM!** "Whoa!" Luffy exclaimed as he watched the same volcano erupt from back at Dorry's home. "That's some explosion!"

"Well then, it's time to get going," Dorry announced as he stood up. He had a determined look in his eyes that made Luffy gasp.

**-x-**

**THOOM! THOOM! **"What was that?" Nami wondered as she, Usopp, and Ricky sat on the log across from Broggy eating chunks of dinosaur meat.

"An eruption," Usopp realized.

Broggy threw his meat in the fire and stood up. Ricky, Nami, and Usopp stared at him in mild surprise. "Please forgive me," Broggy apologized. "But there is something I must attend to."

"You're leaving?" Nami asked.

"No choice," Broggy stated. "That's the signal my opponent and I use to mark the beginning of our fight."

"With who? Where?" questioned Usopp. "And more importantly, why?"

"Why?" Broggy repeated. "I don't remember. GEBABABABABABA!"

"Good luck then," Ricky called out, not even bothering to get up.

"I don't need luck!" Broggy told him. "If I am worthy of victory and survival, then the God of Elbaph will make it so."

Ricky frowned as Broggy drew his battle ax and headed off to battle,

**-x-**

"And before we realized, it became our routine," Dorry continued to explain to Luffy and Vivi. "That volcano is our marker. Whenever it erupts, we begin."

"It's senseless!" Vivi protested. "How could you have so much hatred for someone that you'd fight them for a century? What could have happened to make you this mad?"

"Vivi that's enough," Luffy said as he held his hand backwards in front of her mouth. "That's not what this is about, okay?"

Dorry stared off in a distance and smiled as he saw Broggy trudging towards him, already wielding his axe. "You're right," Dorry agreed. "This is a matter of honor."

"GRAAAAHHH!" Broggy growled as he charged to meet Dorry in combat.

"I HAVE FORGOTTEN!" Dorry shouted as he surged forward to meet his opponent. The two giants collided in the middle of the island. **WHAM! **"THE REASON FOR OUR BRAWL!" Both giants blocked the initial attack from their opponent with their large shields. **SHOOOM!** A shockwave flew out as a result of the two giants clashing.

The shockwave went out all around the island and then went passed it and floated off into the ocean.

Luffy stood in front of Dorry's cave and stared at the two giants in shock and awe. **FWUMP!** Luffy fell backwards and landed on his back. His hat landed on the ground nearby.

"What's the matter?" Vivi asked as she stared down at the pirate.

"It's too much," Luffy gasped, "It's too big!" The Rubber Pirate had been overwhelmed by the size of this battle. Not just because of the two gigantic combatants, but because of the century's worth of honor that was on the line on the part of both giants.

**-x-**

**TMP! TMP! TMP!** A dinosaur stomped through the jungle and suddenly spotted something odd. It was a white cube… with a door on it.

The dinosaur walked up to the cube and eyed it, it was hungry, so it decided to try and eat it. The dinosaur opened its huge crocodile-like mouth which was filled with sharp pointy teeth and bit down on the white cube, **CHOMP!** The white cube didn't give at all, it was like biting steel, the dinosaur's teeth shattered and fell out of its mouth.

"**Get out of the way, Lizard,"** came a familiar deep and masculine voice. The dinosaur took its toothless mouth off of the white cube and turned to see a man and a woman standing behind it.

Mr. 5 stood there wearing a bandage on the side of his face where Zoro had hit him back at Whisky Peak. Ms. Valentine was beside him wearing a short blue coat over her yellow dress and was once again wearing the yellow hat that made her head look like a lemon. Mr. 5 went to attack, but Ms. Valentine interrupted Mr. 5, "Wait, I can handle this."

**GRRAAWWRR!** The toothless dinosaur roared as it charged at the Baroque Works Officer Agents, but they didn't seem the least bit intimidated by the dinosaur that was many times their size.

**Skish! **"Kyahahaha!" Ms. Valentine cackled as she lightened her weight and launched herself up into the air above the dinosaur's head. "TAKE THIS! 10,000 KILO PRESS!" Ms. Valentine changed her weight to 10,000 kilograms and came crashing down on the dinosaur's head, **SPLAT! **A large dust cloud went up above the tree-line, but when it cleared, Ms. Valentine got off of the unmoving dinosaur and followed Mr. 5 to the white cube. They opened the door that was carved into the side and went inside.

"**Oh, hello Mr. 5,"** Mr. 3 greeted them as he sat at a table with a pot of tea and a few cups out. Ms. Goldenweek was taking a nap in the corner. He casually sipped from the cup of tea in his hand and read a magazine.

"Hmph," Mr. 5 grunted, "I'm impressed by the décor. You have a talent for turning the most savage environment into a home. I admire you. Which is why I feel compelled to remind both of you that this mission belongs to me and Ms. Valentine."

"Rest assured, we won't slip up like we did last time," Ms. Valentine assured him.

"Slip up?" Mr. 3 repeated. "That's not why I'm here. Mr. 5, Ms. Valentine, the simple fact of the matter is: you're both weak." Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine both glared at the higher ranking officer agent. "Don't waste your energy pouting, it is what it is. Take a look at this."

**Whip!** Mr. 3 pulled out a wanted poster and showed it to Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine, the wrinkled and dust-covered picture was divided in half and showed two somewhat faces. A clean-shaven Dorry, and a much younger Broggy with a braided beard. "I'd like to thank you both for giving me an excuse to come to this island. I'll enjoy the opportunity to hunt some truly _big_ game. Hoohoohahaha!"

Mr. 5 took the wanted poster from Mr. 3 and read it, "Dorry the Blue Ogre and Broggy the Red Ogre of the Giant Warrior Pirates," Mr. 5 recited while Ms. Valentine looked over his shoulder.

"Everyone's heard of them," said Ms. Valentine. "They're an ancient legend. This poster's over a hundred years old."

"Well those two legends are alive and well on this island," Mr. 3 informed them. "They've been battling over a century now. Back when that poster was new the bounty on both of their heads was 100,000,000 berries a piece, two hundred million for the both of them."

"Two hundred million berries _is _an impressive sum," Mr. 5 commented. "But that doesn't change that fact that they're giants."

Mr. 3 smiled as he replied, "There's a wise saying: 'Superior criminals are those who execute their crimes using superior intellect.' All you have to do is follow my precise instructions. With a smidgeon of forethought and perseverance we can find the solution to even the most gargantuan of obstacles."

The Straw Hats and their new giant friends were in trouble, now they had four officer agents gunning for them, Mr. 5, Ms. Valentine, Ms. Goldenweek, and the cunning and devious Mr. 3.

**-x-**

Next chapter, Mr. 3's plan starts to come together during the furious battle between giants.

'Till Next Time...

Peace!


	9. Chapter 9

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer: **The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonnan Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. Please support the official release.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** **My classes have really started to pick up this semester. I have an insane amount of writing to do and as most everyone knows when it comes to fanfiction versus real life, real life wins. I'm WON'T stop updating my story, I'LL STOP WHEN I'M DEAD! But my update schedule will be reduced to once a week on Thursday. That means the next chapter will be out Thursday November 4th at around 12PM Eastern Standard Time.**

**Furious Battle Between Giants:**

**-x-**

In the middle of Little Garden the giants Broggy and Dorry began yet another match in their sacred one hundred year battle of honor.

"GRAAAH!" Broggy shouted as he raised his battle ax overhead and swung at Dorry. **KLANG!** Dorry got his large sword up and managed to block the other giant's blow. **SHOOOOM! **Another huge shockwave went rushing around the island from the impact of the two attacks colliding.

"RRRAAAHH!" Dorry growled as he pulled back then lunged forward with his sword, **BOOOM!** Broggy jumped up over Dorry's head, causing the other giant to drive his sword into the side of a rocky mountain

"EEYYYAAHH!" Broggy yelled as he came down swung his battle ax at his grounded opponent.** THUNK!** Dorry bent forward and protected his vitals by blocking the ax-strike with the top of his hard battle helmet. Dorry surged forward and tackled Broggy into the mountain his sword was embedded in, **WHAAM!**

**KER-RUSH!** The mountain gave way to the power of both giants and Broggy smashed right through it and went to the ground.

**-x-**

At Broggy's cave-filled mountain home, Usopp shrieked in surprise and awe as he watched the battle, "AAYYEEE! He… he blocked that hit with his helmet!" the marksman exclaimed. "That's incredible! A couple of inches left or right and it would've killed him!" Usopp danced around on the spot while Nami stood silently beside him and watched.

Ricky calmly sat on the log as he continued eating the dinosaur meat. A frown marred his face as he listened to Usopp's commentary.

**-x-**

**SWISH!** Broggy got back up and swung his battle ax at Dorry but Dorry weaved backwards and dodged most of the attack. Only a few hairs from his long beard were severed.

Dorry took a step backwards to regain his balance then lashed out at Broggy with his sword, "RAAAAHHH!" **THOOM!** Broggy blocked the sword-strike with his shield, then lashed out with his ax, **THOOOM!** But Dorry blocked Broggy's ax with his own shield. It was clear that the two giants were evenly matched.

The two giants grabbed each other's weapon arm and wrenched it out to the side then locked up and began grappling, looking to overpower each other with their physical strength. But neither of the giants were going anywhere, their strength appeared to be equal, neither had a clear advantage over the other.

**-x-**

"This battle is incredible!" Usopp exclaimed. The battle had moved, while the two giants had started out on the other side of the island near Dorry's house now they were fighting not far from Broggy's mountain/cave. "Every one of those attacks is aimed at some vital spot! Just one slip from either of them and that's it, they're dead."

"These guys have really been fighting to the death for a hundred years?" questioned Nami. "That's gotta get old."

**WHAAM! BOOOOM!** The sound of the two giants trading blows echoed around the island. Nami turned away from Usopp and the battle and spotted Ricky who was still sitting in the same place as before.

"This is our chance," Nami decided. "We should get out of here and head back to the ship while he's gone." Nami walked over to Ricky and tugged his arm, "Come on, I'm not going through the jungle without you."

"From the looks of things we'll be staying here for a little bit longer," Ricky informed her, not once looking away from the fire. Without even seeing Nami's confused look he answered, "Usopp."

Nami turned around and saw that Usopp was watching the giants fight with sheer awe and admiration. He hadn't taken his eyes off of the battle since it began.

"Amazing…" said Usopp as he watched the giants continue to attack with killing strikes, only to be blocked at the last second. _"Why? I don't remember! Gebababababa!" _"They fight so seriously… and they don't even know why…"

"This fight's getting really annoying," Nami complained.

"Don't you see?" Usopp asked , "This is an example of a real battle between real men!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" questioned Nami.

"They're fighting to defend their honor," Ricky calmly explained, "It's what makes them proud warriors, it's the most important thing in the world to them. It's even more important than their lives. Neither of them can give an inch because that would mean losing the fight and even worse: losing their honor."

"This is a proud duel!" Usopp continued as he gazed upon the two giants who were still locked in a deadlock with their weapons and shields pressed against each other, "A legendary fight between two dedicated warriors!"

"Yeah whatever," Nami eventually said, "This warrior stuff doesn't really interest me in the slightest. Are you coming or not?"

"No, I'm still watching this," Usopp told her. "This is my ultimate goal... to be a brave warrior like each of these titans. To be a Brave Warrior of the Sea! If there's a village full of warriors like these two, I'd love to visit it someday."

"Elbaph's in the second part of the Grand Line," Ricky informed him. "We've still got a ways to go. But I don't think anyone will mind a slight detour." Ricky stood up and turned away from the fire. "I'm gonna go for a walk. I'll come back when the battle's over."

Usopp silently nodded while Ricky walked over to the far side of Broggy's mountain, away from the battle and headed for the jungle behind it. "Wait! I'll come with you!" Nami called out.

"You sure?" Ricky asked. "The dinosaurs and animals stay away from the giants' homes because they're the strongest things on this island. But the jungle is fair game."

"I don't wanna stay here and watch two giants try to kill each other," Nami replied. "Besides, you'll protect me."

"Fine, you can come," Ricky agreed. "We'll be back later Usopp." Usopp nodded again, not taking his eyes off of the battle while Nami ran after Ricky and followed him into the jungle.

**-x-**

**WHAM! THOOOM! BOOOOM!**

Dorry and Broggy continued to trade blows, trees were smashed and crushed under toe as the two titanic warriors continued their fight.

**-x-**

"Kyahahahahaha!" Ms. Valentine laughed as she floated up into the air with her umbrella over her head. "I've got a great view from up here!" From above the trees she could see the two giants fighting perfectly.

"They're gonna see you Ms. Valentine!" Mr. 5 called up to her from the ground. "Now get down here!"

"Oh, don't be so jittery Mr. 5," Ms. Valentine replied and looked at the two fighting giants near Broggy's cave. She also noticed a small speck watching the battle intently. "You see, they're completely absorbed in the fight down there! They won't notice me!"

"Just come down, already!" Mr. 5 shouted up at her.

"Okay, okay…" Ms. Valentine conceded as she gained weight and landed on the ground next to her partner. **TMP!**

"Now, behave yourself," Mr. 5 scolded her. "This is a 200,000,000 berri job here."

"Of course," Ms. Valentine agreed. "But I'm not really crazy about this… about what Mr. 3 wants us to do."

"I know," said Mr. 5, he didn't seem pleased about it either, but orders were orders. He started walking again, "Come on now."

"Okay," Ms. Valentine relented as she followed behind him.

**-x-**

**WHUP! WHUP! WHUP!** Broggy and Dorry's arms collided and their two weapons were knocked out of the hands and went flying up into the air over head. **WHUMP!** The two giants went crashing down to the ground and panted.

"It's safe to say… that we're both starting to get homesick here…" Broggy panted as he sat up and faced Dorry.

"That's why I intend to win this duel of ours," Dorry replied. "I'm going to beat you and go home to Elbaph." **SHUNK!** The two weapons finally came down and imbedded in the clearing around Broggy's house. Luckily, Usopp wasn't hit.

The two giants got up and prepared to fight with their bare hands. "RAAAHHHH!"

**-x-**

"What's with you?" Nami inquired as the two of them walked through the jungle. Nami was walking very close to Ricky, who was frowning as he silently walked beside her. "You seem irritated."

"What makes you say that?" questioned Ricky.

"Well… you're frowning," Nami pointed out. "For you, that's pretty much the equivalent of seething with anger. Not interested in being a brave warrior?"

Ricky shook his head, "I can respect the fact that they've fought for so long with such tenacity and intensity to defend their honor. But I can't respect the fact that they both think that the conclusion to this duel is predetermined. They both feel that some divine force will protect the righteous one and that there's nothing they can do to change that."

"So what… one of them is fated to win and the other's fated to die?" asked Nami.

"That's what they believe," Ricky answered. "I don't believe in fate or divine judgment. I believe in free will, luck, and odd coincidences. Anything I accomplish is because of my own merits and my own achievements that brought me to that point. Not because some _God _decided that it was my fate. I respect their warrior spirit but I don't respect their beliefs."

"Wow," Nami remarked. "So that's what it sounds like when you're passionate about something."

"Yeah well… a fate-nut cut my eye out and killed one of my Nakama because he thought it was his fate to get a Devil Fruit. You'll have to excuse me for not being overly friendly when we run into someone with similar beliefs."

**-x-**

The giants charged and swung at each other with their shield-arms. **WHAAAAM!** Both giants drove their shield into each other's face.

"Ugghh… seventy-three thousand… seven hundred sixty-six duels…" Broggy groaned around the shield in his face.

"Seventy-three thousand seven hundred and sixty-six draws…" Dorry replied. Both giant fell backwards and hit the ground with a loud thud, **THOOM!**

The battle was over. It was a draw. They'd have to wait to fight another battle until the volcano erupted again.

"GEBABABABABABABA!" "GEGYAGYAGYAGYAGYA!" The two giants laughed as the laid in the clearing their battle had created and concluded in.

"Hey Dorry!" Broggy called, "My guests gave me some alcohol!"

"Drinks? It's been a long while!" Dorry commented. "Gegyagyagyagya!"

"GEGYAGYAGYAGYAGYA!" "GEBABABABABABABA!"

**-x—**

"What was that?" Zoro wondered as he stood in the middle of the jungle still looking for game for his hunting challenge with Sanji. "Laughing? First that long strange earthquake and now this creepy laughing sound… what's going on in this place? What kind of creatures live here?"

Zoro grinned, "Well, that damn cook's still out there, maybe he'll run into one of those monsters."

**-x-**

"Were those bird cries?" Sanji asked out loud as he wandered through the jungle. "The birds here don't look appetizing. I'll find something else. We may be competing for big prey, but a chef has to have standards. Doesn't matter how big it is, just has to taste good."

Sanji kept walking and grinned, "That's something I'm sure that swordsman doesn't understand."

**-x-**

"So if there's no fate behind it, who do you think is gonna win the fight between the two giants?" Nami asked as the two of them continued walking through the jungle.

"They're too evenly matched for it to go any one way," Ricky answered. "They could keep on going like this until they're both old and crippled. The only thing that will end this battle is outside interference."

Ricky suddenly stopped walking and grabbed the back of Nami's shirt to keep her from going any further. **TMP!** A familiar brown saber-tooth tiger about two times their size leapt out of the trees and landed where they would've been if Ricky hadn't stopped them. Nami quickly jumped behind Ricky while the tiger growled at him.

**RAAAWWWWRRR!** The tiger leapt at Ricky but Ricky lashed out his leg and punted it in the face, **THWAK!** The tiger went flying and landed in a heap on the ground.

Ricky sent the tiger that was twice his size a one-eyed glare, "I was _trying _to have a nice peaceful walk," Ricky addressed the tiger. "You've been following us since we came out here… it's starting to get annoying." Ricky advanced on the big cat, which backed away. "I have no interest in killing you, but if you keep this up… Nami's gonna have a new fur coat." Ricky stared the tiger in its eyes, "Scram."

**ZIP!** The saber-tooth tiger was gone.

"That's one annoyance taken care of," Ricky commented. "Let's head back before the other one decides to show itself."

"O-other one?" Nami repeated. She was instantly walking right next to Ricky. "Are all the islands in the Grand Line like this? Is Alabasta like this?

"Every island has its own climate and its own animal kingdom," Ricky told her. "I've never been to Alabasta but it could have its own collection of carnivorous animals. You should probably ask the Princess the next time you see her."

"Poor Vivi," Nami commented. "She's all alone with just Luffy and that duck."

"They're probably at the other giant's house," Ricky informed her. "I pretty much encouraged Luffy to go there when I saw him earlier. Let's go back and get Usopp then we can meet up with them and head back to the Merry." Nami nodded and the two of them headed back for Broggy's cave.

**-x-**

"GEGYAGYAGYAGYA!" Dorry laughed once he'd returned to his home where Luffy, Vivi, and Carue were waiting for him. Dorry held up his hand which had several barrels of rum in between his large fingers. "That's interesting, so Broggy's guest must be a friend of yours. I saw a weird looking guy with a long nose."

"That's Usopp," Luffy replied. "But I thought he was gonna stay on the ship. I guess he wanted to explore after-all."

"Then I guess I have you to thank for this alcohol," Dorry realized as he began drinking from the tiny barrels in between his fingers.

"So Mr. Dorry, does it really take a year for the Log Pose to reset?" asked Vivi as she sat on the ground in front of the giant in between Luffy and Carue.

"Yes, didn't you notice all of the mountains of human skeletons that are lying around here?" questioned Dorry. "I guess it's hard not to. The people who come to this island tend to die before their Logs reset. Some become dinosaur food, some die from heat, or thirst, or starvation, others are killed because they stupidly attack us. Whatever the case, they all die here somehow. An entire year on this island just seems to be too long. So far no humans have been able to survive here for the whole year."

Vivi clenched her hands, "What are we going to do?" she wondered. "Even if we could manage to last here for a year, who knows what could happen by then? My country could be lost!"

"She's right," Luffy said. "Plus I'd get bored here after a year. Isn't there anything else we can do about it, old man?"

"Hmm… we do have an Eternal Pose here," Dorry informed him. "But its magnetic link is to our homeland of Elbaph. That Eternal Pose is what Broggy and I have been fighting for this whole time. Of course, you can _try _to take it by force…"

"Nah," Luffy replied. "That's not gonna work. Elbaph's not the place we're trying to get to. We just wanna get to the island that's after this one." Luffy turned to Vivi, "Right?"

"Yes," Vivi answered, "We must stay on the route that's going to lead us to my home or else there's no point."

"Maybe you can try sailing forward randomly," Dorry suggested. "If you're lucky, you may get there eventually."

"SHISHISHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed loudly. "Maybe so! SHISHISHISHISHI! We may actually get there!"

"GEGYAGYAGYAGYA!" Dorry laughed. "Now that I think about it, someone did leave the island before the Log was reset."

"And what happened to him?" asked Luffy.

"How should I know that?" questioned Dorry, he'd stayed here and wasn't exactly in touch with the outside world.

Carue had to stifle a laugh as he listened to the giant and the pirate but Vivi seemed to be getting aggravated.

"Maybe he did make it to the next island," Luffy suggested. "Shishishi!"

"_What is so funny!"_ Vivi thought to herself as she glared at the laughing pair. Her kingdom was at stake here. She couldn't afford to sail straight and die.

"GEGYAGYAGYAGYAGYAGYA!" "SHISHISHISHISHISHI!"

**-x-**

**Outside Interference:**

**-x-**

"A Brave Warrior of the Sea, what's that?" asked Broggy as sat out in front of his home and attached the blade of his battle axe onto a new shaft. The old one had snapped during the battle.

"I'm talking about you guys!" Usopp answered as he sat on the log in front of Broggy. "What I really want is to be like the two of you some day."

"A giant?" questioned Broggy.

"No, I want to be a great warrior," Usopp explained. "I wanna be great and proud like you and the other warriors of Elbaph."

"GEBABABABABA!" Broggy laughed. "I see. In Elbaph, even though our life-spans are longer than yours are, we still think about how we will die. We know everything we have and everything we are will one day cease to exist, like everything else. But it is worth it to die a true warrior of Elbaph without sacrificing your pride. That is what we call dying with honor. To die such a great death would be such an everlasting treasure. It's what we seek in Elbaph."

"Wow, so honor is your treasure," Usopp realized. "That's great! I've decided to learn from you. From now on, I'll call you Master."

"Huh?" said the confused Broggy.

**-x-**

**KA-BOOOOM!** The rum that Dorry had been drinking exploded inside the giant's stomach. **THOOM!** Dorry went crashing down to the ground with smoke billowing out of his mouth.

"OLD GIANT GUY!" Luffy shouted in surprise while Vivi and Carue stood up next to him. "What's going on! Why did it explode? That was the same alcohol we had with us on the ship!"

"It exploded in his stomach!" Vivi exclaimed. "The other giant must've booby trapped it."

Luffy turned to Vivi and glared at her. "Weren't you listening?" he demanded. "WERE YOU EVEN WATCHING? THEY FIGHT THEIR DUELS HONORABLY! THERE'S NO WAY HE'D DO THAT!"

"Alright, then who _did_ do it?" Vivi asked.

**SHUNK!** Dorry drove his sword into the ground and used it to push himself up to his feet. He glared at Luffy and Vivi and looked enraged. "YOU STRANGERS! IT WASN'T BROGGY! NO WARROIR OF ELBAPH WOULD DARE! WHO ELSE IS THERE TO SUSPECT ON THIS ISLAND THEN… BESIDES YOU!"

"QUAAACK!" Carue turned and ran away when faced with the angry giant.

Vivi backed away and looked terrified, "Let's get out of here!" said Vivi. "There's no use talking to him right now!"

"I doubt running would do us any good," Luffy replied as he reached up and took off his straw hat. He held his hat out to Vivi, "Hold onto this and stay back."

"You're going to… fight Dorry?" questioned Vivi as she stared at Luffy and the panting giant in surprise. She took the hat while Luffy cracked his knuckles and got ready.

"Yeah," Luffy answered. "I don't want to but we have to settle this."

"Don't do it you guys!" Vivi called out as Luffy prepared to square off with a giant over a thousand times his size. "Mr. Dorry, we don't know anything about the explosives in the barrels, I promise! We wouldn't do that! You can't be in any shape to fight right now, so please stop!"

"Grrr… WHY SHOULD I BELIEVE YOU LIARS?" Dorry demanded as he slowly raised his sword. "GRRRAAAAHHH!" **THOOOM!** Dorry swung his sword down at Luffy, but the pirate jumped out of the way and the giant smashed his sword onto the ground.

"Gaaahhh…" Dorry groaned as he spat out blood.

**Shoo!** Luffy jumped up and landed on the blade of Dorry's sword, then ran up it towards the giant. "RAAAAAHHH!" **SKISH!** Luffy leapt up off of the sword and flew up into the air and pulled back his arm, "GUM… GUM…"

**THWHAM! **Dorry swung his shield and smashed it into Luffy, sending the rubber pirate crashing back down to the ground, **THUD!**

**SHOOOOM!** Luffy stretched out both of his arms and grabbed a distant tree. Dorry was briefly caught off guard, but then swung his sword down at Luffy, **THOOOM!** **WOOOSH!** Luffy rocketed out of the way and Dorry slammed his sword into the ground and once again spat out blood, "Gaaahhh…"

Luffy passed the tree he had grabbed onto and kept going, **VREEENG! **"GUM… GUM…" _"Sorry…" _Luffy apologized in his mind, "…ROCKET!" **SHOOOOM! **Luffy's arms retracted and sent him flying back towards the wheezing giant. **BOOOM! **Luffy plowed into Dorry's already injured stomach.

"GRRAAAAHHH!" Dorry screamed in pain as he fell backwards. With his last conscious effort, Dorry regained his balance and smashed his foot down on top of Luffy, **THOOOM!**

"NO! LUFFY!" Vivi shouted seeing Dorry's foot pressed down on top of Luffy.

"Ugghhh…" Dorry groaned. "I see now… he has the power from…" **KOFF! **"…one of the Devil Fruit… it seems… I underestimated… him…" **BOOM! **Dorry dropped down to his knees then fell forward and lost consciousness, **THOOOOM!**

Luffy was left embedded into the ground after being squished by the giant's foot. But since his body was made of rubber, he was fine. Luffy sat up and panted, "Phew," he sighed.

"Luffy, are you alright?" Vivi asked as she hurried over to him with his hat.

"How is he?" Luffy inquired.

"He should be okay," Vivi told him. "I guess you were right about fighting. He's certainly a lot calmer now."

Luffy put his hat back on and growled, "Well I'm not! The old guy was right about one thing anyway, the other giant would never do anything like this. And I know that my Nakama wouldn't do it either. They aren't like that."

"Then who?" Vivi wondered.

"There must be somebody else on this island," Luffy concluded.

**-x-**

Back in his white hut, Mr. 3 was pouring tea for himself, Ms. Valentine, and Mr. 5. "The key to winning any game is to know your opponent's state of mind. For now we have succeeded in confusing our enemy. They are no doubt wondering about the mysterious bomb we delivered… and about the identity of their invisible enemy."

Mr. 5 took the cups of tea that Mr. 3 handed to him and gave one to Ms. Valentine.

"Our first target was the long-bearded giant Dorry," Mr. 3 continued. "I knew of course that it would be nearly impossible to finish him off. But the damage done to his stomach by the bomb must have been considerable. Now… we can sit here enjoying our tea while relaxing and wait for the next duel to start."

"…" Ms. Goldenweek silently sat on the ledge next to the window while the other agents drank their tea. She pointedly stared at the one untouched cup that was meant to be hers.

"So we stay in the background and let the giant kill off the injured one," Mr. 5 reasoned.

"Hoohoohmmhmm, yes, that's exactly right," Mr. 3 chuckled.

"This is certainly an indirect method," Mr. 5 commented.

"Again, you have to consider your enemy," Mr. 3 reminded him. "Warriors like these two operate in much of the same way as wild boars. They can be intimidating in a head-on fight but they don't have the brains to think beyond their immediate circumstance. So why bother going after them directly when you have the intelligence to destroy them indirectly? Hoohoohmmhmm…" Mr. 3 trailed off when he noticed his partner staring pointedly at the cup of tea on the table.

"…" Ms. Goldenweek continued to stare at the tea, but made no move to get up.

Mr. 3 reluctantly got up and picked up the tea cup, "Why can't you just get the tea yourself, Ms. Goldenweek?" he asked as he carried the cup over to his ridiculously laid-back partner and handed it to her.

"And just what are we supposed to do with the Straw Hat Gang?" questioned Mr. 5.

"Straw Hat Gang?" Mr. 3 repeated. "Oh, you're talking about the little brats who found out the Boss' secrets." Mr. 3 threw four pieces of paper down onto the table. One was a photograph of Princess Nefertari Vivi, the other three were drawings of Luffy, Zoro, and Nami. "We can start by luring them out one-by-one. The order doesn't matter really." Mr. 3 stared down at the four portraits, "Let's start with the one closest to my tea set. I have personal motto you know and that motto is: Improvise and Conquer. Hoohoohmmhmm, there are plenty of ways to defeat any enemy… all without fighting."

Ms. Goldenweek held out her empty tea cup, "Hey Mr. 3, refill," she requested.

"Yeah, while you're up," Mr. 5 added as he held out his own cup.

"CAN'T YOU SAVAGES ACTUALLY TAKE SOME TIME TO SAVOR YOUR TEA?" Mr. 3 scolded them.

**-x-**

**THOOOM! THOOOM! THOOOM!** The volcano in the middle of Little Garden erupted. It could he heard from anywhere on the island.

"That's their signal, isn't it?" asked Vivi as she, Luffy, and Carue stood outside Dorry's home. The giant was still on the ground from his fight with Luffy.

**-x-**

**THOOOM! THOOOM! THOOOM! **Zoro was wondering through the jungle when he heard the eruption off in a distance. That not only signaled the start of the giants' next battle, but the end of Zoro and Sanji's hunting challenge.

"Oh damn," he cursed to himself. "I guess my time is up."

**SQUISH!** "EEEH!"

Zoro looked down and realized that his foot was on top of a baby triceratops.

"Oh! Sorry buddy," Zoro apologized to the tiny dinosaur as he quickly removed his foot.

**GRAAHHAH!** The tiny dinosaur lunged at Zoro and bit his leg.

"GAAH!" Zoro exclaimed as he kicked his leg around and tried to get the dinosaur off of him. "I SAID I WAS SORRY, I DON'T' HAVE TIME TO MESS AROUND WITH THIS! CUT IT OUT YOU LITTLE BRUTE! SERIOUSLY, I DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR THIS!"

**Grrrr… **Nearby a full grown triceratops let out a growl. Mommy was mad.

**-x-**

Sanji wandered through the jungle with his hands in his pockets, "I don't have any big game to bring back," he said to himself. "And that was the signal. Damn it. I guess my time's up."

**Grrrr…** Sanji didn't see the pair of feline eyes that were following him.

Lucky the saber-tooth tiger was perched up in the tree watching the human that was about half his size. Over the course of the day, Lucky had started to ponder the irony behind his name. He was having a very _un_lucky day.

First, a huge tyrannosaurus came after him when he was trying to eat two scrawny humans. Then the scary cyclops fell out of the sky and knocked out the tyrannosaurus with one attack. When the scary cyclops turned his one-eyed gaze to Lucky, out of self preservation Lucky ran away and gave up the meal temporarily. It was a good decision because the fat giant had showed up moments later.

Sometime later, Lucky had spotted the scrawny human female out in the jungle again. He had been about to pounce on her but the scary cyclops had helped her dodge out of the way. Lucky had attempted to fight the meal-stealing cyclops but got kicked in the face for his troubles. The scary cyclops threatened to turn Lucky into a fur coat so Lucky quickly ran away again.

_This _human male that smelled like smoke only had one visible eye but _hopefully_ it wouldn't kick as hard as the cyclops.

Poor Lucky just couldn't catch a break today. Sanji kicked _harder_ than Ricky.

**-x-**

**THOOOM! THOOOM! THOOOM!** "Well, there's the signal," Broggy observed as he stood up and prepared to go to battle. "It's really been active today."

"You're really going?" Usopp asked. "But your wounds from the last battle haven't healed."

"Please, Dorry can't be doing better than me," Broggy reasoned. "GEBABABABABA! A FEW SCRATCHES WON'T TAKE ME OUT OF A DUEL! THAT WOULD SURELY BE A POOR EXCUSE FOR A BRAVE WARRIOR! GEBABABABABA!"

"**Oh, you're going out to fight again?" **came Ricky's voice as he and Nami came wandering out of the jungle.

"Ah! I was wondering where you two ran off to," Broggy commented.

"Just went for an after-meal walk," Ricky replied.

**-x-**

**THUD!** Dorry slammed his hand down into the ground and struggled to get up.

"Wait Mr. Giant!" Luffy called out. "Don't go!"

"You can't fight Mr. Dorry, you need to rest," Vivi advised him. "You'll die if you push yourself too hard!"

"I _WILL_ FIGHT!" Dorry insisted, even though he was barely conscious. "I AM DORRY! I WILL—" **KOFF! **Dorry spat up blood. "—FIGHT FOR ELBAPH'S PRIDE AND DIE AS A WARRIOR!"

Dorry weakly pushed himself up to his feet, just standing was taking an incredible effort. He turned around and grabbed the sides of his mountain home and in an amazing feat of strength considering the condition his insides were in, HE LIFTED IT UP!

"HE PICKED UP THAT HUGE ROCK! THAT IS SO COOL!" Luffy exclaimed as Dorry trudged over to him carrying his house.

"L-luffy!" Vivi stammered as she backed away. **SHUNK!** Dorry dropped his house… on top of Luffy.

"RAAAAHHH!" Luffy yelled as he pounded his arms on the ground, his legs were pinned under the mountain. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING! GET YOUR HOUSE OFFA ME! MOVE IT!"

"It can't be helped now," Dorry stated as he stepped away from the house. "It's been over a century. Since we started the battle… this duel…" Dorry stomped over to his sword and picked it up. "Injured or not… I cannot allow myself to run away from this fight. To do so would be like running away from the title of Warrior. And if I was no longer a warrior of Elbaph then I would no longer know who I am."

Dorry glanced down at Luffy and Vivi, "I'm sorry I suspected you of causing the explosion," he apologized. "I now know that this was a judgment. A judgment from Elbaph. I didn't have the God's protection and that is all." Dorry turned and headed off to face Broggy.

"LISTEN TO ME!" Luffy hollered after the giant. "GODS AND DIVINE PROTECTION HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT'S GOING ON! IF A GOD TOLD YOU TO JUST RUN OFF AND DIE, WOULD YOU?" Dorry stopped walking.

"SOMEONE HAS INTERFERED WITH YOUR DUEL!" Luffy continued, "AND A DUEL THAT'S BEEN INTERFERED WITH ISN'T A FAIR FIGHT ANYMORE!"

"SILENCE!" Dorry roared. "WHAT CAN YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS? You're a human who can't have been living on this Earth for more that two decades! How can you possibly hope to understand the ways of the warriors of Elbaph?"

"WHO CARES ABOUT THAT STUFF?" Luffy shouted as he turned over and started punching the mountain that was pinning him to the ground, "GET THIS DAMN THING OFFA ME! COME ON! COME BACK HERE! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME TRAPPED LIKE THIS!"

**-x-**

"Alright then," Broggy resolved as he picked up his battle axe and prepared to head off to battle.

"Good luck," Ricky politely encouraged Broggy, "don't die."

"HIT 'IM ONCE FOR ME MASTER BROGGY!" Usopp called out.

"GEBABABABABABA!" Broggy laughed. "This time I'll take him down Usopp! HE HASN'T GOT A CHANCE!"

"GO GET 'IM YOU GREAT WARRIOR OF ELBAPH!" Usopp urged him. "THE MIGHTY BROGGY ALWAYS DEFEATS HIS OPPONENTS!"

Broggy stepped clear over the three pirates and marched off to battle while Usopp continued to cheer for him, "YOU CAN DO IT BROGGY! YOU'RE THE MIGHTIEST WARRIOR IN THIS WORLD! YOU CAN DESTROY HIM ANY DAY!"

"Now we should probably think about heading back to the ship," Nami interrupted before Usopp could shout another cheer. "There's no freakin' way we're waiting here for a year. We need to get everyone back on the ship and come up with a plan."

"Let's go to the other mountain and get Luffy and the Princess," Ricky decided. "Then we'll head back to the ship. Sanji will probably turn up eventually so I'll call Bob and find Zoro, who'll probably be lost in the jungle somewhere."

Nami nodded and the two of them headed for the jungle, "HOLD ON A SECOND!" Usopp called out. "I can't do anything against dinosaurs! Going through the jungle to the Merry won't do us any good if we get killed, will it?"

"What happened to all of that Brave Warrior of the Sea stuff you've been going on about?" Nami wondered.

"I said that _someday_ I'd be a Brave Warrior of the Sea," Usopp clarified. "I'm not yet. Besides, even a brave warrior has to have enough sense not to get himself killed."

Ricky and Nami shared a glance, "You do the honors," Nami encouraged him.

"Listen guys," Usopp said to the other two, "even if I should lose everything some day and I must face a horribly tragic death, alone, on a deserted island… I will proudly say this about how I have lived, _'I AM CAPTAIN USOPP, AND KNOW THAT I HAVE BEEN A GREAT BRAVE WARRIOR OF THE SEA!'_"

Ricky silently leaned forward and hefted Usopp up onto his shoulder then walked off towards the jungle. "Yeah, yeah," Nami replied, "But for now, couldn't you at least be a _dependable_ warrior?"

"Oh, right, let's go!" Usopp agreed as Ricky and Nami headed into the jungle carrying Usopp along with them.

**-x-**

Broggy and Dorry met in a clearing and prepared to begin their latest battle.

"GEBABABABABA!" Broggy laughed. "Dorry, how was your drink? Hit the spot, didn't it?"

"Yes, it was like the nectar of the Gods," Dorry answered, neglecting to inform his opponent that the 'godly nectar' had exploded inside of him.

"GEBABABABABA!" Broggy laughed. "Well I'm glad you enjoyed it! LET'S GO!" Broggy raised his battle axe up over his head with one arm and brought it down on Dorry.

"Gegyagyagyagya," Dorry managed to chuckle as he brought his sword up to block Broggy's attack, **WHAAM! **Broggy pulled his ax back and swung at Dorry again but the injured giant managed to block this attack with his shield, **THOOM!**

Broggy kept attacking with powerful blows and Dorry kept blocking, **BOOM! **"WHAT'S…" **THOOOM! **"WRONG?" **WHAAM! **"YOU…" **BOOM! **"SEEM…" **THOOM! **"WEAK!"

"Don't count on it!" Dorry retorted, "I'M AS STRONG AS EVER!" **WHAAM! **Dorry blocked another attack and then blocked a shield strike from Broggy with his own shield, **BOOOM!**

**-x-**

Back at Dorry's house, Luffy was still pinned under the cave and he was furious as pounded the mountain hoping it would move, "GRRR… MOVE YA STUPID ROCK! COME ON!" Luffy shouted, "OF COURSE, JUST WHEN I MEET A GREAT WARRIOR THIS HAPPENS!"

"Just calm down," Vivi advised him. The sound of the giants' battle could be heard off in a distance. _"I don't understand why he's so upset over someone he's just met. He sure doesn't seem like a hardened criminal with a bounty on his head."_

"WHO WAS IT?" Luffy demanded. "WHO WOULD DARE TO INTERFERE? I'LL KILL THEM! GRRRR!"

"Hey Luffy… Carue's… missing…" Vivi suddenly realized. She looked around the clearing for her duck but couldn't spot him anywhere.

**-x-**

The duck in question was padding through the jungle slurping from the barrel on his neck. But suddenly a soft feminine voice rang out, **"Hey, isn't this the ugly bird that the Princess is always hanging around with?"**

**SPLURT!** Carue spat out his drink and slowly turned his head to see Mr. 5 standing nearby next to Ms. Valentine who was casually sitting on a rock. "QUAACK!"

"Kyahahahahaha!" Ms. Valentine cackled.

"Eh-hah," Mr. 5 chuckled.

"QUAAAAACK!" Carue cried out as he slowly started backing away from the two Officer Agents.

"Don't leave," Mr. 5 called after him. "Well now, we're happy to run into you. In fact, there's a little something we'd like to ask you to do for us."

**-x-**

Zoro trudged through the jungle dragging a triceratops by one of its horns. "Well this isn't good," he commented. "I'm lost."

Zoro glanced around him and saw a tree wrapped in vines, "This tree looks familiar but it's kind of hard to tell in this place. I think I was supposed to take a left at the tree wrapped in vines."

Zoro continued to look around and spotted… Nami? The navigator was casually leaning back against a tree. "Oh! Hey Nami!" Zoro greeted her. "It seems I got lost! Heh heh! Looks like you've got some pretty good timing, I didn't know what I was gonna do." Zoro dragged the dinosaur closer to the navigator who still hadn't moved or even acknowledged his presence.

"So… what're you doing in this area anyway?" Zoro inquired. "Uh… Nami?" Zoro didn't notice two pairs of eyes watching him from the shadows. "HEY!" It wasn't Nami.

**-x-**

"DINOSAUR!" The real Nami screamed as she ran passed Ricky, who was still carrying Usopp and away from a greenish-blue tyrannosaurus around three hundred times their size.

**Thud!** Ricky dropped Usopp and turned to face the dinosaur, it had a lump on its head. "Finally decided to show yourself, eh?" he asked the large dinosaur. "You were following us earlier. Looks like you're a little slow on the uptake."

Ricky looked over his shoulder at Nami and Usopp, "I'll handle this," he told them. "You two go on, I'll catch up."

"Y-you sure?" Usopp stammered as he pulled himself up off of the ground.

"Ricky, it's a _dinosaur_," Nami pointed out.

"It's the same dinosaur I knocked out before," he pointed out. "Don't worry, I've got this." Nami gave Ricky one last look then ran off after Usopp. "Now that they're out of the way." Ricky got in a fighting stance and turned to the tyrannosaurus, "Well… come on then!"

**-x-**

Nami and Usopp ran as fast as they could through the jungle towards the other giant's house. **GRRAAAAHHHH!**

They heard the roar of a dinosaur and Usopp added another burst of speed and ran off, **ZOOOOM! **Nami suddenly found herself running on her own through the jungle.

She stopped and stared around her. She didn't notice two sets of eyes watching her. "Usopp? Ricky? LUFFY!" Nami spotted the Captain in front of a tree with his arm up in greeting. Nami quickly ran over. "Luffy, we ran into a dinosaur. Usopp ran off but Ricky stayed to fight it. He might need…" Nami trailed off... Luffy wasn't moving. Luffy never held still.

**Fwwoosh!** A '3' that was sticking out of some bushes lit up like a candle, **GLOOOP!** A stream some kind of white substance came at Nami from behind, "HEEELLLLP!"

**-x-**

Usopp stopped running for a moment and realized something important HE WAS ALONE! "Uh… Nami?" he called out. All he heard in response was the cawing of some weird birds. The terrified sniper's legs started shaking as he desperately searched around him, "Nami? Ricky? NAMI? WHERE'D THEY GO?"

**ZOOOOOM!** Usopp took off running again and screamed at the top of his lungs, "LUUUFFFYYYY!"

Usopp was so scared that he was moving at speeds that would've matched Captain Kuro at his fastest. He'd crossed the entire island twice, he couldn't see where he was going, all he knew was that he was terrified.

Usopp burst out of some trees into a clearing and plowed face-first into a big rock, **WHAM! **Usopp bounced off of the rock and slammed into another rock, **BOOOM! **Usopp crashed to the ground with a bent nose and suddenly spotted Vivi and Luffy. Vivi was standing and Luffy was pinned under a mountain.

"Gah! Luffy!" Usopp exclaimed as he ran over to the captain. "I HAVE TERRIBLE NEWS! I DINOSAUR ATE RICKY AND NAMI!"

"WHAT? NOW WAY!" Luffy shouted in alarm.

"We were running through the jungle to see you guys," Usopp quickly recapped, "but then this huge dinosaur came out of nowhere! Ricky stopped to fight it and told us to go on. Naturally, I was reluctant but he insisted. Nami and I ran off and we heard the roar of another dinosaur. We kept running and suddenly I looked behind me and NAMI WAS GONE!"

Usopp started crying, "What have I done? I got my Nakama killed! How can I live with myself? Waaahahahaha!" Luffy started crying too, while it was surprising that Ricky had gotten eaten with Nami it could've actually happened.

"LISTEN!" Vivi shouted and interrupted them. "If she was there one moment and gone the next, you can't know for sure what happened."

"Well no, it's not like I could stop and check!" Usopp exclaimed. "I would've been eaten too! It was either a dinosaur or some other wild beast, WHAT ELSE COULD IT POSSIBLY BE?"

"I don't know for sure," Vivi admitted. "But… if Baroque Works followed us from Whisky Peak, it would make sense for them to capture Nami… and not you. I think we may be in great danger. We should go."

"You mean Baroque Works is here on the island with us?" Usopp asked. "Wait… but why capture Nami and not me?"

"Because you haven't gotten in their way," Vivi reasoned. "You, Mr. One Eye, and Sanji probably aren't on their assassination list. Now that I think about it… I bet that booby trapped alcohol was meant to get us instead!"

"Huh?" Usopp and Luffy said at the same time.

"What did you say about alcohol?" questioned Usopp.

"Broggy gave Dorry some alcohol that was tampered with," Vivi explained. "When Dorry drank the barrels, they exploded!"

"NO WAY!" Usopp shouted, "They actually exploded _inside_ the guy? He was injured that badly and he still went off to go fight?"

"I tried to stop him and that's how I ended up like this," Luffy told him. He was still stuck under Dorry's house. Off in a distance they could hear the two giants fighting.

"THIS IS HORRIBLE!" Usopp yelled. "THOSE TWO HAVE BEEN FIGHTING AS HARD AS THEY CAN FOR A HUNDRED YEARS! THEY ALWAYS ENDED IN A DRAW! THEIR DUELS ARE FOUGHT WITH THE MOST HONOR AND PRIDE IN THE WHOLE WORLD! IT CAN'T END LIKE THIS!" Usopp wasn't scared any more. He was pissed off.

**-x-**

**WOOOSH!** Broggy swung with his ax but Dorry managed to dodge to the side. Broggy turned around and swung his battle ax at Dorry while Dorry swung his sword, **THOOOM! **The two massive weapons collided but the battle was finally starting to wear on Dorry. Broggy's attack overpowered him and sent him staggering backwards.

"Gebababababa!" Broggy laughed while Dorry straightened up and panted. "What's wrong Dorry, getting tired?"

**-x-**

Mr. 3 and Ms. Goldenweek watched the battle from below. Mr. 3 was sipping some tea as he stood near a tree while Ms. Goldenweek was sitting on a picnic blanket eating a rice cracker.

"He just keeps on fighting," Ms. Goldenweek observed. **Munch! Munch! Munch!**

"He certainly is stubborn, that Dorry the Blue Ogre," Mr. 3 remarked. "Hoohoohmhm! Perhaps I should lend some assistance. **Fwoosh!** The tip of the 3 in Mr. 3's hair lit up in flame as he held out his hand.

**Munch! Munch! Munch!** Ms. Goldenweek just continued to eat her rice cracker.

**-x-**

**WHAAM!** Broggy smashed his battle ax down on Dorry's shield, sending the other giant staggering backwards.

**GLOOOP!** Dorry didn't notice the strange white substance coming from behind until he slipped on it. **SWIP!** Dorry lost his balance and fell backwards.

"HOOHOOHAAHAAHAA!" Mr. 3 laughed at his handiwork.

"_A whole century, it was a long battle!" _Broggy thought to himself as he raised his ax and then brought it down on his open opponent, **SHWUK!**

Dorry's blood squirted up into the air and could be seen by Luffy, Vivi, and Usopp from the clearing around Dorry's home. The battle between giants that had gone on for over a century was over.

**-x-**

That battle has concluded and the Red Ogre Weeps for his fallen opponent and friend.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	10. Chapter 10

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** The following is a fan-made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonnan Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. Please support the official release.

**The Red Ogre Weeps:**

**-x-**

"GAAAAAHHH!" Dorry let out a howl of pain and dropped to his knees, **THUD! **The light left his eyes and his trusty sword slipped from his grasp and went crashing down to the ground, Dorry the Blue Ogre swayed then fell to the ground and Broggy's feet. **THOOM!** The Century-Long battle of honor between the two mighty giant warriors was over.

It wasn't because of divine protection or because one giant had superior skill. The two giants were evenly matched. It was outside interference that ended the battle of honor.

**-x-**

Luffy stared at the tree-line in shock. He was still pinned under the giant's cave but had seen Dorry's blood squirt up into the air. He remembered the giant's words before he had gone on to the battle. _"I now know that this is a judgment. A judgment from Elbaph. I didn't have the God's protection and that is all."_

Luffy renewed his struggles against the mountain he was pinned over, he slammed his head on the ground and tried to wrench the lower half of his rubber body free. "GRAAAHHH!" Luffy yelled in rage. Luffy's straw hat went flying as he continued to pound his head into the ground. "**WHO WAS IIIT? WHO DID THIIIIIIS?"**

Luffy's loud shout rang through the entire island. He was furious. Some dishonorable scumbag had interfered in this legendary battle, and as a result a proud noble warrior had been slain.

**-x-**

The dishonorable scumbag in question was casually pouring himself a new cup of tea as his partner suddenly stiffened and stopped eating her rice cracker.

"Hey Mr. 3," said Ms. Goldenweek. "I think I heard something."

"Hoohoohaahaahaa!" Mr. 3 laughed, "Some pathetic animal yelping helplessly in the jungle! Amusing, HOOHOOOHAAAHAAAHAAA!"

**-x-**

Broggy stood over Dorry's body, he was panting deeply. But if someone looked close enough, they'd see tears going down the giant's face. He was crying.

"All… these fights…" Broggy panted in between sobs. "Seventy-three thousand… four hundred sixty-seven duel… Seventy-three thousand… four hundred sixty-six draws… and… one win." **UBB! UBB!** Broggy was openly weeping now. He'd been fighting Dorry for over one hundred years. They'd been alone on the island with nothing but wild animals and occasional visitors. Dorry was the one constant in his life. Broggy may have defeated his opponent… but he'd also slain his one true friend. **THOOM!** Broggy dropped his large battle axe to the ground and then slipped his shield off his arm and dropped it, **BOOOM! **He'd worn that shield and carried that axe for so long it was hard to remember a time when he hadn't. **UBB! UBB!**

"**Hoohoohahaha!" **laughter rang out from down below.

Broggy turned to see Mr. 3 leaning against a tree enjoying a cup of tea. Ms. Goldenweek was still sitting on the picnic blanket on the ground next to him.

"Do I see tears of joy?" questioned Mr. 3. "I doubt that happiness will last long. But… for now I offer you my congratulations."

"DID YOU SAY HAPPINESS?" Broggy demanded with tears still running down his face. "YOU KNOW NOTHING! WHO ARE YOU LITTLE MAN?"

"I am Mr. 3," Mr. 3 introduced himself. "That's a codename of course which is necessary in my line of work I'm afraid. I'm an artist of sorts." Mr. 3 gestured to his partner with his tea cup, the laid-back girl was once again casually eating a rice cracker. "And this is my assistant. All the best artists require assistants, her name is Ms. Goldenweek." Mr. 3 raised an eyebrow and smiled evilly. "I tell you all of this because I've already caught you in one of my artworks."

"Huh?" Broggy looked down and saw a strange white substance around his feet. It went halfway up to his knees and kept him anchored to the ground. He couldn't move. "What is this? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME? GRRRR!" Broggy struggled against the white substance but even the giant's immense strength couldn't break it. It was like solid steel.

**-x-**

Ricky stood alone in the jungle facing off with a big greenish blue tyrannosaurus. He was about the size of one of the huge dinosaur's teeth. But seeing as he'd already knocked out the dinosaur earlier, he wasn't really intimidated.

**GRRAAAAHHHH!** The dinosaur roared and charged at Ricky with its mouth of sharp pointed teeth that were all bigger than the one-eyed pirate.

**PUNT!** Ricky lashed out his leg and kicked the dinosaur in the jaw, causing its head to snap upwards. **SHOO!** Ricky leapt up off of the ground and over the enormous dinosaur's head, he came down and drove the steel soles of his boots into the prehistoric monster's head. "Bludgeon… STOMP!" **WHOMP! BOOOM!** The tyrannosaurus was driven face-first into the ground and was nearly knocked out.

Ricky leapt off of the dinosaur's head and landed on its snout, then stared it in the eyes. "Bad dinosaur," Ricky scolded it. "Bad."

**Grrrrrr…** The tyrannosaurus growled. **WOMP!** Ricky drove his boot down into the dinosaur's snout causing it to let out a whimper of pain.

"It's that kind of attitude that's gonna get you killed," Ricky told it. "If you quit giving me attitude and trying to eat me… I may let you live. Do we have an understanding?"

**SNORT! **The dinosaur let out a snort and weakly nodded its head.

"Good," said Ricky. "You're a tyrannosaurus. I think I'll call you Tim." Somewhere on Little Garden, Nami – who was unconscious at the moment – groaned.

**-x-**

"GRRAAAHHH!" Luffy growled as he continued to struggle against the mountain that was pinning him to the ground. But even Luffy's incredible strength wasn't enough to lift an entire mountain. He was stuck.

"Right Luffy," Usopp snarled, he angry about the controversial ending to the giants' battle too. He was just controlling his anger a little better. "I have no idea who we're dealing with. But I'm gonna take care of them myself!"

"I'll come too Usopp," Vivi offered.

"Good, having you with me will be reassuring," Usopp replied while his legs shook with terror.

"**You're not going anywhere,"** came a deep masculine voice.

Luffy, Vivi, and Usopp turned to see Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine coming out of the jungle, Mr. 5 was carrying a battered looking Carue with him.

"YOU GUYS AGAIN!" Luffy exclaimed, he vaguely recognized them as the annoying people that had interrupted his fight with Zoro at Whisky Peak.

Ms. Valentine smiled evilly while Mr. 5 threw Carue away from him and onto the ground, **FWUMP! **Vivi yelped and ran over to check on her duck. "You can have 'im back," Mr. 5 told her. "We don't need 'im anymore."

"Kyahahahaha!" Ms. Valentine cackled.

"Carue!" Vivi cried out as she knelt down next to her duck.

"WHY YOU!" Usopp snapped, then he turned to Luffy, "Wait… who are these guys?"

"The bullies from the last island," Luffy answered.

"Carue never did anything to you!" Vivi shouted at the Officer Agents, "Why did you have to do this to him?"

"You're right," Mr. 5 agreed, "we had no need to retaliate against your ugly bird. But we needed to get you away from Straw Hat. The plan was simple, we'd get the bird to cry out and lure you and out into the jungle and away from Straw Hat. But the stupid bird refused to cooperate."

**-Carue's Interrogation Flashback-**

"Now, you just call out for your owner real loud," Mr. 5 ordered as he and Ms. Valentine stood menacingly in front of the terrified Carue.

"Kyahahaha!" Ms. Valentine laughed. "Give us a good long squawk and we might even let you go." They were using the Good Cop-Bad Cop interrogation technique.

Carue shook his head and refused. He couldn't allow Vivi to get captured.

"Hmph, alright," Mr. 5 grunted. "Then we'll _make you_ squawk!"

Ms. Valentine leaned in and whispered in Carue's ear, "Just call for the Princess," she advised. But Carue shook his head and refused.

"Call for help now!" Mr. 5 commanded. When Carue refused Mr. 5 began to get physical, **POW! POW! WHAK! **"Let's hear it! Call for the Princess and this will all end!" **POW! THWAK! **"Just open your mouth you _damn_ creature!"

But through the beating Carue refused to utter one quack. He wouldn't betray his Princess. He'd give his life to defend her if need be.

**-End Carue's Interrogation Flashback-**

"But it looks like Straw Hat is already immobilized," Mr. 5 observed. "In which case, we didn't need that thing any more."

"Carue…" Vivi whispered to her faithful duck, he had taken a beating to keep her safe.

"Quuaaa…" Carue weakly quacked.

"Kyahaha!" Ms. Valentine cackled. "What a dumb bird! Kyahahahaha!"

"I'll kill you!" Vivi growled as she glared at Ms. Valentine and Mr. 5.

"And were you the ones who planted a bomb to injure the giant Dorry?" asked Usopp.

"Yeah, that was us," Mr. 5 admitted before he turned to Ms. Valentine. "Who's this new guy? Is he on the list?"

"No," Ms. Valentine answered. "But he's clearly a friend of theirs. Let's just get rid of him."

"HOW DARE YOU INTERFERE WITH A PROUD WARRIOR DUEL!" Usopp shouted.

"IT WAS YOU?" Luffy yelled as he struggled against the mountain he was pinned under. "I'LL KICK YOUR ASSES!"

"How about I get rid of you instead!" Vivi snapped as she pulled opened her green coat to reveal her diagonally stripped shirt underneath. She pulled out her two bladed gems and slipped the rings onto her fingers.

"Aww… it's just so cute when you fight, Ms. Wednesday," Mr. 5 taunted.

**Fwip! Fwip! Fwip! Fwip! **Vivi spun her two bladed gems around and prepared to attack.

"Kyahahaha," Ms. Valentine laughed as she moved to stand behind Mr. 5, "what's more, she really thinks she stands a chance against agents like us!"

"TASTE MY PEACOCK SLASHER!" Vivi shouted as she charged at the Officer Agents swinging her weapons as she went, **Fwip! Fwip! Fwip! Fwip!**

"I'LL GET YOU TOO!" Usopp called out as he ran after Vivi and pulled out his slingshot. "EXPLODING STAR!"** THWANG!** Usopp fired his slingshot at launched the projectile at Mr. 5.

**BOOOM! **Usopp's exploding star exploded on the two agents and hid them in a cloud of smoke. "Yeah! Gotcha!" Usopp cheered.

"**KYAHAHAHAHA!"** Ms. Valentine came flying up out of the smoke cloud with her umbrella over her head. "WRONG! KYAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"**NEZ-PALM… CANNON!"** **FWIP!** A booger came flying out of the smoke and hit Usopp square in the chest. **KA-BOOOOM! **

"Uhhh…" **Koff! Koff! **Usopp was left singed, gasping, and barely standing as a result of the explosion.

"Kyahahahaha!" Ms. Valentine laughed as she floated above the barely conscious sniper. "Did you get burned?"

"USOPP!" Luffy shouted.

"10,000 KILO PRESS!" She changed her weight to 10,000 kilograms and came crashing down on top of Usopp, **KWOOSH!**

"GRAAH!" Vivi growled as she charged at Mr. 5 twirling her peacock blades.

"Now, now," Mr. 5 scolded her, he still had his hands in his pockets and didn't seem intimidated. He slid his foot out and Vivi tripped over it, Mr. 5's foot exploded, launching Vivi up into the air, **KA-BOOOM! **As Vivi was coming down, Mr. 5 reached out and grabbed her by the throat, **WHAP!**

"Just calm down," Mr. 5 instructed as he held the Princess above the ground by her neck. "Eh-hah, there's no need to get so upset right now Princess. We aren't planning to kill you yet. We only came here to abduct you. Those were Mr. 3's explicit orders."

"Uggh… Mr. 3?" Vivi repeated in alarm. She reached up and clawed at Mr. 5's hand on her throat, but the Officer Agent was too strong. "The Wax Wax Fruit Man? He's here on the island with us!"

"That's right," Mr. 5 answered. "Mr. 3 the Candle Man. His body makes wax which he can control as he likes."

"A Candle Man?" questioned Luffy as he stared in shock.

**-x-**

**GLOOOP!** White wax came out of Mr. 3's arm and secured Broggy's legs. The giant fell forward and was left bound on the ground next to the unmoving body of Dorry. **THOOM!**

"Hoohoohahaha!" Mr. 3 laughed as he stood by Broggy's head and openly laughed at him. Ms. Goldenweek stood silently behind him. **GLOOOP! **Mr. 3 produced more wax out of his arms and spread it all over Broggy's body. Now his legs, arms, and chest were all stuck in the hard wax. Thick layers of hardened wax went around each of Broggy's hands and feet, and also went around his waist and neck. Broggy was left helpless due to the powers of Mr. 3.

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" Broggy demanded. "TELL ME!"

"Hm, going on?" Mr. 3 repeated as he adjusted his glasses. "I guess it's lost on someone like you. What's going on is that I'm creating a work of art with your assistance. Hoohoohmmhmmhmm!"

**-x-**

Sanji sat on the railing of the main deck of the Going Merry, scanning the jungle for any signs of the rest of the crew.

Lucky the unlucky saber-tooth tiger was hidden in the trees waiting for the smoke-smelling human to drop his guard.

**Thoom! Thoom!** Sanji's head jerked to the side when he heard the sound of large footsteps. His eye widened as he saw a greenish-blue tyrannosaurus come out of the trees. Ricky was casually riding on its head.

**Grrr…** Lucky growled at the sight of the meal-stealing dinosaur and the scary cyclops. He quickly disappeared into the jungle and decided to attack the other human when he was alone and not on board the ship.

"Sanji, are you alone?" Ricky asked as his dinosaur steed walked up to the Going Merry.

"Yeah," answered Sanji. "Do you know where Miss. Nami, Miss. Vivi, and the others are?"

**Skish! TMP! **Ricky jumped from his dinosaur and landed on the railing next to Sanji. He turned and addressed the dinosaur, "Tim… stay!" **THUD!** Like a dog, the tyrannosaurus dropped down to the ground and laid there, slowly wagging its long tail back and forth.

"You _tamed_ that giant lizard?" Sanji asked.

"There's no challenge to just killing him," Ricky replied. "I figured training it would be more entertaining. I named him Tim, he'd pretty big so he does a good job of scaring away the other dinosaurs."

"Where are the others?" Sanji inquired.

"The last time I checked, Luffy, the Princess, and the Princess' duck were together," Ricky answered. "I met up with Nami and Usopp earlier, we had lunch. We were going through the jungle when Tim attacked us. I had them go on ahead while I dealt with the problem. When I taught Tim some manners I started searching the jungle just in case they never made it to our original destination. While I was searching… I found a ship. It had a blue and white vertically striped sail, a flag marked 'B.W.', and a big '3' that looked like the wick of a candle on the front. You know what this means, don't you?"

"Baroque Works is here on the island," Sanji realized. "THEN MISS. NAMI AND MISS. VIVI ARE IN TROUBLE! What're you doing here? We have to save them!"

"I know," Ricky admitted. "I came back here to see if you or Zoro were back yet. If we split up and search the island for the Officer Agents we'll cover more ground. We should probably try to be discrete and find some information about our mysterious enemy before we charge in and attack."

"I'm assuming you have a plan," Sanji stated. Ricky nodded and began to explain what he'd thought up to Sanji. Neither of them were on Baroque Works' hit list so the Agents didn't know they were here. However Ricky and Sanji knew _they_ were here which gave them the advantage.

**-x-**

**I Knew:**

**-x-**

"Ow!" Vivi yelped as Ms. Valentine grabbed her and pinned her arms behind her back.

"Kyahahahaha!" Ms. Valentine laughed mockingly, "Stand still like a good little girl. Did you actually think that someone like you could escape from an organization like Baroque Works?"

"Grrr…" Vivi just let out an unlady-like growl as she fought against the agent's hold on her.

Ms. Valentine was hanging back and was keeping Vivi captive while Mr. 5 dealt with Luffy, Usopp, and Carue. All three of them were covered in burn marks from the explosions they'd been blown up with. Usopp was still buried up to his neck in the ground from when Ms. Valentine squashed him earlier and Luffy was still trapped under the mountain.

"After-all," Ms. Valentine continued to taunt the struggling Princess. "Your friend over there has a big bounty on his head and look at what happened to him!"

"Eh-hah," Mr. 5 chuckled as he stood over the unmoving Luffy, "Consider this our thank you for what happened at Whisky Peak. You should learn to mind your own business, you pathetic group of wanna-be pirates. It would be quite beneficial to your health. By the way, we already have your swordsman friend and we captured the other girl you brought along with you as well."

"Ugghh… so you… caught… Zoro?" Luffy groaned.

"Damn right," Mr. 5 answered.

"In that case… you're in more trouble than I thought," Luffy boasted.

"We'll see how tough you talk after getting a face-full of one of my bombs," Mr. 5 decided.

"Try whatever tricks you want," said Luffy. "I'm gonna kick your ass." **PTOI!** Luffy spat at the Officer Agent and the spit landed on Mr. 5's shoe.

"This should be fun," Ms. Valentine commented while Mr. 5 stared angrily down at the spit on his shoe.

"EXPLODING KICK!" Mr. 5 lashed out his leg and kicked Luffy in the face, **THWAK! KA-BOOOM!**

"LUFFY NO!" Vivi screamed.

"DIE!" Mr. 5 shouted as he kicked Luffy repeatedly, blowing up his foot every time. **THWAK! KA-BOOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!**

After what must have been ten explosions, Mr. 5 finally stopped kicking Luffy. The Straw Hat Pirate's hand fell limply to the ground. He looked like he was finally unconscious.

"You weak little fool," Mr. 5 taunted as he turned and walked away, leaving Luffy lying unconscious on the ground.

"LUFFY!" Vivi shouted. "LUFFY! PLEASE WAKE UP! HELP!"

"Kyahahahahaha!" Ms. Valentine cackled as Mr. 5 walked over.

"Let's go Ms. Valentine," said Mr.5 as he walked passed his partner towards the jungle. Ms. Valentine followed and dragged Vivi along with her.

"USOPP! CARUE! NO!" Vivi cried out as she stared at the smoldering remains of Luffy, the buried Usopp, and the battered and blown up Carue. None of them were moving.

**-x-**

Sanji quietly walked through the jungle searching for the Baroque Works Agents that were somewhere on the island. Normally he'd be calling out for Nami and Vivi… and possibly the others but he and Ricky had decided to act discretely and not give themselves away. They had split up, Sanji was searching one side of the island and Ricky was taking the other.

"Grr…" Sanji muttered as he smoked his cigarette and walked with his hands in his pockets. "If those Baroque Works bastards laid a single hand on my beloved Miss Nami or Miss Vivi there's gonna be hell to pay!"

Sanji was oblivious to the brown saber-tooth tiger that was still hunting him.

**-x-**

"GRRAAAAHHHH!" Broggy growled as he struggled against the hardened wax that was keeping him bound to the ground. But he was helpless.

Mr. 3 stood by Broggy's head openly laughing at him, "Hoohoohahaha!"

"DAMN YOU!" Broggy shouted.

"Struggling is pointless," Mr. 3 told him. "Once my Candle Jacket solidifies around you it'll become as hard as steel and impossible to break through. There's no denying that you giants are very strong. But once you're captured that strength doesn't do you any good. All I had to do was use my brain. There was no sense in trying to defeat you in a physical fight. You were so busy enjoying your win, that capturing you was easy!"

"…" Ms. Goldenweek was standing silently behind Mr. 3.

"GRRRR!" Broggy snarled as he glared at the human that had trapped him.

"Don't glare at me like that, it's positively terrifying!" Mr. 3 mocked the captive giant. "Hoohoohaahaahaaa! You should be celebrating, shouldn't you? At long last your battle with Dorry the Blue Ogre has come to an end. You fought on this island for a hundred years for your precious pride. Shouldn't such a long-lasting battle make victory all the more sweet? I mean really, it's an accomplishment… even if it required a little outside help. Come on… give me little smile!"

"SHUT UP!" Broggy hollered. "WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS?"

"Hoohoohaahaahaa!" Mr. 3 laughed as Dorry's body laid on the ground beside Broggy. "Of course the real victor in all of this is: me. Hoohoohmhmhm!"

"The bounties placed on your heads long ago remain in place to this day," Mr. 3 informed the giant. "Today the two of you are worth two hundred million berries, quite a handsome sum."

"Bounties?" Broggy repeated in confusion. He'd been fighting on Little Garden for so long that he'd forgotten he had a bounty. This human had interfered in his century-long battle of pride and honor for something as trivial as money.

"Big bounties," Mr. 3 clarified, "I feel as if I've uncovered a long lost treasure! Hoohoohahaha!"

"**So that's what you're after, Mr. 3!" **came the voice of Vivi as she was dragging into the clearing by Ms. Valentine.

"Here's the girl," Ms. Valentine announced as she wrenched Vivi's arms behind her back, causing the Princess to yell out in pain.

"Alabasta's sneaky spy," Mr. 5 added.

"It's about time," Mr. 3 commented. "I was positively sick of waiting!"

"YOU'RE FULL OF NOTHING BUT DIRTY TRICKS!" Vivi shouted. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! PUTTING A BOMB IN MR. DORRY'S ALCOHOL WAS LOW, EVEN FOR YOU!'

"What?" questioned Broggy. The secret was out. "The barrels? You did something to the drinks that I gave Dorry?" Broggy remembered Dorry saying he was fine.

"_GEBABABABABA!" Broggy laughed. "Dorry, how was your drink? Hit the spot, didn't it?"_

"_Yes, it was like the nectar of the Gods," Dorry answered, neglecting to inform his opponent that the 'godly nectar' had exploded inside of him._

"NO!" Broggy gasped. "That must be what Dorry meant!"

"Hmph, you're an annoying little girl, Princess," Mr. 3 grunted. "How could you give away our secrets like that? But that's alright, there isn't anything he can do about it now anyway." **Fwoosh!** The tip of the 3 in Mr. 3's hair ignited in a small flame, he shot white wax out of his arm at Vivi, **GLOOP!** "CANDLE… LOCK!"

Ms. Valentine and Mr. 5 jumped out of the way as the wax hit Vivi's legs and trapped them together. **THUD! **The Princess lost her balance and fell forward with her legs bound by a column of hardened wax that seemed to be as hard as steel.

"Hoohoohaahaahaa!" Mr. 3 laughed as he surveyed the helpless Princess. He turned to the other Number Agent, "Mr. 5, bring the swordsman and the other girl. It's time to begin!"

**FWOOOSH!** The flame on Mr. 3's hair grew in intensity as he concentrated on his power then shot out wax from both of his arms, "GIANT… CANDLE… SERVICE SET!" **GA-GLOOP-GLOOP-GLOOP!** Mr. 3 channeled wax out of both of his hands, it seemed like an endless stream of white wax. **GLOOP-GLOOP! **The wax grew and started to take form, soon it towered over the trapped body of Broggy. Vivi and Broggy could only stare in shock at Mr. 3's giant wax sculpture.

It looked like a giant cake. The lower part of the sculpture had three layers with an intricate cross-hatch pattern going around it. The top layer of the 'cake' went up above Broggy's belly. But it wasn't done there, what made the sculpture even taller was the column coming out of the top cake layer. It went high above the tree-line and towered over everyone's head and had the same cross-hatch pattern as the cake. On top of the column was a round white bowl that had ridges and looked like half a pumpkin. To make it look even more pumpkin-like, a nose hole, two eyes holes, and a smiling mouth were carved into the side of it. Along the rim of the pumpkin bowl were thirteen candles with the same cross-hatch pattern as the cake.

**FWOOOSH!** The candles ignited as the large cake-like sculpture towered over Little Garden. Even though he was an evil psychopath working for a criminal organization, Mr. 3 was an incredibly talented sculptor. The Candle Man laughed as he gazed up at his masterpiece, "HOOHOOHAAAHAAAHAAA!"

"AHH! SO THIS IS WHAT MR. 3 IS CAPABLE OF!" Vivi gasped as she stared up at the huge wax sculpture. The wax that had created it had hardened, the structure was no doubt as hard as steel now.

"WHAT IS THAT THING?" Broggy wondered.

"**Here are the others,"** Mr. 5 announced as he came back and threw Zoro and Nami on the ground, **FWUMP! **The two of them had wax locked around their legs like Vivi did but they also had wax locks around their arms. The two of them had been captured by Mr. 3 and Ms. Goldenweek when they'd gotten separated from everyone else out in the jungle.

"This is just sad," Mr. 5 stated as he pressed his foot down into the back of Zoro's head. "Idiots like these should've been a lot easier for me to catch from the first time. How embarrassing…"

"No need to be ashamed," Mr. 3 told him, "You can't help the fact that you're weak after-all."

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Mr. 5 snapped.

"It's nothing!" Mr. 3 assured him, "Now let's just hurry and get the candles set up."

"Candles?" Nami repeated in confusion, then she looked up and spotted the wax sculpture in front of her and let out a gasp of surprise. "Ah! What is that thing?"

"Nothing good," Vivi answered, "I'm sorry you guys."

"But Vivi… what happened?" Nami asked. "I thought you were with Luffy?"

"I was…" Vivi admitted. "But now…"

"If you're wondering about the Straw Hat, I saw to that little runt myself," Mr. 5 informed them. "He didn't put up much of a fight either."

"Yeah right…" Zoro muttered, skeptic as usual. His face was still pressed firmly into the ground.

**FWIP! FWIP! FWIP! FWIP! **The smiley-face pumpkin bowl started spinning around with the candles were still burning. Vivi, Zoro, and Nami were all stuck into the bottom layer of the cake part of the sculpture and could only stare up at the rest of the structure in surprise.

Mr. 3 cackled madly, "HOOHOOHAAHAAHAAA! WELCOME ONE AND ALL TO MY GIANT CANDLE SERVICE SET!"

"I guess this is what it feels like to be a candle in a birthday cake," Zoro remarked.

"Guys…" said Nami as she stared up above them, "What's that spinning up there?" Nami struggled but her feet were stuck in the bottom layer of the wax cake up to the ankle, they were strapped. "I can't move, this is just _great_."

"It's not surprising to me that they don't want us moving around," Zoro commented. "That's what 'captured' means." **Skish!** Zoro drew one of his swords and dragged it across the wax keeping his feet stuck. It didn't even leave a scratch. "Damn, that stuff's hard. And I can't put much strength behind my swing from this angle."

Vivi suddenly looked up in surprise, "Something's falling!" she observed. A thin white mist was coming down from the top of the sculpture.

"Hoohoohaahaahaa!" Mr. 3 laughed, "I do hope you enjoy my Candle Service Set. You may have noticed the way flakes that are falling from above… you will eventually be covered and turned into wax figures. You will become perfectly life-like statues for my collection, something that even _I _couldn't achieve on my own! I will literally capture your spirits and encase them forever in wax shells! Hoohoohahaha! It will be a true masterpiece! You will die for my art!"

"I DON'T THINK SO, YOU FREAK!" Nami shouted at him. "I HAVE NO INTEREST IN DYING FOR WHATEVER IT IS YOU CALL ART!" Nami turned and shouted at the unmoving form of Broggy, "HEY GIANT, WHY ARE YOU LYING THERE DOING NOTHING WHEN YOU COULD BE BEATING THE CRAP OUT OF THIS CANDLE GUY?"

"Now _he_ is gonna make one huge statue," Zoro commented as he eyed the bound giant. Zoro had been hunting in the jungle before, he hadn't met either of the two giants. But despite the grim situation, Zoro was keeping himself positive by making sarcastic comments and remarks.

"Hmph, you can try to convince him but your efforts will be useless!" Mr. 3 told them. "He's a little blue at the moment. You see, he's just realized how unfairly he won his last fight and he's lost the heart to celebrate. He killed his dear friend Dorry with whom he had fought for one hundred years! Dorry was injured but he didn't notice. Just imagine how much pain Dorry must have been in! He didn't stand a chance!" Mr. 3 addressed the giant directly, "You did shed a few tears though, perhaps you were crying for your friend? Hoohoohaahaahaa! Now it's no use! There's no undoing it! He's dead! AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! HOOHOOHAAHAAHAA!"

"…" Zoro silently stared at the giant, this was all news to him. He hadn't met the giants before so he hadn't heart about their century long battle or the controversial ending to it.

"I should have seen it…" Broggy said, cutting off Mr. 3's laughed. "I knew something strange was going on. From the moment we first began to fight… I knew Dorry was hiding something but I couldn't tell what it was."

"Hmm… you say that you knew?" questioned Mr. 3. "You're lying! If you knew something was wrong, why didn't you stop the fight? Why didn't you give him the chance to rest? I didn't see one shred of pity in the way you ruthlessly cut him down! Hoohoohaahaahaa!"

"GRR… YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT HONORABLE DUELS!" Broggy snarled. "Someone like you could never understand my tears! What do you know about the way of Elbaph? You think that I would shame a warrior who hid the fact that he was weakened so that he could continue to fight? ONLY A TRULY GREAT WARRIOR WOULD GO TO SUCH LENGTHS! AND SUCH A MAN ISN'T INTERESTED IN PITY!"

The giant's angry words caused Mr. 3 to flinch back in surprise and a hint of fear. Being confronted with by an angry monster that was over a thousand times your size could be quite frightening, even if it _was_ trapped in a wax jacket.

"Now I know what happened!" Broggy growled, causing Mr. 3 to quickly back away from him. "I must do something about it! I'M GOING TO FINISH THIS WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS!"

**KREK-KREK-KRESH!** With renewed strength and motivation, Broggy struggled against his wax bonds and managed to break the cuffs around his wrists. He pushed down on the ground and shattered the rest of the hardened wax that was keeping him pinned on the ground, **KRESH! KRAK!**

"THAT'S THE LEAST I CAN DO FOR DORRY!" Broggy bellowed. "HE WAS A GREAT WARRIOR! AND MY DEAR FRIEND!"

**KA-BOOOOM! **A huge bomb suddenly exploded on the giant causing him to reel backwards in pain.

"BROGGY!" Nami shouted in alarm.

"Ugghh…" Broggy groaned as Mr. 5 continued to throw bombs at him, **BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! **

After a seemingly endless barrage of explosions, the singed giant fell back down to the ground, **THOOM!**

"BROGGY!" Vivi and Nami screamed in horror.

"His chattering was getting on my nerves," Mr. 5 stated. Mr. 3 fixed his glasses and looked relieved.

**-x-**

**TweeeEEEEE!** Bob the prehistoric bird heard a familiar whistle that he had come to associate with the crazy one-eyed human that was riding him before. Bob changed direction and flew towards the sound. **WOOSH!** Bob swooped down and spotted a human sitting on the head of a big greenish-blue tyrannosaurus. He was dressed differently though.

"I need your help," Ricky addressed the bird. He was wearing his sunglasses which hid his eye patch, his black and red cowboy hat which hid most of his short red hair, and his long black coat. "Something fishy is going on around here. Have you seen anything weird lately?"

**GWA!** Bob answered as he gave a somewhat frantic nod.

"You have?" Ricky asked. He raised his sunglasses and then lifted his eye patch to reveal a glowing red eye. "Show me." Ricky used the Eye's telepathic powers to read the prehistoric bird's mind.

_**WOOSH! **__Bob flew through__ the sky and suddenly saw a strange white structure sprout out of a clearing and tower over the trees. When Bob flew closer for a better look he __spotted the two giants on the ground. One looked like he was dead, the other seemed to be trapped by the same white substance that the structure was made of._

_A group of four humans were standing in front of the structure while three other humans were stuck in the bottom of the structure. Bob recognized one of them as the orange girl that he'd flown to the fat giant's cave earlier._

Ricky nodded and covered the Devil's Eye with his eye patch then lowered his sunglasses. He hadn't used the Eye long enough for it to start to take control of his body, the entire memory had only been a minute at most.

"Do you think you could lead me to it?" Ricky requested. "I need to save my friends. I'll see about getting rid of that eyesore while I'm at it."

**GWA!** Bob squawked with a nod. He didn't like the idea of that big white monstrosity littering his home.

"You fly on ahead," Ricky instructed, "Tim and I will follow you."

**WOOSH!** Bob ascended up into the air and flew towards Mr. 3's Giant Candle Service Set, it could be seen towering above the trees.

"Tim, follow that bird," Ricky ordered his dinosaur stead.

**GRAAAH!** Tim roared as he stomped off after the bird.

**-x-**

"U-Usopp…" Luffy groaned, he was still alive but was still pinned under Dorry's cave. The sniper barely appeared to be conscious and was still buried up to his neck in the ground. "Usopp…"

"Eh…" Usopp gasped.

"They… have to… pay for this," Luffy wheezed.

"Oh yeah…" Usopp agreed, "Those jerks have to pay." **Koff! Koff!**

Carue staggered up off of the ground and waddled over to Luffy, **PECK!** The duck snapped downwards and dug his beak into the ground and began the slow task of digging Luffy out from under the mountain. **PECK! PECK!**

"You're mad too… aren't you bird?" Luffy asked.

"QUUAAACK!" Carue agreed. He didn't care about the giants' battle as much as Luffy and Usopp but he _did _care about the fact that his Princess was in danger. He needed to save her but was smart enough to know that he couldn't beat four Baroque Works Officer Agents on his own.

"Heh!" Luffy chuckled, "Alright! Then it's settled! Let's go kick their asses!"

**-x-**

Not too much Ricky in this chapter. He's mostly in the background once again avoiding being seen by the agents while getting ready to make his move.

Next chapter Luffy, Usopp, and Carue go to save their friends and fight the Baroque Works Officer Agents. But before they can get there, Mr. 3, Ms. Goldenweek, Mr. 5, and Ms. Valentine are going to get a visit from the mysterious Mr. 10.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	11. Chapter 11

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own One Piece or any of its characters. This is a fan-made work of fiction, aptly named FanFiction.

**A/N:** The first half of this chapter is dedicated to my friends CK and Fluffy, they're both twenty-one and still play Pokémon like it just came out.

**Mr. 10:**

**-x-**

"BROGGY!" Nami shouted from the Giant Candle Service Set that she was trapped in along with Vivi and Zoro. Just when the giant had broken the wax that was keeping him pinned to the ground, Mr. 5 had blown him up. Now the charred giant was lying motionless on the ground next to the body of Dorry.

"Kyahahahaha!" Ms. Valentine laughed, "The big fool!"

"Eh-hah," Mr. 5 chuckled, "Disgusting creature."

"…" Ms. Goldenweek stood silently behind the other Baroque Works Officer Agents… as usual.

"It seems that I have miscalculated," Mr. 3 realized. "I forgot how freakishly strong these dumb giants can be!"

"Grrr…" Broggy growled. He was getting ready to give fighting another try.

"It looks like you're going to require a more complete restraint!" Mr. 3 decided. **GLOOP!** Mr. 3's right arm turned into wax and he pulled it back and prepared for a new attack, "WAX… WAX… HANDCUFFS!" **CHUNK! CHUNK!** Two cuffs slammed down onto Broggy's wrists and pinned them down to the ground. "STILL GOING!" **GLOOP!** Mr. 3 channeled wax out of both of his hands and completely covered Broggy's hands and feet, encasing the large giant in bonds that were harder than steel.

"AND NOW FOR THE FINISHING TOUCH!" Mr. 3 announced. **GLOOP! **Mr. 3 launched four wax objects up into the air over his head, "TAKE THIS!" **SHUNK! SHUNK! SHA-SHUNK!** The four objects turned out to be stakes, they fell from the sky and pierced through Broggy's hands and feet, literally crucifying him on the ground.

"GRRAAAAHHH!" Broggy screamed out in pain.

"Hoohoohaahaahaa!" Mr. 3 laughed, "It'll be tough for you to move now won't it! HOOHOOHAAHAAHAA!"

Everyone was distracted by the giant's howls of pain and the Candle Man's laughter. No one noticed the green and purple prehistoric bird that circled the clearing from overhead. **Gwa… **Bob the prehistoric bird squawked before the swooped down and disappeared into the jungle outside of the clearing.

"YOU MONSTERS!" Vivi shouted at the Baroque Works Agents. "YOU'RE DESPICABLE!"

"LET'S GET THESE CANDLES GOING FASTER!" Mr. 3 called out. "It's time to turn these people in to beautiful artistic wax statues! HOOHOOHAAHAAHAA!"

**FWIP! FWIP! FWIP!** The pumpkin bowl that was up above the wax cake that Nami, Zoro, and Vivi were stuck in started to spin even faster. The wax candles melted sending flakes of wax down on the three captives.

"KOFF! KOFF!" Nami coughed, "My chest is starting to hurt… the wax is starting to get into our lungs… at this rate he's going to turn us into wax from the inside out! KOFF!"

"HOOHOOHAHAHA!" Mr. 3 laughed. "That's it! Make it look like you're in as much pain a possible! That's perfect! Expressions of agony are what I seek to achieve in my art! The finished product will be simply splendid! You must die filled with terror!"

"THIS IS WHAT YOU CALL ART, YOU FREAKY WEIRD-HAIRED FREAK?" Nami shouted. "YOU GUYS ARE GONNA REGRET THIS! YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO BROGGY AND DORRY! AND FOR WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO TO US!"

"Yell and scream all you want little girl!" Mr. 3 taunted her. "No one can help you now! YOU'RE DOOMED!"

"**Who's doomed?"** came a voice from behind Mr. 3.

The four Baroque Works Officer Agents spun around and saw a mysterious man standing behind them. He wore a black cowboy hat with red ribbon around the base and a big pair of sunglasses that hid most of his red hair and both of his eyes. He wore a red tank top and black cargo pants under a long black coat. A curved sword could be seen inside the coat sheathed at his waist and he wore black steel-soled boots on his feet. Cut into the front of the red tank top was the number '10'.

"Who are you?" Mr. 3 demanded. The four agents were caught up staring at Ricky that they didn't notice Nami, Vivi, Zoro, and Broggy's looks of surprise.

"I'm Mr. 10," Ricky introduced himself. He calmly eyed the '3' in Mr. 3's hair, "I take it you're Mr. 3."

"What's he doing?" Nami hissed.

"Just shut up and listen," Zoro whispered. "He's clearly got a plan. This could prove to be entertaining."

"I've seen your face somewhere before," said Ms. Valentine. "Are you really a Baroque Works Agent?"

"I am," Ricky lied. "As you all know by now, Mr. 8, Mr. 9, Ms. Monday, and Ms. Wednesday were traitors. I was recruited recently by Ms. All Sunday herself to try and fill in the gaps. She said I possessed special skills that the Boss would find useful."

"…" Ms. Goldenweek was staring at Ricky oddly, she slipped her backpack off of her back and began to rummage through it.

"If you're a Baroque Works Agent, then where's your partner?" asked Ms. Valentine, who was suspicious of this guy that just walked up claiming to be an agent. _"If he doesn't say Ms. Tuesday, we'll know he's a fake."_

"_Let's see," _Ricky thought to himself. _"Mr. 8 was that guy with the rollers, he was paired with the fake nun Ms. Monday. Mr. 9 was paired with Ms. Wednesday. And the Unluckies are Mr. 13 and Ms. Friday. Ms. All Sunday is the Vice President, and it would be too redundant to have a Ms. Sunday. That leaves Ms. Tuesday, Ms. Thursday, and Ms. Saturday to go with 10, 11, and 12. Tuesday's the earliest, I'll go with that."_

Ricky's thought process had only taken a few seconds, but he knew he had to make up an excuse for the stall in time, "Did someone important say something?" Ricky asked.

"DON'T IGNORE ME!" Ms. Valentine snapped.

"You're stalling," Mr. 5 pointed out. "Where's your partner?"

"Sorry," Ricky apologized. "I was distracted by that big sculpture over there. Ms. Tuesday is out in the jungle keeping a look out. There's dinosaurs, wild animals, giants, and pirates on this island, you can never be too careful."

Ricky raised his arm and waved it, internally he was thinking, _"I hope Tim and Bob remember what I told them."_

**SKISH! SKISH!** A tree at the edge of the clearing behind Ricky shifted slightly as if acknowledging his wave.

"If Ms. Tuesday sees anything, she'll signal or try to snipe it," Ricky explained to the Baroque Works Agents.

"You've proved yourself as an Agent," Mr. 3 decided. "But you haven't explained why you're here."

"I'm here personally delivering orders from the Boss," Ricky answered.

"Why would Mr. 0 send orders with you?" asked Mr. 5.

"He's getting close to enacting the final stages of his plan," Ricky replied. "He doesn't want to risk the Marines intercepting orders sent by the Unluckies. I have a photographic memory and an unparalleled ability to keep information hidden while being interrogated." Ricky had to fight to keep from smiling at the hidden meaning behind his words. Luckily, the three agents that were paying attention to him didn't notice.

"I'll admit I'm a little disappointed at being used as a messenger boy," Ricky continued, "but we're not allowed to question or disobey the Boss' orders so I suppose I'll keep my mouth shut if I want to succeed in Baroque Works."

Three of the four officer agents nodded in agreement, they were sold. Ricky had lied convincingly enough that he'd convinced three officer agents that he was a member of their organization.

"He's good," Vivi whispered to Zoro. If she didn't know any better, _she'd_ believe him.

"The last time he did this, an army of fishmen threw us a party," Zoro whispered.

**Skish! Skish!** The final officer agent, Ms. Goldenweek, was silently paging through a stack of Wanted Posters that she'd gotten out of her backpack. She recognized Mr. 10's face from somewhere.

"What are these orders you've been sent to deliver?" Mr. 3 asked.

"Do you have an Eternal Pose to get off of the island?" Ricky inquired.

"No," Mr. 3 told him. "But I hardly see how that matters."

"_So they're stuck here too," _Ricky thought to himself. _"That means we still need to figure out a way off the island."_

"The Log Pose takes a full year to reset here," Ricky informed him. "The Boss gave me explicit orders through Ms. All Sunday to confirm that your mission has been completed and then to send for an Eternal Pose once I've verified it. After what happened in Whiskey Peak, he doesn't want any more slip ups. I'm sure you understand."

"Of course," Mr. 3 agreed, "Those weaklings couldn't help themselves." Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine looked more irritated with Mr. 3 now than they did at Mr. 10. "But I never fail my missions."

"Then the Princess and the Straw Hat Gang are taken care of?" Ricky queried.

Mr. 3 motioned to the Candle Service Set with Nami, Zoro, and Vivi in it. "I'm turning them into wax figures for my statue collection," Mr. 3 clarified. "The wax flakes coming down on them will harden and turn them into real life statues. They'll die in the process."

"That's an amazing sculpture," Ricky commented, "you're very talented. I can see why you're an Officer Agent."

"Hoohoohmmhmm," Mr. 3 chuckled, "You have quite the eye. I'm sure you'll do well in Baroque Works. Not only is that a magnificently crafted masterpiece, but that hardened wax is as hard as steel. There's no way for them to escape from it."

"_So they're being turned into wax figures because of the wax flakes dripping down on them," _Ricky realized. _"But it's not really steel, it's only wax. I'll have to test an age old dinosaur theory and see if I can break it."_

"You're missing one," Ricky pointed out as he eyed the three captives. Nami, Zoro, and Vivi glared at him and pretended not to recognize him. "Where's Straw Hat? He's supposed to be worth 30,000,000 berries and is the most wanted man in the East Blue. I'm assuming you didn't forget about him."

"East Blue… East Blue…" Ms. Goldenweek whispered to herself as she continued paging through the stack of wanted posters. **Skish! Skiff! Skiff!** She eventually came to a Wanted Poster of a red-haired pirate giving her the finger.

"Mr. 3…" Ms. Goldenweek called out as she held up the poster while still sitting on the ground.

"Yes, Ms. Goldenweek," Mr. 3 interrupted his partner. "I know he's an impressive new member for Baroque Works."

"But he…" Ms. Goldenweek attempted to point out.

"We'll deal with whatever it is later!" Mr. 3 scolded her. "Just have some tea or something if you're bored."

"Um… okay…" Ms. Goldenweek reluctantly agreed. She put down the wanted poster of 'One Eye' Ricky and fished through her backpack for the tea set. It would be too problematic to bother Mr. 3 about the wanted poster. She wasn't about to turn down an opportunity to relax and have tea.

"So, what about Straw Hat?" Ricky asked, pleased to see that the agent who had been waving his wanted poster around was now rummaging through her backpack. "After what happened in Whiskey Peak, I hope you didn't take any chances with him."

"I dealt with him," Mr. 5 answered. "He's out of the way. When you deliver your report… _however_ you plan on delivering it, be sure to mention that I made up for the mishap at Whiskey Peak and eliminated Straw Hat and the long-nose that was with him but wasn't on the list. I dealt with the Princess' ugly bird too."

"_How _did you eliminate him?" Ricky questioned.

"You're being awfully curious," Ms. Valentine remarked.

"It's my job," Ricky replied.

"I blew him up," Mr. 5 explained. "I used my Bomb Bomb Devil Fruit Powers on him, the long-nose, and the bird. We roughed up the bird beforehand. Ms. Valentine crushed the long-nose and buried him in the ground. Then I blasted all three of them with my bombs."

"_I don't know whether to be insulted or relieved," _Ricky thought to himself, _"these guys are taking us so lightly that they think our captain will die after some lousy explosions. There's no doubt that Luffy, Usopp, and Carue are all still alive." _

"As you can see, everything is going perfectly," Mr. 3 concluded. "Straw Hat has been eliminated, the swordsman, the Princess, and the girl are going to become my newest artistic masterpieces, and I'm even bringing in two giants that are worth 200,000,000 berries. Be sure to include all of that in your report. HOOHOOHAAHAAHAA!"

"Eh-hah," Mr. 5 chuckled, "No one can stop us now!"

"Kyahahahaha!" Ms. Valentine cackled.

Ms. Goldenweek dropped her teapot when Mr. 10 flashed a sly fox-like grin that perfectly matched the one on the wanted poster that was lying on the ground next to her.

"Hah-ha," Mr. 10 laughed for an entirely different reason, "_That_ is where you're wrong." **SWEEE-SWEEE! ****TweeEEEE! **Ricky let out two different loud whistles which prompted Tim the tyrannosaurus to come crashing out of the trees while Bob the prehistoric bird flew along behind him.

The Officer Agents stared in surprise as the giant bird swooped down and allowed Mr. 10 to jump onto it's head. The bird flew along-side the tyrannosaurus while Mr. 10 told it, "Smash that column over there! We'll cover you!"

**GRAWWRR!** Tim charged at full speed across the clearing towards the sculpture. **THOOM! THOOM! THOOM!**

"HE'S AN IMPOSTER!" Mr. 3 shrieked. "GET HIM!" Ms. Valentine opened her umbrella and floated up into the air while Mr. 5 stuck his finger up his nose.

**Fwik! **"NEZ-PALM… CANNON!" Mr. 5 shouted flicked his booger at Ricky.

"Bob, use fly," Ricky ordered.

**SWOOOSH! BOOOOM! **Bob flew up over the booger and got out of range just as it exploded.

"I'VE GOT YOU NOW!" Ms. Valentine shouted from over Ricky's head, "10,000 KILO PRESS!" Ms. Valentine started gaining wait and plummeted down toward the bird and its rider.

"Bob, use Ariel Ace!" Ricky instructed.

**SWOOOSH! **Bob did a high-speed loop and flipped up over Ms. Valentine's head, then came back around and slammed into her from behind, **WHAM! **The large bird's size and speed gave it enough power to knock Ms. Valentine to the side and sent her plummeting down to the ground, **BOOOOOM! **Ms. Valentine made a crater when she impacted in the ground. Tim the tyrannosaurus ran right passed her and continued on his path to the sculpture.

"One down," Ricky remarked as he and Bob flew over the crater Ms .Valentine was in.

"I'LL SKEWER YOU!" Mr. 3 shouted, "WAX... WAX... ARROW BARRAGE!" **GLOOP! GLOOP! GLOOP **Mr.3 channeled wax out of both of his hands and threw a large number of wax harpoon-sized arrows, but they weren't targeting Ricky, they were heading for Tim.

"Tim stop and use Iron Tail!" Ricky called out.

Tim stopped running and swung his massive tail around, **WHOOOOM! **The tyrannosaurus' tail collided with the wax volley and sent them flying back the way they'd come. **SHUNK! SHUNK! SHUNK1 **Mr. 3 flinched and jumped back in time to find himself caught behind a wall made out of his own arrows.

"HOLD STILL YOU STUPID LIZARD!" Mr. 5 shouted, he flicked a pair of boogers at the large dinosaur, "NEZ-PALM... DOUBLE CANNON!"

"Tim, use agility!" Ricky ordered from overhead.

**SKISH! **The massive dinosaur put on a sudden and surprising burst of speed and dodged the two boogers as they hit the ground and exploded. **KA-BOOM-BOOM!**

"Tim, get that statue!" Ricky instructed as Bob flew around in a circle overhead, "We'll take care of the agents!" Ricky drew _Akaikyuuketsuki _then jumped off of Bob's back and fell down in front of him. **WHAP! **Bob caught Ricky by his shoulders, then did a helix-like turn and flew at Mr. 5.

"Bob, use Air Slash!" Ricky called up to the big bird, **SWOOOSH! **Bob dove and flew at Mr. 5 while Ricky swung his sword in front of him. **WOOSH! **A red-tinted blade of air came off of Ricky's sword and flew into Mr. 5's chest, catching the agent by surprise and knocking him on his back.

"Two down," Ricky stated and Bob swooped over the fallen agent, then turned around and flew after the dinosaur.

Ms. Goldenweek peeked out from behind her backpack bunker in time to find herself in between a charging Tyrannosaurus and its intended target. "Tim, use screech!" Ricky ordered.

**RAAAAWWWWWWRRRRR! **Tim let out a loud roar and showed off his mouth filled with huge, sharp pointed teeth to the small Baroque Works Agent.

"Eep!" Ms. Goldenweek let out a squeak and fainted. **Fwump!**

"Three down," Ricky commented, before he called down to the tyrannosaurus, "Tim, use head smash on that column!" Ricky looked up at the bird that was still holding him by the shoulders, "Bob, fly around and take out the last one with Steel Wing!" **SWOOSH! **Bob swung around in a high-speed circle and flew straight at Mr. 3.

"WAX... WAX... WALL!" Mr. 3 called out. **GLOOOP! **A large white wall made out of wax sprouted up in front of him.

**SWISH! **Ricky held on while Bob turned sideways and swooped around the wall, then smashed one of his wings into the candle man while still moving at high-speed, **WHAM! ** Mr. 3 went flying backwards and landed hard on his back, while Bob ascended up into the air and gave Ricky a perfect view of Tim's head smash attack.

**SHOOOM! **Nami, Zoro, and Vivi all stared in awe as the massive dinosaur jumped clear over them and smashed head-first into the column of the Candle Service Set. **WHAAAM!** Tim smashed full-force into the column and caused the hard wax to crack and break, **KREK! ****KREK!**** KRAK!** Tim dropped down onto the top two layers of the cake as the column tipped and fell over, **THOOOOM! **

With wax no longer dripping down on them, Nami, Zoro, and Vivi were safe from being turned into wax figures. Now they were just stuck in the hard wax.

**-x-**

**A Dead Body Is Useless:**

**-x-**

Bob swooped downward and dropped Ricky who landed safely in front of the candle service set, **TMP!** "Bob, Tim, you both did great," Ricky praised his two animal allies, "go rest, you deserve it. I'll handle it from here."

**Grahh… **The groggy dinosaur struggled up off of the remains of the wax and staggered off into the jungle, smashing head-first into a wax column that was as hard as steel had taken a lot of out him, but now he'd at least have time to rest. **Swoosh!** Bob flew off into the jungle after him, he'd flown a lot during the battle and had tired himself out. But it had been worth it, since they'd smashed the wax monstrosity.

**Slik! **Ricky pulled up the sleeve on his long coat and cut his arm to meet the blood sacrifice requirement with his sword then put it away.

"But my wax was as hard as steel!" Mr. 3 exclaimed as he sat up and stared at Ricky in shock.

"A tyrannosaurus' skull is rumored to been as hard as _diamond_," Ricky retorted. "I'm glad I had an opportunity to prove it true."

"Was there a point to that, _Mr. 10_?" asked Zoro.

"I was getting information," Ricky explained. "I know Luffy's alive and will probably be showing up soon. I learned that they were trying to turn you into wax statues, so I smashed the column. Now you guys are safe and I just have to beat these guys and the crisis will be averted. Our only problem will once again be getting off this island because they don't have a Log Pose either."

"You named the tyrannosaurus _Tim_?" questioned Nami.

"Yes, yes I did," Ricky answered. "If you can think of a better name, you're welcome to go and find one and train it yourself. Now, if you'll excuse me… I have Officer Agents to beat."

"What was that air blade thing you did?" Zoro inquired.

"I'm not sure," Ricky admitted, "I was just moving at a really high speed and ended up cutting the air with my sword. That was actually the first time I've done it."

"Could we work on that in our next late-night training session?" Zoro requested. "Assuming we get out of here of course."

"Sure," Ricky agreed, "just let me take care of the agents. They're starting to wake up and I don't want to give them an opportunity to attack me from behind while I'm freeing you."

"WHO IS THIS GUY?" Mr. 3 demanded.

"His name's 'One Eye' Ricky," Ms. Goldenweek answered as she held up Ricky's poster while still lying on the ground.

"Eh-hem," Ricky cleared his throat. Ms. Goldenweek realized that she was practically lying next to him.

Ms. Goldenweek grabbed her backpack, then stood up and trekked over to Mr. 3 and handed him Ricky's wanted poster. Ms. Valentine floated up out of her crater and Mr. 5 got back up, the two of them walked over to Mr .3 and peeked at the wanted poster.

"Maybe this'll help," Ricky offered with a sly grin as he took off his sunglasses and gave the four agents the finger while they stared at the wanted poster.

"That's why he looked familiar," Ms. Valentine realized. "I must've seen his wanted poster somewhere before."

"It says here he's the First Mate on the Straw Hat Pirates," Mr. 3 read off of the poster. "He's worth twenty million berries and got his bounty when he killed 'Saw Tooth' Arlong."

"Straw Hat's First Mate," Mr. 5 stated. "What were the Unluckies doing on Whiskey Peak? It was one thing to miss the Long-Nose, but they missed the First Mate too."

"It's no matter," Mr. 3 resolved as he dropped the wanted poster to the ground. "We'll simply kill him along with the rest of them. We're Baroque Works Officer Agents, he's just a measly pirate."

"You know, I'm still here," Ricky reminded them as he stood calmly in front of the base of the statue Nami, Zoro, and Vivi were trapped in. "You might want to hurry while the odds are still in your favor. When my Captain shows up, we'll crush you."

"Don't bet on that!" Ms. Valentine snapped.

"Bet?" Ricky repeated. "That's an idea. I bet you, by the time this is over, you'll all be out cold on the ground."

"HOOHOOHAHA!" Mr. 3 laughed. "That's preposterous! _You_ expect to beat all of us?"

"No," Ricky answered. "I'm simply stalling for time. In a few minutes, Straw Hat Luffy, Long Nose Usopp, and the Princess' duck Carue will be here. _Then_ we'll beat you."

"If you're stalling, you're not supposed to tell us!" Ms. Valentine scolded him.

"Its working isn't it?" Ricky replied with a shrug.

"They're dead," Mr. 5 stated, "There's no way they're coming."

"How about we place a wager on this?" Ricky offered. "If the other three are alive, and we manage to beat you guys, we'll follow the Pirate Code and will be able to take your stuff without repercussion. If you beat us, you can have all the treasure on our ship."

"SOME OF THAT'S MINE!" Nami shouted. "DON'T BET MY STUFF, YOU JERK!"

"You won't exactly need it if we're dead," Ricky pointed out.

"What's to stop us from simply _taking_ your treasure?" inquired Mr. 3.

"My safe has a digital padlock keeping it closed," Ricky answered. "There's no lock for you to pick with wax and it's too thick to be blown up. The only way to open it is to enter the six-digit combination. _If_ you beat us, I'll admit defeat and tell you the combination. I've got about 200,000,000 berries worth of treasure in there."

"That's the same as the bounties for the two giants," Mr. 3 realized. "If we return to Alabasta with two hundred million berries from this pirate, his bounty of twenty million berries, Straw Hat's bounty of thirty million berries, the two hundred million berries from the giants, that'll make four hundred fifty million berries. Add in the Princess and the other Straw Hats and we might even be promoted." Mr. 3 came out of his musings and addressed Ricky, "My motto is _Improvise and Conquer_, I accept your bet."

"Good," Ricky replied with a sly grin. "Now you're dead…" Ricky rushed at the Baroque Works Agents leaving Broggy and the three captives staring after him.

"Does he do this sort of thing often?" Vivi asked. "I might be new to this whole pirate-thing, but isn't it unusual for a pirate to make a bet with their enemy?"

"Not for Ricky," Nami replied with a prideful smile.

"ATTACK HIM TOGETHER!" Mr. 3 ordered. "CANDLE LOCK!" **GLOOP!** Mr. 3 shot a glob of wax at Ricky's feet, but Ricky ran and jumped clear over it.

"NEZ-PALM … CANNON!" Mr. 5 flicked a booger at Ricky but Ricky flipped over in midair and the bomb flew under him and exploded on the ground behind him. **KA-BOOM!**

"10,000 KILO PRESS!"Ms. Valentine who had gotten above Ricky when he wasn't looking, changed her weight to 10,000 kilos and dropped down as Ricky was landing, **KRASH!** Ricky rolled out of the way at the last second, causing Ms Valentine to slam into the hard ground.

"NEZ-PALM … DOUBLE CANNON!" Mr. 5 flicked a pair of boogers at Ricky.

Ricky quickly grabbed Ms. Valentine and held the groggy agent in front of him as a shield. Ms. Valentine struggled and attempted to change her weight to 1 kilo and float away, but Ricky kept her anchored to the ground. "LET ME GO YOU IDIOT!" Ms. Valentine screamed as the two explosive boogers flew at her. "WE'LL BOTH BE BLOWN TO BITS!"

"Nope, _you_ will," Ricky corrected her, **WHUMP! **Ricky shoved her forward into the path of the bombs and jumped up into the air and over her, **BA-BOOOM! **The two bombs exploded on Ms. Valentine while Ricky flew over the explosion and was heading right for Mr. 3.

"WAX WAX ARTS… ARROW!" **GLOOOP! **Mr. 3 formed an arrow out of wax and threw it at Ricky while he was flying closer. **WHAK! **Ricky drew his sword an smashed it into the air arrow, causing it to change its course and fly passed him. Mr. 5 had to dive out of the way to avoid being impaled by one of his fellow Baroque Works Agent's wax arrows, **SHUNK!** The arrow sunk into the ground right where he'd been standing.

Ricky charged at Mr. 3 with his red blade poised for an attack, "Red Blade …"

"CANDLE WALL!" Mr. 3 yelled. **GLOOOP! **Mr. 3 hastily made a thick wax wall in front of him. **Shoo! TMP!** Ricky took it in stride and jumped up onto the top of the wall and then lunged downward at Mr. 3 who stared up in shock at the fast-moving pirate.

"… AVALANCHE!" **SLASH! **Ricky sliced Mr. 3 across the chest and sent the Officer Agent crashing to the ground while he lightly landed on his feet.

**Skish! **Ricky sheathed his sword, having fulfilled the blood sacrifice then reached down and grabbed the base of the '3' in Mr. 3's hair. Ricky lifted the agent up off of the ground by his air and swung him around in a circle,** WHIR! WHIR! WHIR!** Ricky let go and Mr. 3 went flying at Mr. 5. Ricky lunged forward and flew after Mr. 3, "Flying… ARROW KICK!" **WHAM! **Ricky drove his feet into Mr. 3's back and the two of them slammed into Mr. 5, bringing all three of them crashing down to the ground,** KRASH!**

Ricky staggered back up and stood over the two Baroque Works Officer Agents. Ms. Valentine was still suffering from the after-affects of being blown up and Ms. Goldenweek was hiding behind her backpack across the clearing from him.

"Please tell me Mr. 0, Mr. 1, and Mr. 2 are stronger than you guys," Ricky taunted, "Because that was just disappointing."

Ricky turned and stared at Broggy. "Not to question your beliefs…" he slowly began. "But what kind of Divine Protection is this God of Elbaph providing if you can't even be granted the dignity to die in battle? Where has that gotten you? You're trapped at the mercy of some psychotic wax sculptor. Me, I don't even _believe_ in a higher power, but with my natural speed, a little luck, and some foresight, I took down three of the four of them. Actually…"

Ricky turned around and faced Ms. Goldenweek as she peeked out from behind her backpack bunker. "Hey, would you mind just falling down?" Ricky requested.

Well, Ms. Goldenweek certainly wasn't going to fight the pirate _by herself _especially after he'd taken out Mr. 3, Mr. 5, and Ms. Valentine. Just falling down would save her the effort of actually fighting the pirate. The remaining Officer Agent nodded and dropped down to the ground, **Fwump****!**

Ricky turned back to Broggy and flashed his sly grin, "See? All four of them are down for the second time and I don't think I have the slightest bit of divine protection."

Broggy's thought were in turmoil. Everything he'd believed for so many years was put into question because of the human cyclops and the wax sculptor. _"A century. For one hundred years Dorry and I dueled day in and day out, fighting endlessly. We battled for our pride, as is the way of the warriors of Elbaph. We fought with honor and with strength. AND STILL WE ARE SUBJECTED TO THIS! Why has this happened to us? Is this the divine protection you've provided me? A non-believing, one-eyed human that barely comes up to my ankle? IT ISN'T FAIR FOR A WARRIOR TO DIE SUCH A DISHONORABLE DEATH! WHY CAN I NOT DIE IN BATTLE?" _

Broggy and Dorry had believed in Elbaph from the day they were born. But then this happened. Dorry was dead. And an atheistic cyclops was the only thing keeping him from being turned into a giant-sized trophy. THIS WAS TOO UNFAIR!

Mr. 3 pulled himself up off of the ground and laughed at the tear-filled expression on Broggy's face. "Hoohoohahaha!" Mr. 3 laughed at Broggy's expense. "Hold that look! Yes, that's it! Such grief, such sorrow! And just the right amount of anger! Marvelous! Hoohoohahaha!"

"Who said you could talk?" Ricky asked as he lashed out his foot and kicked Mr. 3 in the jaw, "Javelin… KICK!" **CRUNCH!** One of Mr. 3's teeth fell out from the impact, and he was out cold before he hit the ground. Ricky turned back to Broggy, "You have a lot to think about. I'll go free the others to give you some time." Ricky casually walked towards the wax structure Zoro, Nami, and Vivi were trapped in.

"Don't you think that was a bit much?" Zoro asked as Ricky jumped up onto the bottom layer of the cake that they were trapped in. "Half way through I started to feel sorry for them. You sure you don't want some help? It's for their benefit more than yours."

"I don't really think I need any," Ricky admitted. "I've already taken them all down twice."

"**10,000 KILO TACKLE!"** came a shout from behind Ricky. Ms. Valentine charged at him from behind and changed her weight to 10,000 kilograms.

"RICKY LOOK OUT!" Nami shouted.

Ricky easily jumped to the side and dodged Ms. Valentine's tackle. She went flying passed and slammed into the second layer of the cake. **WHAAM!** The wax cracked slightly as she went crashing down the ground.

Ricky calmly walked over to Nami and grinned, "Thanks for the heads up," said Ricky. "But she gave herself away when she screamed out her attack. That's one of the drawbacks of Anime Law Forty-Four."

"Huh?" questioned Nami in confusion.

"Nothing," Ricky said quickly.

"Your jerk!" Ms. Valentine snarled as she fought back up and held her head. Her blue jacket was in tatters and her dress and hat had scorch marks all over them from the explosion Ricky had pushed her into, she looked pissed. "You ruined my favorite outfit!"

"You were the one that got blown up," Ricky pointed out.

"YOU PUSHED ME INTO IT, YOU BASTARD!" Ms. Valentine yelled.

"Would it make you feel better if I said I was sorry?" Ricky inquired.

"NO!" Ms. Valentine hollered, "I'LL CRUSH YOU!" Ms. Valentine changed her weight to 1 kilogram and floated up into the air over Ricky's head.

"It didn't work the last two times, why the hell would it work now?" questioned Ricky.

"KYAHAHAHA! BECAUSE IT'S JUST A DISTRACTION!" Ms. Valentine cackled.

"**WAX WAX ARTS… ARROW!"**

"**NEZ-PALM… DOUBLE CANNON!"**

The two male Baroque Works Officers had gotten back up while Ms. Valentine had Ricky distracted and fired two of their best attacks at him. Ricky glanced over his shoulder at the incoming arrow and boogers, then casually stepped out of the way.

"AAAAAAAHHH!" Nami let out a scream, Ricky had been standing in front of her, the bombs and the arrow were heading right for her now!

"Damn it," Ricky muttered, he dove in front of Nami and knocked the wax arrow out of the way, but ended up getting blown up by the two bombs. **WHAP! KA-BOOM-BOOM! **

"RICKY!" Nami shouted as the one-eyed pirate took the two bombs that would've hit her. There was a thick black cloud of smoke around him, so she couldn't see him.

"10,000 KILO PRESS!" Ms. Valentine shouted, she changed her weight to 10,000 kilograms and dropped down into the cloud of smoke, **KWOOSH!**

When the smoke cleared Ricky was on his back on the bottom layer of the cake with Ms. Valentine sitting on his chest.

"KYAHAHAHAHA!" Ms. Valentine cackled, "GOTCHA!" The bottom layer of the wax sculpture that Ricky was lying on had cracked from the impact of Ms. Valentine crushing him. Ricky had been left singed and unconscious from the combined attack that had finally hit him.

"Oh no…" Nami gasped as she stared at the pirate on the ground in front of her.

"HOOHOOHAHAHA!" Mr. 3 laughed. "Checkmate. We got him. Ms. Valentine, pull him up and I'll stick him in there with the others.

Ms. Valentine got off of Ricky and held him up between Nami and Zoro. Mr. 3 came over and put his hands on the wax at the unconscious pirate's feet, he stuck his fingers into it and pulled it opened and created two holes for Ricky's feet.

"Stick him in," Mr. 3 ordered.

Ms. Valentine stuck Ricky's feet into the holes in the wax then let him drop down onto the base while Mr. 3 closed the holes around Ricky's feet to keep him in place. **Fwump!** Ricky was left lying on his back in between Nami and Zoro with his feet stuck in the bottom layer of the wax cake.

Mr. 3 stepped passed Ricky and climbed up onto the top layer of the wax cake then placed his hands on the base, "Now prepare yourselves for the second coming… OF MY GIANT CANDLE SERVICE SET!" **GLA-GLOOP! **The wax pillar reformed as did the spinning pumpkin with the smiley face, and the thirteen cross-hatch candles on the rim of the pumpkin bowl. **FWOOOSH!** The flames on the candles ignited and then the top part of the sculpture started spinning again, **FWIP! FWIP! FWIP! **Mr. 3 leapt off of his remade masterpiece as wax flakes came down on Vivi, Zoro, Nami, and this time Ricky too.

"HOOHOOHAHAHA!" Mr. 3 laughed, "THERE GOES YOUR LAST CHANCE!"

"Well, Ricky's plan's a failure," Zoro observed as he glanced at the unconscious one-eyed pirate next to him. Ricky had just proven that there were too many of them to take on all alone. "Hey giant, you can still move right?"

"Uh-huh," Broggy grunted in reply.

"Good, so can I," said Zoro as he drew _Kitetsu III_. "I say we take 'em down together. What do you think?"

"Hold on a second!" Nami protested as Zoro drew _Yubashiri. _"What are you doing?" Zoro held out his two swords and pointed them at his legs. "Are you…"

"Yeah," Zoro answered.

"QUIT MESSING AROUND!" Nami shouted. "YOU'RE NOT GONNA CUT YOUR OWN LEGS OFF!"

"I'm not messing around at all," Zoro told her. "It's the only way to get us out of this situation. Are you in or out?"

"ARE YOU INSANE?" Vivi demanded. "No way! Even if you get down from here, you won't get far without legs!"

"There's no way to know for sure until we try," Zoro resolved. "So are you saying you'd rather just sit here and die? Why should we make it easy for those guys to kill us? Dying quietly without a struggle doesn't make you any less dead. Right?"

"The girl was right," Mr. 5 remarked as he, Mr. 3, Ms. Valentine, and Ms. Goldenweek stood together in front of the sculpture. "This guy's insane."

"He's bluffing," Mr. 3 decided. "There's no way he would do something as crazy as that! He's just trying to act tough so his friends will feel better!"

"Gebababababa!" Broggy laughed._ "That runt's got spirit. I'll give him that. He's doing better than I am. I had actually begun to lose the will to fight. Is this what One-Eye was talking about? I was so content to die as Elbaph had planned that I couldn't think about fighting for myself." _"ALRIGHT I'M IN! LET'S CUT THEM TO PIECES!"

"You're not serious about this are you?" Nami asked frantically. "How are you planning on fighting them afterward?"

"Who knows," said Zoro. "But… I plan to win."

"_Who are these people?"_ Mr. 3 wondered. _"They're completely nuts!"_

"_What kind of man is he?"_ Vivi thought to herself as she stared at the determined swordsman. _"Why? Why do I feel like I've seen that look somewhere before?"_

"_**Princess Vivi!"**_ Igaram's voice rang out in her mind. _"Some times it takes more strength to live than to die."_

"WAIT, I'LL FIGHT WITH YOU!" Vivi decided.

"WHAT? VIVI!" Nami shouted in surprise, the Princess was supposed to be level-minded. Nami glanced down at Ricky who was still unconscious, "Ricky! Wake up! You have to talk some sense into these idiots!"

"Get ready," Zoro told the other two as he readied his swords.

"AND NOW… LET'S GO!" Broggy yelled as he struggled against the wax that has pinning him to the ground.

"DON'T BE FOOLISH!" Mr. 3 shouted as he got ready to shoot some wax. "WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH?"

**PLURT!** Blood squirted up out of the giant's hands as he wiggled around on the ground. Nami closed her eyes as Zoro drove his swords down into his legs, **SHWUP! KLAK! KLAK!**

"YOU FOOLS!" shouted Mr. 3.

"**GRAAAAHHHH!"** Just then, Luffy, Usopp, and Carue came charging through the jungle and flew into the clearing.

"HEY!" Luffy shouted as they three of them flew passed the four agents and kept going. "WHEN I GET BACK I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASSES!" **KRASH!** Luffy, Usopp, and Carue all smashed into a giant rock on the other side of the clearing.

"Huh?" said Mr. 3 as he watched Luffy, Usopp, and Carue pulled themselves back up.

"USOPP! BIRD! LET'S GET 'EM!" ordered Luffy.

"ALRIGHT!" Usopp cheered.

"QUACK!" Carue quacked.

"LUFFY!" Nami exclaimed. "USOPP!"

"CARUE!" Vivi cried out.

"**Why do I feel like I was just hit by a house?" **Ricky asked as he sat up and glanced around. "Oh Luffy, about time you got here. Did you guys get lost?"

"The giant dropped a mountain on me!" Luffy protested. "It took a while for the bird to dig me out!"

"Would someone mind helping me up?" Ricky requested as he held his arms up. With his legs trapped he didn't have the leverage to lift himself. Zoro and Nami reached down and pulled him up into a standing position.

Ricky slipped his arms out of the sleeves off his long black coat then took off his cowboy hat, "Hey Usopp!" Ricky called out to the marksman, "catch this and put it in Carue's saddle bag. I don't want my good clothes to get dirty." Ricky threw his coat and hat to the sniper, who caught them and put them in the pink saddle bag that Carue had on him. Once Ricky's clothes were packed away Usopp got serious.

"We're here Master Broggy, and we'll avenge you!" Usopp vowed.

"Thanks Usopp," the giant replied.

"BEAT THEM BEYOND RECOGNITION!" Nami encouraged them as they marched back over to their opponents. "SHOW THEM EXPRESSIONS OF PAIN AND AGONY THEY WON'T SOON FORGET!"

"Oh, I'm going to," Luffy agreed as he started cracking his knuckles. "These guys messed up the best duel ever! They're in for some serious trouble, and they're gonna answer to me!"

"I think I softened them up for you," Ricky calmly called out.

"So you're the one with the highest bounty in the East Blue?" Mr. 3 inquired as he stared at the approaching pirates and the duck. "My how low marine standards have fallen! It's almost tragic really!"

"Is that… YOUR HAIR?" Luffy exclaimed as he stared at the lit 3 on Mr. 3's head.

"JUST SHUT UP!" Mr. 3 snapped.

"Ooh! It's on fire!" Luffy realized.

"HUSH YOU!" Mr. 3 yelled.

"The attention span of a five year old, but the strength of a giant," Ricky muttered.

"Yes, he has weird hair!" Nami agreed. "NOW COULD YOU HURRY UP AND SMASH THIS PILLAR? WE'RE ABOUT TO BE TURNED INTO WAX STATUES HERE!"

"Oh, are you guys in trouble?" Luffy asked as he glanced at the four people trapped in the wax sculpture. They were all lightly coated in small splotches of white wax.

"Nope, no trouble at all," Zoro answered.

"Zoro… your legs are bleeding…" Ricky suddenly noticed. There was blood coming out of some deep wound around Zoro's ankles. There was blood dripping out of the wound and off the layer of the statue they were trapped in. "You really do have to bleed during every fight, even one's you're not involved in."

"Yeah well, while you were napping I had to come up with a temporary plan," Zoro explained. "The Princess and I were gonna cut our legs off and join the giant in fighting the four agents. I must've hacked about half way through 'em before Luffy, Usopp, and the ostrich showed up."

"HOW EXACTLY IS THAT NO TROUBLE AT ALL?" Nami demanded.

Ricky rolled his eye and glanced at Nami, "Something tells me you didn't appreciate their plan."

"You're rational, please tell me you wouldn't have joined them," Nami pleaded. "I was starting to think _I _was the crazy one because I _wasn't_ willing to hack my own limbs off and fight."

"Nah," Ricky answered. "I was just stalling until Luffy got here. I wouldn't have been desperate enough to cut off my feet. They're very important when it comes to keeping my balance and kicking people."

"Good enough," said a relieved Nami, "By the way… thanks for keeping me from getting skewered by that wax harpoon."

"I wasn't about to let you get hurt on my watch," Ricky replied while he gave a casual shrug. Nami quickly looked away so he wouldn't see her blush.

"So Luffy, what do you think?" Zoro asked. "Could you go ahead and take care of this pillar for us? I think I've done enough."

"Yeah, no problem," Luffy assured him.

"Hmph," Mr. 3 grunted. "I can't allow that."

"I don't know what it is," Luffy admitted as he stared up at the spinning top to the wax sculpture. "But let's break it!"

"Let's do it," Usopp agreed. "Usopp the Brave Warrior of the Sea is ready to fight!"

"QUACK!" said Carue.

"HURRY WILL YA!" Nami yelled. "WE'RE _DYING_ HERE!"

**-x-**

Next chapter the battle starts it's Luffy versus Mr. 3.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	12. Chapter 12

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own One Piece or any of its characters. This is a fan-made work of fiction, aptly named FanFiction.

**Luffy versus Mr. 3:**

**-x-**

"I don't know what it is," Luffy admitted as he stared up at the wax sculpture that Vivi, Zoro, Ricky, and Nami were trapped in. "But let's break it!"

"Let's do it," Usopp agreed. "Usopp the Brave Warrior of the Sea is ready to fight!"

"QUACK!" said Carue.

"HURRY, WILL YA!" Nami yelled. "WE'RE _DYING_ HERE!"

**FWIP! FWIP! FWIP!** Overhead the top part of Mr. 3's Giant Candle Service Set was spinning rapidly. The thirteen lit candles were melting the wax and sending flakes of it down onto Nami, Ricky, Zoro, Vivi, and even Broggy. All of them had splotches of white wax on them.

Luffy, Usopp, and Carue stood ready to fight to save their friends. Mr. 3 stood in front of the other three Baroque Works Agents and prepared to fight them off using his wax powers.

"My hands are starting to harden!" Nami suddenly realized as she tried and failed to move the fingers on her hand. "He's turning us into wax statues from the inside out.

**Skish!** Zoro drew _Wado Ichimonji_ and held it up over his head while he put his other hand on his hip.

"Zoro, what are you doing?" Nami exclaimed.

"If I'm gonna be a statue, I'd prefer this pose," Zoro casually replied.

"This is no time to be playing around!" Vivi scolded him.

"Who said anything about playing?" Zoro asked.

"Do you think you could at least do something about all of this blood?" questioned Nami as she stared down at the pool of blood around Zoro's feet. It was still dripping out from when Zoro had attempted to cut off his legs as a means of escape. "I'm getting nauseous just looking at it!"

"So quit looking at it then!" Zoro retorted. It's not like he could do anything to stop it.

"Uh, it's kind of hard to ignore!" Nami scoffed.

"You're not the one who's standing in it," Ricky remarked, he was stuck in the sculpture next to Zoro and as the puddle of blood coming from his wounds grew, it reach the one-eyed pirate that was stuck next to him.

Nami cringed at the thought of being stuck in a puddle of _someone_ _else's_ blood. "Do you still think it was a bright idea to cut your own legs so we could escape from here?"

"That wasn't the point!" Zoro insisted. "I was gonna cut them off so we could fight."

"Oh, well that makes perfect sense then," Ricky reasoned with his hands casually in his pockets. "Cause then you'd have absolutely no balance when attempting your three sword style techniques. You'd be stuck on the ground lashing out at anything that comes near you like some kind of wild animal."

"Honestly Zoro," said Nami, "I'm starting to think that you weren't born with any common sense at all."

"Whatever!" Zoro snapped, "It's not like one-eye's plan worked out perfectly either."

"How was I supposed to know they would recover so quickly?" Ricky inquired. "They all went down easily enough, I didn't expect them all to get up and attack me while my back was turned."

"_We're stuck here about to be turned into wax statues and the three of them are __**bickering**__," _Vivi thought to herself. _"They really don't seem to understand the danger of the situation at all."_

"Looks like we don't get to fight after-all, eh short guy?" questioned Broggy from where he was pinned on the ground.

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna have to let someone else take over from here," Zoro resolved.

**Munch! Munch!** Ms. Goldenweek casually sat on a picnic blanket with a cup of tea out in front of her and a rice cracker in her hand. "They don't seem terribly worried about what's going to happen to them Mr. 3," Ms. Goldenweek commented.

"And you don't seem terribly worried about making sure it happens, Ms. Goldenweek!" Mr. 3 scolded his extremely laid-back partner. He turned and glared at the three pirates and the princess were on the wax sculpture. _"So they continue to defy me…"_

"Nami," Ricky called out quietly. With some visible effort he removed his left hand from his pocket and moved his arm, then grabbed Nami's hand and held it. "Don't worry. We'll be alright." Nami stared down at Ricky's hand, then nodded. She didn't pull away.

"Oh, I see you two picked a pose too," Zoro observed as he leaned backwards slightly so he could eye Ricky and Nami's joined hands.

"Mr. Bushido, could you please take this more seriously?" Vivi requested.

"Hey, you're the only one up here that doesn't have a cool pose," Zoro pointed out. "You might want to work on it before you can't move anymore."

"SHUT UP ABOUT THE POSING ALREADY!" Nami shouted.

"They're acting so careless like this for no other reason than to mock us," Mr. 3 muttered. "This is very annoying! They've acting this way ever since _he_ showed up." Mr. 3 suddenly remembered Luffy and turned to face him, Luffy was punching his fists together. "Though he doesn't seem like a very reliable man, if you ask me."

"Mr. 3, we'll be happy to take care of the straw hat pest," Mr. 5 offered as he and Ms. Valentine stepped forward.

"Take care of him?" Mr. 3 repeated. "Please, don't be ridiculous. I sent you to take care of him once already and look! He's standing in front of us alive and well interfering with my artistic process. I think it's clear that you can't handle them. He's obviously too much for you, wouldn't you agree?"

Mr. 5 glared at Mr. 3 but remained silent. Mr. 3 was the ranking officer.

"You two can deal with the others," Mr. 3 decided as he got in fighting stance, "If you think you're up to it that is. I think a 'Straw Hat' Luffy statue would make an excellent addition to my collection. Hoohoohaahaahaa!"

"I think I've had way more than enough of you!" Usopp snapped as he sat in Carue's saddle and held his green slingshot down at his side. His special sniper goggles were down over his eyes. "If you cretins know what's good for ya, you'll give up now!"

"QUACK!" Carue added.

"Hmm, is that right?" questioned Mr. 3. **GLOOP!** Wax started to form on his hand.

"LET'S GO!" Usopp called out.

"QUACK!" said Carue. He promptly ran backwards into the jungle at the edge of the clearing and he and Usopp ducked behind some trees.

"Okay, we're safely in position now," Usopp commented. "WE GOT YOUR BACK FROM HERE LUFFY!"

"Quack!" Carue quacked.

"Hmm, did you say something?" asked Luffy.

**FWOOSH!** The flame on Mr. 3's hair grew, "NOW I'VE GOT YOU!" He called out as he channeled wax out of his hand and launched it at Luffy, "CANDLE… LOCK!" **GLOOP! **The wax hardened around Luffy's legs and locked them together.

"AAAHHH!" Luffy yelped in surprise. He lost his balance and fell over.

"WHAT'S HE DOING?" Usopp exclaimed.

"QUACK!" Carue shrieked.

"AAAAHH!" Vivi gasped. "LUFFY!"

"Damn, he got caught already?" Zoro groaned.

"MORON!" Nami snapped.

"I should have mentioned that before," Ricky called out to Luffy. "The guy with the three on his head can make stuff out of wax. And when it hardens it's as hard as steel."

"Steel?" Luffy repeated. "Then that's perfect."

"Hmm… almost _too_ simple," Mr. 3 remarked, "Alright, now the hands." **GLOOOP! **"CANDLE… LOCK!"

"Whoa!" Luffy exclaimed as he lunged out of the way and dodged the wax. He sprung off of his hands and launched up into the air, then shot out one of his rubber arms, **SHOOM! **His rubber arm started wrapping around one of the horns of Broggy's battle helmet.

"HEY GIANT GUY! EXCUSE ME!" Luffy apologized as his arm retracted and pulled himself toward the giant, **SHWOOOM! **Luffy started to swing around the horn and gained speed, Broggy got dizzy from trying to follow Luffy's progress,** WHIR! WHIR! WHIR!**

"What's he doing?" Zoro wondered.

"Knowing Luffy, something crazy," Ricky replied.

"WAAHH!" Luffy screamed as he rapidly swung around the horn, "GUM… GUM…

… HAMMER!" Luffy went flying off of the giant's helmet and smashed locked-legs first into the pillar of the wax sculpture. **WHAAM!** The entire pillar was knocked out from under the top part of the statue.

"ALRIGHT!" Nami and Vivi cheered.

"Heads up," Ricky called out without even bothering to look up.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Nami and Vivi screamed as the top part of the sculpture came crashing down on the top of the cake. **KER-RASH!**

"Hey, the thing on my legs broke at the same time," Luffy noticed as he clung to the horn on the still dizzy giant's helmet. He turned and noticed that the top part of the sculpture was still spinning and that Nami, Ricky, Zoro, and Vivi weren't moving. "Um… why are they still here…"

"We're… okay now…" Nami panted. Her grip on Ricky's hand had tightened.

"We didn't die…" Vivi gasped.

"We're still alive, but that really didn't help at all," Zoro muttered. The wax was still coming down on them, and they were still stuck.

"That was a close one," commented Luffy. "Why didn't you guys run away?"

"BECAUSE WE'RE STUCK HERE! ISN'T THAT OBVIOUS?" Nami and Vivi yelled at him, Zoro and Ricky simply sweat-dropped.

"Oh really? So that's what's going on," Luffy realized. "The only thing that you guys kept saying was that I needed to break the pillar. So that's what I did."

"MR. BUSHIDO, DO YOU REALLY THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO PUT OUR LIVES IN THAT GUY'S HANDS?" Vivi shouted.

"Well, we don't exactly have much of a choice, do we?" Zoro countered. The four of them, and the giant, were about half covered in wax now. "I don't know about you, but I'm having a little trouble moving right now."

"I… I can't move…" Nami suddenly realized. She looked scared. "My body… it won't… it won't move! I can't move at all!"

"YOU FOOLS!" Mr. 3 shouted. "ALL YOU DID WAS MOVE THE CANDLES CLOSER! HOOHOOHAAHAAHAA! BY DOING SO, YOU'VE ONLY SPED UP THE PROCESS! YOU'LL BECOME WAX FIGURES EVEN FASTER NOW!"

"Ricky, do something!" Nami pleaded. "You can't tell me you don't have a back-up plan! I don't wanna die here!"

"Actually… I _do_ have one," Ricky admitted. "I can still move a little." Ricky hadn't been exposed to the falling wax as long as Vivi, Zoro, and Nami had. With visible effort Ricky pulled his left hand away from Nami's and then pulled his clenched right hand out of his pocket.

Ricky slowly opened his hand, allowing a handful of small red balls to drop out of it and onto the wax and blood at his feet. **KA-BOOOM-BOOOM!** The balls exploded on impact and the firey explosion melted the wax and hid Ricky in a cloud of smoke.

**SKISH!** Ricky suddenly launched out of the smoke and flew straight at Mr. 5. The Bomb Man pulled back his fist and punched Ricky when he reached him, "EXPLODING PUNCH!" **POW! KA-BOOOOM! **Mr. 5's fist exploded on impact and hid both him and Ricky in another cloud of smoke.

"_That_ was his plan?" questioned Nami. "Getting blown up again?"

The smoke cleared revealing Mr. 5 and Ricky… who was scorched from the explosion and still had some wax on his back and on the back of his legs.

"Hah-ha," Ricky chuckled, "Thanks for heating me up." Ricky lunged backwards and landed in front of Broggy where Luffy was still holding onto the giant's horn, "Now I can move again." The wax may have been as hard as steel, but it was still wax. And a firey explosion easily melted it.

"YOU IDIOT!" Mr. 3 scolded the other male agent, "YOU DID HIM A FAVOR BY BLOWING HIM UP! I can't believe you'd be so impulsive after all the trouble we had to go through to get him to stay still."

"Luffy, get down here," said Ricky. Luffy let go of Broggy's horn and jumped down so he was standing next to Ricky. "That wax coming down on them is gonna turn them into wax figures. We need to beat the four Baroque Works Agents and then we can free them."

Now it was four-on-four: Luffy, Ricky, Usopp, and Carue versus Mr. 3, Mr. 5, Ms. Valentine, and Ms. Goldenweek.

"WAIT!" Luffy exclaimed. "THEY'RE GETTING TURNED INTO WAX STATUES?"

"THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO TELL YOU!" Nami shouted.

"LUFFY, PLEASE HURRY!" Vivi begged.

"We're on it," Luffy agreed as he and his First Mate got ready to fight.

"I don't think so," Mr. 3 replied. "NOW GET OUT OF MY WAY! WAX… WAX… ARROW!" **GLOOP! **Mr. 3 fired a wax arrow out of his arm and shot it at Ricky and Luffy.

"GUNPOWDER STAR!" Usopp shouted. **CHEW!** Mr. 3 had left himself open when he attacked Luffy and Ricky, he couldn't defend himself from the incoming projectile.

**CHOMP!** Mr. 5 suddenly ran in and caught Usopp's attack in his mouth then swallowed it, **GULP!**

Luffy leapt to the left to avoid the arrow while Ricky jumped up and then drove his feet down into it to keep it front hitting the giant that was behind them,** WHOMP!**

**BOOOM!** Mr. 5's insides exploded and smoke came out of his ears as Usopp's gunpowder star exploded inside of him He was completely unharmed.

Luffy and Ricky jumped forward and landed in front of Mr. 3 and Mr. 5. The bomb man let a ring of smoke out of his mouth while the candle man looked relieved. Ms. Valentine was hanging back and was allowing the two male agents to do the fighting for now, Usopp and Carue were still out of the way in the jungle, and Ms. Goldenweek was still sitting her picnic blanket, seemingly oblivious to the battle going on around her.

"That's not very flavorful," Mr. 5 commented as he licked his lips after his 'meal'. "You use low-quality gunpowder."

"THERE'S NO WAY!" Usopp exclaimed. "HE ATE IT!"

"QUACK!" Carue shrieked.

Ricky fished into his right pocket and threw an Explosion Ball at Mr. 5, "Maybe this'll be more to your liking," Ricky offered.

**CHOMP! GULP! **Mr. 5 caught the bomb in his mouth and swallowed it. **BOOOOM!** Mr. 5's stomach expanded as the Explosion Ball exploded inside of him. Mr. 5 blew another ring of smoke out of his mouth.

"Now _that's_ not bad," the bomb man admitted, "You use a combination of rum and high quality, easily combustible gunpowder. Nice flavor to it and it's got a kick, but in the end it isn't very effective against me."

Ricky shrugged, "I just wanted to know what you thought."

"He sure eats weird stuff," Luffy commented.

"You're not exactly one to talk," Ricky reminded him.

"This isn't really looking good for us ladies," Zoro groaned. The three of them were now mostly covered in wax and couldn't move. Nami's hand was still out from when she was holding Ricky's. "This damn thing is speeding up. Good thing I've got my pose ready."

"MORON!" Nami shouted.

"COME ON LUFFY!" Vivi shouted. "YOU HAVE TO HURRY!"

"I'll clear the way," Ricky volunteered. "You take care of the pumpkin." Ricky drew his sword and launched at Mr. 3 and Mr. 5 while spinning in the air, "Red Blade… HURRICANE!" Mr. 3 and Mr. 5 leapt out of the way, but Ms. Valentine ran up from behind them and blocked Ricky's sword attack with her umbrella.

"If I concentrate, I can change the weight of _other things_ too," Ms. Valentine explained. "It's easy swinging a 5,000 kilogram umbrella when _you _weigh 10,000 kilograms."** (1)**

"Since when do we use the Metric System in this story?" Ricky wondered.

"Huh?" said Ms. Valentine.

"I wouldn't exactly be proud about weighing 10,000 kilograms if I were you," Ricky advised with a raised eyebrow.

"I'M NOT FAT!" Ms. Valentine yelled, "I'M DENSE!'

"I never said you were," Ricky replied, "but you probably shouldn't go advertising that you're dense either."

"SHUT UP!" Ms. Valentine shouted as she charged at him and swung her umbrella.

"So the pumpkin thing has to go," Luffy resolved as he stretched both of his arms out behind him and aimed for the spinning pumpkin part of the Candle Service Set. **FWING!** "I'M ON IT! GUM… GUM… "

"IT'S NO USE!" Mr. 3 exclaimed as he pulled his arm back and shot out wax, **GLOOP! **"CANDLE… WALL!" The wax shot out in front of Luffy and formed a solid wall in between the rubber man and the sculpture.

"…BAZOOKA!" **THWAM! **Luffy's fists slammed full-speed into the wax wall, but didn't even make a dent.

"Hey! Out of my way!" Luffy snapped at Mr. 3.

"I was just thinking the same thing!" Mr. 3 retorted.

**SWISH!** Ricky ducked under Ms. Valentine's umbrella as she swung it at his head, then he dropped down and swung his leg around so he could slip her legs from behind while she was off balance, "Quarterstaff… SWEEP!" **THWAK! **Ms. Valentine's legs were knocked out from under her and she went crashing down to the ground, **BOOM!**

Speaking of 'boom', "NEZ-PALM… CANNON!" **Fwip!** Mr. 5 flicked a booger at Ricky as he was getting up, but Ricky jumped forward and dove over it. The bomb kept going and flew at Ms. Valentine as she was trying to get back up.

"Not again…" Ms. Valentine groaned just as the bomb hit her, **KA-BOOOM!**

At the same time, Ricky pressed his hands down into the ground and vaulted off, then flew at Mr. 5. "Jumping… GUILLOTINE KICK!" Mr. 5 was caught off guard as Ricky drove one foot into his stomach, then quickly swung his other foot around and kicked him in the back of the head, **THWAK! **Mr. 5 went crashing down to the ground while Ricky landed in a crouch.

"I would greatly appreciate it, if you would quit interfering in my creative activities!" Mr. 3 yelled at Luffy, "CANDLE… LOCK!" **GLOOP!**

Luffy leapt up off of the ground and Mr. 3's wax connected with Luffy's right hand and formed the lock on it. "Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Thanks for the hammer!"

Luffy maneuvered himself in the air and stretched his trapped arm out behind him, **SHOOOM!** "GUM… GUM…'

"No you don't!" Mr. 3 exclaimed. "CANDLE WALL!" **GLOOP! **Mr. 3 used both hands and formed a hasty wax wall in front of him.

"… HAMMER!" **KA-WHAM! **Luffy slammed him trapped arm into the wax wall at full strength. Wax met wax and both the lock on Luffy's arm and Mr. 3's wall started to crack. **Krek… Krek…** **Krek… Krek…** **KA-POOWW! **Luffy's fist burst through the hole in the wall and smashed into Mr. 3's face, the candle man went crashing down to the ground and skidded out of the clearing and into the jungle.

Usopp and Carue danced together and celebrated Luffy's victory over the wax sculptor.

"LUFFY!" Nami called out, "HURRY UP AND BREAK THIS THING BEFORE WE DIE UP HERE!"

"**No,"** said Luffy.

"Quit joking around and hurry!" Nami ordered.

"Nah-ah," Luffy refused.

"Luffy, quit being an idiot!" Zoro snapped. "Now's not really a good time."

"Luffy, please just do it!" Vivi pleaded.

Luffy just stood where he was and didn't make a move. "Not now," Luffy stated. "I… just don't feel like saving you."

"What are you saying?" asked Nami, sounding betrayed.

Ricky frowned and glanced over at Ms. Goldenweek who was still sitting on her picnic blanket, "So she's finally gotten involved."

"**Color Trap**," said Ms. Goldenweek as she lazily ate another rice cracker.

**-x-**

**The Tea is Good:**

**-x-**

Luffy stood in front of the Candle Service Set and outright refused to save his friends.

"Hey, Luffy!" Zoro called out. "There's no time to space out now! Do something about this already!"

"Yeah… I know…" Luffy agreed.

"Then quit just standing there will you!" Vivi snapped.

"COME ON, LUFFY!" Nami shouted.

Ricky tore his eye away from Ms. Goldenweek and stared at his captain. He noticed a black symbol on the ground at Luffy's feet.

"That symbol…" Ricky said out loud. "It must be some kind of hypnosis. Only something really strong would keep Luffy from helping his Nakama. But he refuses to do what they tell him." A sly grin suddenly appeared on Ricky's face.

"Luffy, **don't **move!" Ricky instructed him. "**Don't **save them!"

"EXPLODING PUNCH!"

"10,000 KILO PUNCH!"

Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine suddenly surged up off of the ground and connected with solid punches to Ricky's stomach. Ms. Valentine's had 10,000 kilograms worth of force and momentum behind it while Mr. 5's exploded, **KA-POW! KA-BOOM! **Ricky was sent flying off into the jungle and out of the clearing.

"You say something?" Luffy asked.

"Hmph," Mr. 5 grunted, "That was a close one."

"I'll go after him, Mr. 5," Ms .Valentine offered. "We can't let him come back and mess things up." Ms. Valentine opened her umbrella and changed her weight to 1 kilogram and leapt jumped up into the air and floated after Ricky.

"I know what I should do," Luffy admitted, "but… I don't feel like it."

"Damn it, why do you keep saying that?" Nami demanded. "We're about to be turned into wax statues! Do you understand me? WE'RE GOING TO DIE!"

"Yeah," agreed Luffy. "But for some reason I can't get motivated to help."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, CAN'T GET MOTIVATED?" Nami, Zoro, and Vivi all shouted at the same time.

"What's going on here?" Usopp wondered, he was still on the outside of the clearing with Carue. "What is wrong with him? Our friends are gonna die if he doesn't do something to help them soon!" Usopp's resolve strengthened and he turned to Carue, "I'll snap him out of it, let's go Carue!"

"QUACK!" said Carue.

"**I don't think so," **said Mr. 5 as he stood in front of Usopp and Carue, causing them both to shriek in surprise.

"WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?" Usopp demanded.

"It's hopeless," Mr. 5 told them. "You should just give up. Your friend has already fallen into a nasty trap. Haven't you noticed what he's standing on?"

"Standing?" Usopp repeated as he lifted the dark lenses of his goggles, "Let me take a look." Usopp and Carue peered around Mr. 5 and stared at Luffy's feet, he was standing on a weird black mark that appeared to have been painted on the ground while they weren't looking. It looked like a big 'C' with a 'T' and two dots inside it.

"What's that?" Usopp inquired. "There's a strange black pattern on the ground. I don't get it, what's so important about that thing?"

"That's no ordinary paint." Mr. 5 answered. "You and your friends don't stand a chance of escaping now!" Mr. 5 pulled back his leg and then lashed it out at Usopp and Carue. "EXPLODING KICK!" Usopp dove out of the way and Mr. 5 kicked a tree, **KA-BOOM!**

"AAAAHHHH!" Usopp screamed.

"QUUAAACK!" Carue cried out as the two of them lunged backwards and away from the explosion.

"Carue, let's make a run for it!" Usopp decided as he spun around in midair and grabbed onto Carue's reigns.

"QUACK!" Carue agreed as he took off running.

"Running away won't save you!" Mr. 5 called out after them as he chased after them into the jungle.

"FULL SPEED AHEAD CARUE!" Usopp shouted.

**TMP! TMP! TMP! TMP! **Carue ran as fast as he could to escape the bomb man.

"HEY! WAIT! I'M NOT ON YET! SLOW DOWN CARUE!" Usopp protested as he chased after the terrified duck. "LET ME ON! HEY BIRD, DO YA HEAR ME?"

Carue looked over his shoulder and let out a yelp of surprise, "QUUAA!"

"JUST LET ME ON NOW!" Usopp hollered as he sprinted after the duck. "WHY ARE YOU AFRAID OF ME? I THOUGHT YOU WERE A DUCK NOT A CHICKEN! SLOW DOWN WILL YA, PLEASE CARUE!"

**-x-**

"Ughh…" Ricky groaned as he sat up and held his stomach, "That hurt a bit. But they've got nothing on Jozu and Pops." Ricky cut himself with his sword and put it away. "Luffy's been hypnotized by that paint, I've got to get back to the clearing and break him out of it."

"**Kyahahahaha! Not on my watch you won't!"** came the familiar voice and cackle of Ms. Valentine from overhead. "10,000 KILO PRESS!"

Ms. Valentine started gaining weight and plummeted down through the giant treetops, Ricky leapt up off of the ground and lunged at a tree, **SKISH! **Ricky bounced off of the tree trunk and flew up above Ms. Valentine. The Baroque Works Agent lowered her weight to cancel her decent but Ricky quickly drove his feet down into her back, "Bludgeon… STOMP!" **WOMP!** Ms. Valentine was sent crashing down into the ground and Ricky landed safely beside her.

"I just hope I'm not too late," Ricky said to himself as he took off for the clearing.

**-x-**

Ms. Goldenweek, this is your handiwork isn't it!" Vivi exclaimed. Ms. Goldenweek was the only Baroque Works Agent left in the clearing. It _had _to be her.

Ms. Goldenweek stood silently behind Luffy eating another rice cracker. "It's my **Colors Trap… Betrayal Black**," Ms. Goldenweek explained. "If you touch the paint you'll want to betray your friends no matter what they might say. Even if they beg and plead for help."

"What's she talking about?" asked Nami. "I don't understand what's going on here."

"She's a realist painter," Vivi told her. "She uses her paint to create different emotions. Each color is a feeling. Her sense of color is so complete she can manipulate your mind. Just a splash of one of her colors and you'll be under her control."

"Under her control?" Zoro repeated, "Well that's not good. That simple-minded oaf is already too easy to control. The last thing we need is someone messing with his mind."

"Does that mean that all he needs to do is get away from the paint and he'll be okay?" questioned Nami. "Luffy! MOVE AWAY FROM THERE! QUICKLY!"

Vivi suddenly remembered what Ricky had been saying before he got blasted out of the clearing, _"Luffy, __**don't **__move! __**Don't **__save them!" _Reverse Psychology, Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine had quickly gotten rid of him, they were clearly worried that it might work.

"Luffy **don't**!" Vivi called out. "Whatever you do please **don't** step outside the black circle, alright? I'm begging!"

"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?" Nami demanded.

"We **don't** want you to save us, Luffy!" Vivi continued.

"No way," Luffy refused, just so he could betray them a little more. He stepped off of the black symbol.

"Now I get it," Zoro of all people suddenly realized. "Reverse psychology. Ricky uses that on him all the time."

"That's what Mr. One Eye was trying to tell him before he got knocked out of the clearing," Vivi informed him.

"Oh, hey guys!" Luffy greeted them, the second he was off the circle he was back to normal. "What just happened? I was acting really strange!"

"LUFFY! HELP US NOW!" Vivi shouted.

"Okay, I'm on my way right now," Luffy assured them as he pulled back his arm. **Skish! Skish! Swish!** Ms. Goldenweek suddenly painted a yellow symbol and whisked it at Luffy, it splattered on the back of his shirt and he immediately burst out laughing, "SHISHISHISHISHI! NEVER MIND! I JUST WANNA LAUGH RIGHT NOW! SHISHISHISHISHI!"

"LUFFY!" Nami shouted.

"MORON!" Zoro yelled.

"WHAT NOW?" Vivi demanded.

"**Colors Trap… Laughter Yellow**," said Ms. Goldenweek who was still holding out her paint brush. It had yellow paint on it.

"SHISHISHISHISHI!" Luffy continued to laugh, he dropped down to the ground and pounded his fists on it. He couldn't stop.

"You shouldn't have stepped out of the circle," Ms. Goldenweek lightly scolded him.

"Now it's on his clothing!" Nami realized. "LUFFY, QUICK! TAKE OFF YOUR SHIRT!"

"I'd love to, really!" Luffy replied as he rolled on the ground laughing. "But right now I'm too busy laughing! SHISHISHISHISHI!"

"Uh, this is getting bad," Zoro muttered. "If the wax keeps falling at this rate, we'll be lucky to stay alive for another ten minutes."

"**I guess I'll have to act quickly then,"** came Ricky's voice as he ran out of the jungle. He cast a wary glance at Ms. Goldenweek then kicked Luffy in the back, **THWAK!** Luffy went flying and flipped over in the air, then hit the ground and skidded back-first along it. "Are you done laughing now?"

"Yeah, thanks," Luffy replied as he got back up. The yellow paint on his back had smeared when he skidded along the ground. "Now I'll save them."

"**ONE EYE! I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET!"** Ms. Valentine shouted as she charged into the clearing.

Luffy stretched his arms back and aimed for the spinning pumpkin, "GUM… GUM…"

**Skish! Skish! Swish!** Ms. Goldenweek dabbed her paintbrush in red paint and whisked a red symbol at Ricky. The symbol splattered on Ricky's chest, but he didn't seem affected.

Ricky stared down at the red paint on the front of his red shirt, "I don't feel anything," Ricky commented, he turned to Luffy. "Hey Luffy, are you feeling alright?"

"BAZOOKA!" **WHAM! **Luffy shot out both of his hand with the speed and power of a bazooka and drove them… INTO RICKY'S CHEST!

"YOU HIT THE WRONG THING!" Nami yelled.

Ricky went flying backwards and smashed into Ms. Valentine and the two of them went flying backwards out of the clearing and into the jungle.

"That was my **Colors Trip… Bullfight Red,**" Ms. Goldenweek explained. "That red paint invokes aggression and becomes the target of people's attacks."

**-x-**

"Get back here you chickens!" Mr. 5 yelled as he chased Usopp and Carue through the jungle. **KRAK! KRAK!** Usopp, Carue, and Mr. 5 all stopped running when they heard the sound of trees breaking and branches snapping. "What's that sound?"

Ricky and Ms. Valentine suddenly came flying through the trees and smashed into Usopp and Carue, **WHAM! **The four of them kept going and slammed into Mr. 5, leaving all five of them in a heap on the ground.

"Now _that_ hurt," Ricky grumbled as he held his stomach where Luffy had hit him.

"Uhh…" Usopp groaned, "Ricky… thanks for dropping in…"

Usopp, Ricky, and Carue got up and staggered away from the two Baroque Works Agents. "No problem," he replied before he glared at Ms. Valentine. "Way to go, the one time it would've actually been useful for you to weigh ten tons, you don't do it."

"SHUT UP!" Ms. Valentine yelled. "I'LL SMASH YOU TO PIECES FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME!"

"What did I do?" Ricky inquired.

"LOOK AT MY OUTFIT!" Ms. Valentine shouted as she motioned to her clothes. Her blue jacket was singed and tattered, essentially useless, her yellow hat and dress had scuff marks and dirt all over them, she'd lost an earring, and her white heels were a mess and showed all the dirt she'd got on them.

"It was your partner's bombs that blew you up," Ricky reminded her. "I wasn't exactly going to hold still while you tried to crush me. And the painter put the paint on me to make Luffy hit me. If you really cared about your clothes you would've had the forethought to get rid of them before the fight." Ricky motioned to Carue who had his long black coat and cowboy hat in his pink saddle bag. "I wasn't about to let my good coat and hat get wax all over them."

"I'm not about to strip just so I can fight a good-for-nothing pirate!" Ms. Valentine argued.

"That's your choice then," Ricky told her. "And that makes it your fault that your good clothes are in the condition they are." Ms. Valentine glared angrily at him.

Ricky turned to Usopp, "Usopp, that quiet girl hypnotized Luffy using her paints. But it's just paint, if you smear it, it stops working." Ricky reached down and rubbed the red paint off of his shirt.

"So you've discovered the weakness to Ms. Goldenweek's hypnotic powers," Mr. 5 commented. "But we won't let you make it out of this jungle. Your friends will be turned into wax figures and Straw Hat will meet his downfall at the hands of Mr. 3 and Ms. Goldenweek. In the meantime, we'll kill the three of you."

"Hey Usopp, Carue," said Ricky.

"Quack?" asked Carue.

"I've got a plan," Ricky told them as Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine advanced on them.

"What's that?" questioned Usopp.

"Run!" Ricky instructed, as he jumped on the duck behind Usopp, prompting Carue to take off running as fast as he could.

"Get back here, cowards!" Mr. 5 shouted as he and Ms. Valentine chased after them.

"That was your brilliant plan?" Usopp snapped as Carue ran away. "_I_ could have thought of that! In fact, that was what _I _was thinking!"

"That was only part one actually," Ricky admitted. "Here's part two: we split up. I'll go one way, you go the other. Get back to the clearing and get rid any paint that Luffy has on him. It'll be harder for them to catch us if they're working separately."

"Alright, good luck then," said Usopp.

"Quack-quack!" Carue added.

"This is my stop," Ricky commented, as he jumped of Carue and took off running through the trees in another direction.

"Damn, they split up!" Mr. 5 cursed.

"I'll take care of One Eye," Mr. Valentine volunteered with an evil glint in her eyes.

"Fine then," Mr. 5 agreed, "I'll deal with those two weaklings." Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine split up and chased after the two escaping parties.

**-x-**

"Don't worry guys," Luffy assured Nami, Vivi, Zoro, and Broggy, all of whom were now almost completely covered in wax. "That was a one time thing when I hit Ricky. Now it's gone and I can destroy that thing. GUM… GUM…"

"**Color Trap…** **Bullfight Red**," Ms. Goldenweek called out as she painted a red symbol on the ground.

"BAZOOKA!" **WHAM!** Luffy drove both of his hands into the symbol on the ground.

"I just can't let you break it," Ms. Goldenweek told him. "Mr. 3 would get mad."

"Ahh, oh great," Nami sighed. "At this rate he's never gonna be able to beat her. Now all of his strength is useless!"

"**QUACK!"** came the sound of Carue as he and Usopp came running through, being chased by Mr. 5.

"WAAAAHH!" Usopp screamed as he and the duck ran over and slammed into Luffy while attempting to escape the bomb man. **THUNK!** Luffy was knocked to the side and Carue scuffed the paint as he ran over it.

"DID YOU COME HERE JUST SO YOU COULD PLAY TAG?" Zoro demanded.

"Damn it, hold still!" Mr. 5 yelled as he chased Usopp and Carue out of the clearing and back out into the jungle.

"Now to finish up," Ms. Goldenweek said as she dabbed her paintbrush in the blue paint on her paint pallet. "We'll mix the Laughter Yellow on your back with some Sadness Blue!" Ms. Goldenweek painted a blue symbol and it flew onto Luffy's shirt on top of the scuffed yellow one. The blue and the green paint mixed together and formed green. "**Colors Trap… Calming Green.**"

Luffy's anger faded and he smiled calmly. A split second later, he and Ms. Goldenweek were both on the picnic blanket enjoying some tea. "Ahh… this tea is good," said Luffy.

"LUFFY!" Nami, Zoro, and Vivi shouted they were now almost completely covered in wax.

"So… what happens now?" asked Nami.

"See, I told you that you should've posed," Zoro reminded them. "But you wouldn't listen to me." Zoro was still holding _Wado Ichimonji_ up above his head and Nami's hand was still out at her right side from when she'd been holding Ricky's hand. Vivi hadn't picked a pose. "Now it's too late. You're gonna die like that."

"Are you really still talking about that?" Vivi demanded.

**-x-**

Ms. Valentine ran through the jungle and finally spotted Ricky up ahead, he had his back to her and was on one knee and appeared to be lacing up his boot or something.

"GOT YOU NOW, ONE EYE!" Ms. Valentine shouted, she lowered her weight to 1 kilogram and leapt high overhead. Her opened umbrella helped her glide over his head, then she used her powers and rapidly increased her weight. "10,000 KILO PRESS!"

**Skish! **Ricky suddenly leapt out of the way, Ms. Valentine didn't want to end up in a crater again and quickly lowered her weight. **TMP!** She landed safely on the ground. "KYAHAHA! I'M NOT FALLING FOR THAT AGAIN!" she taunted.

"Yeah, I was hoping you wouldn't," Ricky admitted, he had a foxy grin on his face as he pulled down on a long thick vine.

"GAAAAAAHHHH!" Ms. Valentine let out an undignified shriek as the thick loop of vine that Ricky had laid on the ground snared her legs and yanked her upside-down into the air toward the high tree branch it was wrapped around, Ms. Valentine was caught off guard and couldn't even think about changing her weight.

"YOU BASTARD!" Ms. Valentine yelled as she dangled upside-down hundreds of feet above the ground. "EEEKKK!" Ms. Valentine let out another undignified squeak as gravity took its effect on her upside-down dress, forgetting about changing her weight to free herself, she hastily reached up and pinned the dress to her legs to preserve what was left of her dignity and keep the one-eyed pirate from seeing anything private.

**SLISH! **Ricky used his sword to slice clean through the truck of the tree. Ms. Valentine only noticed when the tree started falling.

"Oh fudge..." the blonde cursed. **KRA-KRASH!** The giant tree fell over, taking the snared blonde with it.

Ricky turned and ran from the fallen tree, "Hopefully that'll keep her out of my hair for a while," he said to himself as he ran for the clearing the Candle Service Set was in.

**-x-**

Usopp and Carue ran through the jungle still being chased by Mr. 5.

"Damn," Mr. 5 cursed to himself. "How can they just keep running like this?" **Skish!** Mr. 5 leapt up into the air and stuck two fingers up his nose. "NEZ-PALM… DOUBLE CANNON!" **Fwip! **Mr. 5 flicked two boogers at Usopp and Carue from up in the air. But they were moving too fast and the bombs hit the ground and exploded behind them.

**KA-BOOM-BOOM!**

"Ahahaha," Usopp laughed. "Ya missed us jerk! Way to go Carue!"

**TMP!** Mr. 5 landed on the ground and glared after the sniper and the duck.

"My turn now!" Usopp decided, he drew his slingshot then turned around and aimed at Mr. 5. "SURE-KILL… LEAD STAR!" **WHING! **Usopp fired his lead projectile at Mr. 5, but the bomb man simply tilted his head to the side and dodged it. "We need to get back to Luffy and the others now."

"Chasing them around isn't getting me anywhere," Mr. 5 said out loud he reached inside his coat and pulled out a revolver. Mr. 5 stared down at his gun, "I hate you use this on useless pests like them, but it looks like I don't have a choice now. This little beauty should be quite handy, a .44 Caliber Six-Shot Flintlock Revolver. It's a new model out of the South Blue. Continuous fire and when _I_ shoot it, the bullets are invisible."

"_Ricky said that the paint was causing Luffy's strange behavior,"_Usopp thought to himself as he and Carue ran away. _"We have to get back and do something about the paint before it's too late. Hopefully Ricky's already made it."_

"HURRY CARUE!" Usopp ordered

"QUACK!" Carue agreed.

**-x-**

"Ahh…" Luffy sighed, who was still calmly sitting on Ms. Goldenweek's picnic blanket drinking tea. "This tea is good."

"THIS IS NO TIME TO BE DRINKING TEA, YOU IDIOT!" Zoro snapped. He, Nami, and Vivi were now completely covered in wax. Their eyes were opened so they could see. and the wax hadn't gotten in their ears so they could hear too, but that was about it. Another few minutes and they'd harden completely.

"THIS TEA… IS GOOD!" said Luffy.

"**Then pour me a cup,"** came Ricky's voice as he ran out from the trees.

"RICKY!" Nami cheered.

"Luffy! Think fast!" Ricky pulled out an explosion ball and threw it at the picnic blanket.

Ms. Goldenweek remembered Mr. 5 swallowing one of those balls and exploding. She didn't want to have to deal with Straw Hat getting free of her hypnosis so she grabbed the back of his shirt and lunged off of the blanket in time to avoid the ball. It was the fastest she'd ever moved. **KA-BOOOM! **The explosion ball exploded on the picnic blanket covering it with fire.

Ms. Goldenweek stared at the burned picnic blanket in horror then stood up and glared angrily at Ricky. "You… ruined... **my picnic!**" There were flames in her eyes and a demonic aura flared around her. Being laid-back only went so far, now she was pissed.

"Uh… sorry?" Ricky apologized.

"You'll pay for that!" Ms. Goldenweek snarled.

"I think he just made her mad," Zoro observed. "That's bad."

"I'll add some more Laughter Yellow to the Calming Greenon his shirt," Ms. Goldenweek decided as she dabbed her paintbrush in yellow paint and added it to the green symbol on Luffy's back. "**Colors Trap… Friendship Light Green**!**" **Luffy's calm, easy-going expression turned into a happy one. **(2)**

Ms. Goldenweek pretended to cry and turned to Luffy, "Straw Hat…" she whined. "That jerk ruined our picnic! Go beat him up!"

Luffy turned and glared at his brother in all but blood. "RICKY!" Luffy shouted. "YOU RUINED MY FRIEND'S PICNIC! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!"

"Huh?" said Ricky with a raised eyebrow.

**-x-**

(1): I altered Ms. Valentine's Devil Fruit Powers to make them a little less lame. Instead of only changing her own weight, she can change the weight of other things (or people) that she comes in physical contact with and in addition she can tell how much something weighs when she touches it.

(2): Ms. Goldenweek uses this in the mini-series Ms. Goldenweek's Operation: Meet Baroque Works. I also gave her two more Color Traps that will be shown next chapter.

Next chapter Ricky ends up fighting a hypnotized Luffy. It's gonna be the final showdown between the Straw Hats and the Baroque Works Agents. Can Ricky survive Ms. Goldenweek's wrath?

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	13. Chapter 13

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own One Piece or any of its characters. This is a fan-made work of fiction, aptly named FanFiction.

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it.

**Ms. Goldenweek's Wrath:**

**-x-**

"You're done now!" Mr. 5 exclaimed, he stopped chasing Carue and Usopp for a moment and spat into the six chambers of his revolver. With his gun loaded, Mr. 5 started running again and chased after Carue. "This is my ultimate power!"

**BAM! BAM! ****BAM! BAM!** Mr. 5 fired the gun after Usopp and Carue, **KA-BOOOM-BOOOM-BOOOM-****BOOOM! **The terrified duck managed to dodge the shots, but when they hit the ground they exploded.

"KEEP RUNNING CARUE!" a terrified Usopp screamed. "IF HE HITS US WITH THAT WE'RE ROASTED!"

**-x-**

"YOU'LL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO MY FRIEND!" Luffy hollered at Ricky. The simple-minded pirate was especially vulnerable to Ms. Goldenweek's hypnotic paints. Right now he had a light-green symbol painted on his back and was convinced that Ms. Goldenweek was his friend and that Ricky had ruined his friend's picnic. "NOW WE'RE GONNA FIGHT!"

"What's going on down there?" Zoro wondered. He, Vivi, and Nami were completely covered in white wax. They could still see, hear, and talk but that was it. In another five minutes the wax would completely harden and they'd become wax figures, dying in the process.

"Ms. Goldenweek is typically very laid-back," Vivi explained. "But something snapped when Mr. One Eye destroyed her picnic blanket. Now she's convinced Luffy that he's her friend and now Luffy's looking to avenge her."

"She's using Luffy's insane dedication to his friends against us!" Nami realized.

"You wanna fight?" Ricky inquired, "Fine. I don't have much time to deal with you but you're the only one who can deal with that pumpkin."

"Uhh… I can't believe this," Nami groaned, "This is _not_ the time for them to be fighting. I can't even move. It's getting hard to even talk. If they don't get us out of here soon, we're gonna die."

"Actually, I've always wanted to see those two fight," Zoro admitted. "Who do you think is gonna win?"

"I DON'T CARE!" Nami shouted. "I JUST WANNA STAY ALIVE!"

"GUM… GUM… PISTOL!" **SHOOM!** Luffy shot his hand out at Ricky for a punch with the power of a pistol. **SWISH!** Ricky shifted to the side and easily dodged it. "GUM… GUM… SICKLE!" **SHOOOM! **Luffy's body shot after his arm and he flew at Ricky with his arm out, looking to take his head off. **SWOOSH!** Ricky ducked down and avoided it causing Luffy to go flying passed him. **THUD! **Luffy went crashing to the ground but quickly got back up.

"HOLD STILL, YOU JERK! YOU RUINED MY FRIEND'S PICNIC!"

"I haven't moved much," Ricky pointed out. "Come and get me."

"GUM… GUM… GATTLING!" Luffy charged at Ricky and lashed out his fists over and over again with the speed and power of a gattling gun. Ricky quickly ran to the side so he could stay ahead of the barrage of punches. **WOOSH! WOOSH! WOOSH! WOOSH! ** "GUM… GUM… WHIP!" Luffy stopped punching and whipped his leg around at Ricky's head, but Ricky ducked under it then reached up and grabbed Luffy's extended leg, **WHAP!** With his hold on Luffy's leg, Ricky pulled Luffy towards him, **SHOOM!**

"Hey Luffy… look at all of that **MEAT **behind you," said Ricky as he pointed to something behind Luffy. Despite being pulled towards Ricky, Luffy turned his head to see where the meat was.

"Hey! There's no meat there!" Luffy snapped as he turned back around.

"Battering Ram… TACKLE!" **WHAM! **Ricky lunged forward and drove his shoulder into Luffy's chest and speared him down to the ground. Ricky dragged the squirming pirate along the ground and smeared the paint on his back. **SWISH!**

Ricky calmly got up and held his hand down to Luffy. **Whap!** Luffy reached up and grabbed Ricky's hand and allowed his brother to pull him back up to his feet.

"Are you awake now?" Ricky asked.

"Yeah, I'm awake," Luffy answered.

"Was it just me, or did that fight appear to be easy for him?" questioned Zoro.

"Ricky only had to get the paint off of Luffy," Nami reasoned. "They grew up together and are practically brothers. Someone as sharp as Ricky should be able to exploit the weaknesses in someone he's known for that long."

"Maybe now that Luffy is alright, they'll get us out of here," Vivi suggested.

"You'll have to do better than that," Ricky taunted Ms. Goldenweek.

"**Aha!" **came a voice as Ms. Valentine stormed into the clearing. "ONE EYE! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

"Now I really feel sorry for him," Zoro commented. "He's got _two_ women angry at him."

"Wanna know what it's like?" Nami growled. She would've glared at him, but she couldn't move her neck enough to do it.

"Luffy, the painter-girl is angry at _me _so I'll keep her distracted," Ricky resolved, "Break the dome thing while I keep her occupied."

"HEY! PAY ATTENTION TO ME WHEN I'M TRYING TO KILL YOU!" Ms. Valentine screamed as she charged at Ricky and Luffy.

"You burned my picnic blanket!" Ms. Goldenweek snarled as she glared at Ricky. "Now you'll pay!"

"10,000 KILO TACKLE!" Ms. Valentine shouted as she ran at Ricky from behind.

"Right, I'll break that pumpkin thing now!" Luffy vowed. "GUM… GUM…"

"I can't let you do that! Mr. 3 will get angry if you break it! **Color Trap… Laughter Yellow!**" Ms. Goldenweek called out as she painted a yellow symbol and whisked it at Luffy.

Ricky suddenly grabbed Luffy and pulled him down to the ground, the yellow symbol flew over them… AND HIT MS. VALENTINE!

"KYAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ms. Valentine laughed as the yellow paint on the front of her blue jacket and yellow dress took its effect. "KYAHAHAHAHA!"

"I don't see much of a difference," Ricky remarked dryly as he glanced at the laughing Baroque Works Agent. "Now let's go!" Luffy and Ricky started running at the wax fixture in a full sprint.

Ms. Goldenweek dashed over to Ms. Valentine who was still laughing hysterically and pulled the off her blue jacket. There was still some yellow paint on her dress but without the whole symbol the Colors Trap didn't work. Ms. Valentine was left in her singed yellow dress and hat.

"KYAHAHA—huh?" Ms. Valentine shook her head to get rid of the last of the paint's effects. "What was that for?"

"They ducked," Ms. Goldenweek answered. "Go get them!"

"Right," Ms. Valentine agreed as she changed her weight to one kilo and floated up into the air. She flew after the two pirates and positioned herself overhead. "KYAHAHAHA! I'LL SMASH YOU TO A MILLION PIECES!"

"Did you hear something?" asked Ricky as he ran Luffy continued sprinting towards the candelabra.

"Nope," Luffy replied.

"STOP IGNORING ME!" Ms. Valentine hollered.

"Since you two are so close," said Ms. Goldenweek as she watched the two pirates charge at the candelabra. "I've got something special for you!**" **Ms. Goldenweek mixed together red and blue then sent a purple symbol after Luffy.

"10,000 KILO PRESS!" Ms. Valentine screamed as she changed her weight to 10,000 kilos and dropped down on the two pirates.

"Luffy, heads up," Ricky called out, he shoved Luffy out of the way then dove to the side as Valentine came crashing to the ground. BOOM! The purple symbol flew into the cloud of dust that rose from the ground but didn't come back out.

"Uh oh," said Ms. Goldenweek as she stared wide-eyed at the dust cloud her paint had gone into.

"Luffy, go!" Ricky instructed as he stood up and prepared to fight off Ms. Valentine. "I can handle the Airhead and the angry painter-girl. Break the wax thing."

"Right," Luffy agreed as he jumped up and ran towards the candelabra.

The dust cloud cleared and Ricky braced himself for the worst while Ms. Goldenweek dove for cover.

Ms. Valentine floated out of the crater with her umbrella over her head, then lightly dropped down onto the ground. There was no mistaking the purple symbol on the back of her singed yellow dress. Ms. Valentine glanced around her and spotted Ricky cautiously standing in front of her. Ms. Valentine's cheeks pinked slightly and she smiled at him.

"Hey, you," Ms. Valentine chirped as she flashed him a big smile.

Ms. Goldenweek quickly dabbed her paintbrush in the blue paint the whisked it after Luffy, "Colors Trap… Sadness Blue!"

"BWA! BWA! I WAS SO CLOSE!" Luffy collapsed to the ground and started crying uncontrollably.

"Damn it," Ricky cursed when he saw Luffy go down. He was caught off guard when Ms. Valentine lunged at him, AND HUGGED HIM! Ricky staggered backwards in surprise but the Baroque Works Officer Agent dropped her umbrella and kept up her hug. Ricky looked passed her and glared at Ms. Goldenweek. "What did you do?"

"She got hit with my Colors Trap… Passion Purple," Ms. Goldenweek explained. "It makes the person feel affectionate towards the first person they see."

"Oh crap," Ricky muttered as he glanced at Ms. Valentine. "Uh… hi?"

"You're _so_ sweet!" Ms. Valentine cooed as she hugged him tightly and pinned his arms to his sides. "You said 'hi' to me, even though I'm your enemy!"

"THAT BITCH!" Nami managed to yell before her jaw hardened completely.

"Well… I guess that worked out alright…" Ms. Goldenweek commented. "He's finally holding still. I meant to hit Straw Hat… but this is a little more entertaining."

"So… would you mind releasing my arms?" Ricky requested.

"Huh? Why?" Ms. Valentine asked innocently.

"So I can… hug you back?" Ricky lied. If he could get his arms around Ms. Valentine, he'd be able to wipe the paint off of her back. He'd prefer dealing with the Airhead when she was trying to smash him rather than when she was being overly affectionate.

"Oh no, you don't," Ms. Goldenweek scolded him. She pulled a small jar of white paint out from her backpack and dabbed her paintbrush in it, then she dunked it in the black paint and whisked a GRAY symbol at Ms. Valentine. "Colors Trap… Eternal Gray!"

The gray paint splattered on top of the purple symbol on Ms. Valentine's back, but it didn't change the color. In fact, the purple just got darker. There were no immediate affects, if you don't include Ms. Valentine resting her head against Ricky's chest but Ms. Goldenweek's evil smirk meant that the gray paint had done something.

"The white paint dries quickly," Ms. Goldenweek explained without Ricky needing to ask. "And when it's combined with the black paint it magnifies the effect of the paint it's over. Before she just liked you, now she's in love with you. You won't be able to smear that paint, it's already dry."

Ms. Valentine's eyes widened in surprise, "You weren't trying to trick me were you? I love you! I wanna be with you!"

"Looks like you're stuck with her," Ms. Goldenweek observed. "That'll keep you out of the way."

"Yay! Now we can stay together!" Ms. Valentine cheered.

"Damn it, let go!" Ricky growled. "I actually liked you better when you were trying to kill me! I find clingy girls highly annoying!" Ms. Valentine went wide-eyed and quickly released him.

"What kind of girls do you like then?" Ms. Valentine asked. "I'll do anything to prove my love to you!"

"Anything?" Ricky inquired with sly grin.

Ms. Valentine blushed and nodded, "Anything you want, Foxy!"

"Alright, go break that wax dome thing," Ricky requested. "You can do that, can't you?"

Ms. Valentine glanced at the dome, "But then Mr. 3 will get mad…" she realized.

"Are you going to let what Mr. 3 thinks get in the way of your own feelings?" Ricky asked. "I care about my friends a lot. If they die I'll be very upset. Don't you think you could help me out?"

"I'LL DO IT!" Ms. Valentine agreed. "Smashing things is what I do best! I'll prove my love to you by breaking that thing." Ms. Valentine turned and charged at the Candle Service Set.

Ricky turned and grinned at Ms. Goldenweek, he'd just turned the hypnosis against her. Before Ms. Goldenweek could do anything, gunshots and explosions rang out.

**BAM! BAM! KA-BOOOM-BOOOM!** Usopp and Carue came running out of the trees attempting to avoid the invisible bullets that Mr. 5 was shooting at them with his gun.

"Ms. Valentine, what're you doing?" Mr. 5 demanded when he saw his partner charging towards the captives.

"PROVING MY LOVE!" she shouted.

"Looks like Luffy's still hypnotized," Usopp observed as he rode Carue towards Luffy, who was still on the ground crying. "FIRE STAR!" **FWOOOOSH **Luffy was engulfed in flames and rolled around on the ground screaming.

"WAAAAHHH!" Luffy screamed as he rolled around on the ground.

"Eh-hah, the fool hit his own friend," Mr. 5 chuckled, briefly distracted from his love-struck partner.

"Luffy, you snap out of it yet?" asked Usopp as he rode over.

"Yeah, I'm good now," Luffy answered as he got back up, his shirt had been burned off keeping the paint from affecting him. He was singed from the fire and was only wearing his shorts and sandals. "That paint won't work on me anymore."

"So he didn't miss," Mr. 5 realized. "His plan all along was to burn the paint off."

"10,000 KILO TACKLE!" Ms. Valentine shouted as she jumped up the three layers of the wax cake and then smashed full-speed into the spinning top of the candle service set at her maximum weight. **KA-BOOOOSH! **The 10,000 kilogram Baroque Works Agent hit the steel-like dome and smashed it to pieces.

Ms. Valentine was left sprawled on the wreckage while the three wax-covered figures that were Zoro, Nami, and Vivi were still stuck in the base. Their eyes were closed so they couldn't see and their bodies were almost completely hardened. But now they weren't in danger of hardening completely and dying in the process.

"Nice job, Airhead," Ricky remarked with a sly grin.

**-x-**

**Candle Champion:**

**-x-**

"Something's definitely wrong," Sanji realized as he trekked through the jungle. "Ricky said that there were Baroque Works Agents here, but I haven't found anything. I hope Miss. Nami and Miss. Vivi are alright."

It was at that moment that Lucky the unlucky saber-tooth tiger finally chose to attack **RAAWRRRR! **Lucky lunged out of the trees and charged the cook.

**THWHAM!** Sanji raised his leg and brought it down on the top of the tiger's head, driving it down into the ground and nearly knocking it out.

A few seconds later, Sanji was riding through the jungle on Lucky's back. "MISS. NAMI! MISS. VIVI!" Sanji called out. "HEY YOU GUYS!"

Sanji kept going until he spotted something odd. "What's that?" Sanji wondered as he stared at a big white cube. Sanji had just come across Mr. 3's make-shift wax hut.

Lucky staggered off, after the horrible day he'd had, he was off humans for good.

**-x-**

Mr. 5 and Ms. Goldenweek stood together and glared at the Straw Hats. Luffy, Ricky, Usopp, and Carue stood across from them. Ricky had persuaded Ms. Valentine to smash the wax dome, so Zoro, Nami, Vivi, and Broggy were safe for now.

"My idiot partner may have stopped the wax from coming down on them but your friends are still completely encased in wax!" Mr. 5 told the Straw Hats. "We'll never let you free them."

"THEN I'LL KICK YOUR ASS _AND THEN _I'LL FREE THEM!" Luffy shouted. "I WON'T LOSE MY FRIENDS TO YOU!"

Ms. Valentine came staggering off of the base of the broken wax sculpture and walked up to Ricky with a big smile on her face, "There, I did it! Are you proud of me?"

Ricky smiled, "Of course. Thanks for your help." He stiffened slightly when the blonde Baroque Works Agent hugged him.

"Wait, is she on our side now?" Usopp inquired as he and Carue looked on in confusion.

"Ms. Valentine, what the hell are you doing?" Mr. 5 demanded. "Unless you're gonna crush that punk, get away from him!"

"Shut up Mr. 5!" Ms. Valentine snapped. "I love him! For once can't you support something that makes me happy?"

"You don't love him!" Mr. 5 insisted. "You don't even _like_ him!"

"YES I DO!" Ms. Valentine yelled back at him.

"Well he clearly doesn't love you," Ms. Goldenweek quietly pointed out. "He doesn't return your feelings. He's just using you."

"U-using m-me?" Ms. Valentine stammered as she turned to Ricky and stared at him with hurt in her eyes. "Th-that's not true is it? Y-you're not using me, r-right?"

"He's not gonna admit it," Ms. Goldenweek told her. "He took advantage of your feelings for him and made you do something you normally wouldn't."

"Th-that's not true… Please tell me it's not true!" Ms. Valentine pleaded with Ricky.

"Uh…" Ricky stalled as he tried to think of a response that _wasn't_ an outright lie. "Well… you're feelings for me are kind of sudden. You were really clingy before… I preferred to see you being useful and destructive. Maybe once this fight's over… we can see what happens."

"See!" Ms. Valentine said as she turned back to Ms. Goldenweek. "He was testing the waters so we can have a relationship!"

"Don't tell me you actually believe that," Ms. Goldenweek replied. "The second that orange girl gets free, he won't spare you a second glance. You remember what he did for her, right? He's using you so he can save his little girlfriend."

"Hey! She's not my girlfriend," Ricky objected.

Ms. Valentine turned to Ricky and looked like she was seething and fighting to hold back tears at the same time. "How could you?" she asked, she sounded hurt. Ricky actually felt a little sorry. "I love you with all my heart! But you used me so you could free your _girlfriend_! YOU COLD-HEARTED BASTARD!"

Luffy, Carue, and Usopp quickly backed away from Ricky, the blonde's sadness gave way to anger and it was all focused on Ricky. They didn't want to get involved.

"MY EMOTIONS AREN'T A TOY FOR YOU CAN PLAY WITH!" Ms. Valentine shouted. "I OPENED MYSELF UP TO YOU AND YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF ME!"

"Hey, hold on!" Ricky interrupted as he started backing away from the angry blonde. "The painter-girl hypnotized you. I'm not the one playing with people's emotions. I simply took advantage of an opportunity that was presented to me."

"SO YOU ADMIT THAT YOU USED ME!" Ms. Valentine shrieked.

"You were trying to _crush me_ two minutes ago!" Ricky reminded her.

"THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD IDEA!" Ms. Valentine yelled. "I'LL SMASH YOU SO BADLY, THAT ORANGE-HAIRED WHORE WON'T EVEN LOOK AT YOU! THEN YOU'LL BE ALL MINE!"

"Hold on, she's not a—" Ricky attempted to argue but he was interrupted when Ms. Valentine changed her weight and jumped, with the her low weight she soared above everyone's head then she quickly changed her weight to 10,000 kilograms and dropped downward.

"VALENTINE SMASH!" Ricky lunged back just as Ms. Valentine came down and smashed her fist into the ground, **BOOOM!** The impact of the 10,000 kilogram Baroque Work's Agent's fist smashing into the ground created huge crater. Ricky quickly turned and ran, Ms. Valentine jumped out of the hole she'd made in the ground and chased after him. "HOLD STILL SO I CAN CRUSH YOU!"

**FWOOO! **Mr. 5 breathed at Usopp and Carue, "BREEZE BREATH BOMB!" **KA-BOOOOM!** Mr. 5's breath exploded on the sniper and the duck and Luffy could only stare in surprise. "Eh-hah," Mr. 5 chuckled as he and Ms. Goldenweek stood in front of Luffy. "I may have forgotten to mention that my breath is explosive too. Now Straw Hat, I'll blast you into so many pieces, you won't even be recognizable!"

Ms. Goldenweek smiled as she watched Ms. Valentine continue her attempts at crushing Ricky. She seemed pleased with her handiwork. "That's how you properly represent passion," she said out loud. "It's not just about the happiness and love that something brings you. Passion is also about anger, sadness, and jealousy. A person will do anything for what they're passionate about, even if it means destroying it so no one else can have it. It's a true work of art."

"What?" said Luffy and Mr. 5 at the same time, they couldn't understand the feelings that Ms. Goldenweek's had about her artwork, even when she'd done her best to explain it.

"**She's right," **came Mr. 3's voice. **"Now that you've witnessed the power of passion..****. get ready to taste the bitterness of despair!" GLOOP!** Wax encased Mr. 3's body as he came stomping out of the jungle leaving GIANT footprints as he went. "It's time for… CANDLE CHAMPION!"

Mr. 3's head was sticking out of a giant white wax suit of armor. It had obscenely huge boxing gloves and feet, skinny arms and legs. It had a gigantic armor upper-body with spiked bands around both of its shoulders and a big '3' in the middle of it. It had a thin waist attaching the upper-body to the lower-body which had a wrestling-style belt around it. The armor was huge, well over fifty feet tall and it was as hard as steel. This was Mr. 3's secret weapon: the Candle Champion.

"WAAHH!" Usopp and Carue screamed in terror as they stared at the Candle Champion from their spot on the ground.

"WHOA!" Luffy gasped as he stared at the wax suit of armor.

**Swish!** Ricky ducked a hook punch from a 10,000 kilogram Ms. Valentine and spotted Mr. 3's suit of armor, "What the heck is that thing?"

"It's Mr.3's Masterpiece," Ms. Valentine answered, "He's surrounded in wax armor that's harder than steel! He once took down a pirate worth 43 million berries with that! Kyahahahahaha! You're all doomed! In that armor he's invincible!"

**SWISH! **Ricky ducked under another punch and slipped behind Ms. Valentine, the blonde whirled around and lashed her leg out at him but Ricky jumped backwards and managed to dodge it.

"You have no hope of winning!" Ms. Valentine told him. "Once your friends and the Princess are all dead, I'll ask Mr. 0 if I can keep you. Then you'll be mine and mine alone!"

"Time to use your talents, Ms. Goldenweek," Mr. 3 told his partner.

"Right," Ms. Goldenweek agreed.

Mr. 3 stared down at his normally laid-back assistant in surprise, "What's got you so worked up?"

Ms. Goldenweek turned and pointed at Ricky, "_He_ ruined my picnic!" she growled.

"If he motivated you to _actually _do something, I almost feel sorry for him," Mr. 3 commented. "But Ms. Valentine seems to have him under control. Paint me first, then you can destroy him." Ms. Goldenweek nodded and got to work.

"Damn it Airhead! You're being hypnotized!" Ricky called out as he ducked under another 10,000 kilogram punch from Ms. Valentine.

Ms. Valentine stopped her attack momentarily and stared at him, "You… gave me a pet-name…" she said. "You _do _care!"

"Uh… of course!" Ricky quickly agreed. "And now that you're not trying to kill me, I can see that you've got really pretty eyes."

Ms. Valentine's cheeks pinked as hope shined in her big blue eyes, "Really?" she asked. "You're not lying again… are you?"

"No!" Ricky assured her. "I've never seen anything quite like them actually. They're really… uh… pretty."

"Aw! You're _so_ sweet!" Ms. Valentine sighed. Ricky flinched as she threw her arms around him and hugged him.

"_And now she's back to being clingy…" _Ricky complained to himself.

"Wow! That's so cool!" Luffy exclaimed as he stared at Mr. 3's armor as Ms. Goldenweek painted it.

"LUFFY!" Usopp shouted at the captain. "STOP ADMIRING HIM AND FIGHT HIM!"

"Oh, right," Luffy agreed as he shook his head and snapped out of his daze.

"The paint job's finished," Ms. Goldenweek announced as she finished painting Mr. 3's armor.

The boxing gloves were painted red, the upper-body was purple under a black wrestling-style tunic with a red outline. The big shoes were blue, the championship belt was gold and green, and the arms and legs were flesh colored.

"GUM… GUM… PISTOL!" **SHOOM!** Luffy shot his rubber fist out at Mr. 3, but the candle man easily blocked Luffy's attack with one of his huge arms. **Whap!**

"CHAMP FIGHT… HARVEST FIELD MANEUVER!" **POW! POW! POW!** Mr. 3 charged forward and drove his huge red boxing gloves into the ground in front of him. Chunks of grass and dirt were torn up as he charged towards Luffy.

Luffy leapt up into the air and pulled back his leg, "GUM… GUM… STAMP!" **SHWOOM!** Luffy lashed his foot straight out at Mr. 3, but Mr. 3 got his huge arms up and blocked the attack,** WHAP!**

"Hoohoo! Nice try!" Mr. 3 taunted as Luffy dropped back down to the ground.

"LUFFY'S ATTACKS DON'T WORK AGAINST THAT ARMOR!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Usopp! Come here!" Ricky quickly called out. Ms. Valentine was still hugging him and he was reluctant to tell her to let go, lest she start attacking him again.

Usopp and Carue quickly dashed over to Ricky, Mr. 5 and Ms. Goldenweek were behind Mr. 3 and were staying out of the way. The huge suit of armor was doing a lot of damage to the ground. They didn't want to get caught in the fight.

Usopp and Carue came over and warily eyed Ms. Valentine, "Look over at the statue," Ricky instructed. "What do you see?"

Usopp lowered his goggles and stared at the wax statue that Nami, Zoro, and Vivi were still trapped on. "I don't see anything," Usopp answered. "They're just trapped in wax that's supposed to be as hard as steel."

"It may be," Ricky agreed, "But it's still wax. Do you remember how I escaped?"

Usopp stared at the spot in between Zoro and Nami that Ricky had occupied, "You used your explosion ba—OF COURSE!" Usopp realized. "It's wax! So that means it melts!"

"Aww, you helped him figure that out!" Ms. Valentine cooed. Ricky grimaced as she hugged him tighter.

**TMP!** Luffy broke away from his fight with Mr. 3 and landed near Ricky, Usopp, and Carue.

"Luffy, we have to use fire!" Usopp exclaimed. "No matter how hard the wax is, wax is still wax! We can still save them!"

"No way, seriously?" questioned Luffy, happy to have found a way to save his friends.

"It's true," Ms. Valentine answered, Ricky flinched as she nuzzled her cheek against his chest. "Foxy here helped him figure it out."

"YOU IDIOT, DON'T GIVE AWAY MY SECRETS!" Mr. 3 yelled. He turned to Ms. Goldenweek and Mr. 5, "STOP THEM YOU FOOLS!"

"Luffy, we'll deal with melting the wax and the other two," Ricky told him. "You take care of the psycho wax-sculptor."

"Right," Luffy agreed, he jumped over Mr. 5 and Ms. Goldenweek so he could face the Mr. 3 one-on-one.

"It doesn't really matter if you realized that now!" Mr. 3 resolved as he charged to meet Luffy. "You have no hope of saving them! In this armor I'm invincible! And you'll have to beat me to free your friends. The wax may not have hardened completely, but once I deal with you, I'll finish them off for good! HOOHOOHAAHAAHAA!"

"WE'LL SAVE THEM RIGHT NOW!" Usopp vowed as he pulled out his slingshot and aimed at the wax encased bodies of Broggy, Vivi, Zoro, and Nami. "FIRE STA—"

"BREEZE BREATH BOMB!" **BAM!** Mr. 5 fired his revolver at Usopp and the invisible bullet hit him and exploded. **BOOOM!**

"USOPP NO!" Luffy shouted.

"QUACK!" Carue shrieked as Usopp went crashing down to the ground.

"When we say you don't stand a chance, it's best to believe us," Mr. 5 told him as he held up his smoking gun.

"Just give up!" said Mr. 3 as he drove one of his giant-sized fists down on Luffy while he was distracted, **WHAM!**

"Ms. Valentine, what are you doing?" asked Ms. Goldenweek as she stared at the blonde agent that was still hugging Ricky.

"He _does_ love me!" Ms. Valentine exclaimed.

"He's _lying_," Ms. Goldenweek insisted. "He dove in front of a harpoon for that other girl. Do you really think he cares about you?"

"Don't listen to her!" Ricky quickly told Ms. Valentine. "I dove in front of those bombs and that arrow because she's my friend. I would've done that for _any_ of my friends. I would've jumped in front of that other bomb for Usopp but _you_ were still holding onto me. I didn't want you to get blown up again."

"YOU _DO _CARE!" Ms. Valentine cheered, she quickly kissed him on the cheek.

Ricky flinched, "Now that's pushing it," he stated. "We just met. I'm not about to kiss you. I hardly know you."

"I can easily change that!" Ms. Valentine assured him. "As you know my codename's Ms. Valentine, I'm an Officer Agent for Baroque Works. My _real name_ is Mana and I'm twenty-four years old. I like chocolate and the rain. I hate being ignored. I ate the Kilo Kilo Fruit when I was seventeen and..."

"Ms. Valentine, what the hell are you doing?" Mr. 5 interrupted.

"SHUT UP MR. 5!" Ms. Valentine yelled.

"You just told him a lot about you," Ms. Goldenweek pointed out. "But do you know _anything _about him? _I _remember him saying that he finds clingy girls highly annoying. You have yet to let go of him. That means he thinks you're annoying."

Ms. Valentine let go of Ricky and jumped back as if she'd just been burned. "Is that true?" she asked.

"Kind of," Ricky admitted.

"See?" Ms. Goldenweek quickly cut him off. "He admitted it. He obviously prefers stronger girls who can hold their own against him in a fight. You'd have better luck winning him over if you beat him up."

"Fine!" Ms. Valentine agreed as she stared at Ricky, "I'll beat you and then you'll be mine. Kyahahahaha!"

"Alright then," Ricky replied as he stepped in front of Usopp and Carue to face all the three of the Baroque Works Agents. "To give you a fighting chance, I'll take all three of you on."

"_Whatever you're planning, hurry it up Usopp," _Ricky thought to himself. _"I don't know how long I can keep them all distracted."_

Behind Ricky, Usopp had pulled a length of rope out of his weapon pouch and was weakly holding it out toward Carue. "Listen, I need you to grab hold of this rope Carue," Usopp instructed the duck as he tied the rope around one of Carue's legs. "Run now!"

"QUACK!" Carue quacked as he took off running around the base of the wax cake.

"What's the ugly bird doing?" Mr. 5 wondered as he watched Carue run around the remains of Mr. 3's wax sculpture and the wax-covered form of Broggy.

"Your problem's in front of you!" Ricky called out as he charged at Mr.5.

**BANG!** Mr. 5 fired his revolver but Ricky leapt up into the air and over the invisible bullet. "Flying… ARROW KICK!" Ricky stretched his legs out in front of him and drove the steel soles of his boots into Mr. 5's face, **THWAK!**

Mr. 5 flew backwards while Ricky did a backflip in midair and landed on the ground. But at the same time, Mr. 5's bullet hit the ground at Ms. Valentine's feet and exploded, **BOOM!** The explosion sent the one kilogram Ms. Valentine floating up into the air and over Ricky's head.

"10,000 KILO PRESS!" Ms. Valentine shouted as she started her descent. Ricky looked up and jumped out of the way, only for Ms. Valentine to land lightly on her feet, **Tmp! **"JUST KIDDING! 10,000 KILO TACKLE!" Ms .Valentine surged forward and caught Ricky off guard as she slammed shoulder first into his stomach at her maximum weight. **WHAM!**

Ricky went flying backwards and landed hard on the ground. He held his chest and staggered back up only to find Ms. Goldenweek standing there, she lashed out her foot and kicked him between the legs, **PUNT!** "Un…necessary…" Ricky gasped as he dropped down to the ground.

"MS. GOLDENWEEK!" Ms. Valentine shrieked. "HE NEEDS THOSE!"

"Sorry," Ms. Goldenweek apologized, although the evil smile she flashed Ricky showed that she didn't mean it.

"I don't know why you fools are still trying," said Mr. 5 as he pulled himself up off of the ground and fired at Carue who was still running around the giant and the giant wax cake. **BANG! BANG! BANG! T**he bullets hit the ground, the exploded, terrifying the duck. **KA-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!**

"QUAAACK!" Carue quacked.

"Quick Ms. Valentine, you should sit on him before he has a chance to get away!" Ms. Goldenweek advised the other agent. "You know how fast he is."

While Ricky was still dealing with the pain of being kicked in the jewels, Ms. Valentine quickly dropped down on top of him. "Hey you!" she chirped. "I'm gonna see if you can handle my Crescendo Stone. When you reach your limit, cry out for mercy, okay?"

"I hate to break it to you, Airhead," Ricky replied. "But nothing you can do to me will make me give up on saving my Nakama. Do your worst."

"Be careful what you wish for, Foxy," Ms. Valentine teased him. "Here we go, I'm sure you can take a lot. CRESCENDO STONE! 100 kilograms… 500 kilograms… 1,000 kilograms… 2,000 kilograms…"

"Ungghh…" Ricky groaned as the blonde on top of him started rapidly gaining weight.

**BANG! BANG! BANG!** Mr. 5 continued firing at Carue, but the duck was motivated by sheer terror and was moving too fast to be hit. The rope followed behind Carue had continued to wrap around the wax cake that Nami, Zoro, and Vivi were trapped on, and the wax-covered giant that was pinned to the ground next to it. **BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!**

"DAMN IT, HOLD STILL, YA QUACKER!" Mr. 5 yelled.

"HOOHOOHAAHAAHAA!" Mr. 3 laughed as he swung his giant fists at Luffy, "IT'S NO USE!" **SWISH! SWISH!** Luffy jumped around in the air and managed to dodge all of Mr. 3's attacks. "YOU'LL NEVER SAVE YOUR FRIENDS! ACCEPT IT!"

"THERE'S NO WAY I'M GONNA LET YOU HAVE MY FRIENDS, CANDLE BOY!" Luffy shouted as he leapt up into the air and grabbed the base of the flaming 3 in Mr. 3's hair. Luffy ran for the wax statue dragging Mr. 3 along with him. "I don't have any fire so I'll have to borrow yours, okay?"

"OW! OW! STOP IT!" Mr. 3 complained. "QUIT PULLING! STOP IT!"

"LUFFY!" Usopp shouted as the staggered up off of the ground. "THAT FLAME'S TOO SMALL! The rope that Carue has… LIGHT IT ON FIRE!"

"The bird's rope?" questioned Luffy. "How's that supposed to help us?"

"I COVERED IT IN OIL!" Usopp exclaimed/explained, "IT'LL BURN!" While Luffy, Ricky, and Carue were distracting the agents, Usopp had soaked the other end of the rope in a bottle of oil.

**BANG!** Usopp got hit with one of Mr. 5's bullets and got blown up,** KA-BOOOM! **He dropped down to the ground and didn't move.

"3,000 kilograms… 4,000 kilograms…" Ms. Valentine counted as she continued to crush Ricky. "5,000 kilograms…"

Ms. Goldenweek smirked as she knelt down next to Ricky and noted the look of pain on his face, "That'll teach you to burn my picnic blanket," she whispered.

Despite the pain he was in from having the heavy Baroque Works Agent on top of him, Ricky didn't let out a single cry of pain. **Krak! Krak! **Two of Ricky's ribs cracked under Ms. Valentine's weight, blood was dripping out of the corner of his mouth, signifying that he was suffering from an array of internal injuries. But he didn't cry out.

"Come on, Foxy," Ms. Valentine called down to him. "Just cry out for mercy and I'll stop. You're only making it worse for yourself."

"N-never!" Ricky gasped. "I won't… give up… on my Nakama…"

"Have it your way then," Ms. Valentine replied. "6,000 kilograms." **Krak!** Another one of Ricky's ribs broke under the additional thousand kilograms of weight.

**BANG! BANG!** Usopp had been holding still and had been easily hit but Carue was moving too fast for Mr. 5's continuous barrage of explosive bullets to hit him. The duck had already run his rope around the entire wax statue and all around the giant. Usopp's plan was ready, now they just needed fire. **BOOM! BOOM!**

"OKAY EVERYONE, IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP!" Luffy shouted as he dragged Mr. 3 over to a portion of the oil-soaked rope.

"It'll be hot…" a singed Usopp groaned from the ground. "But it's the only way… they should be alright…"

"STOP IT! LET GO!" Mr. 3 whined as Luffy pulled him down by the hair and brought the flame to the oily rope. "AAAAHHHH!"

**FWOOSH! **The flame in Mr. 3's hair ignited the length of the rope in front of him and it immediately ignited and followed the rest of the oil-soaked rope toward the was sculpture. Flames shot up above the trees around the clearing as the fire caught on everything and began melting the wax.

**-x-**

Does this count as a cliff-hanger? Either way the battle concludes next chapter. Mr. 3 claims that Luffy can't beat him because he's just a fool who relies only on instinct.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	14. Chapter 14

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own One Piece or any of its characters. This is a fan-made work of fiction, aptly named FanFiction.

**Instinct:**

**-x-**

Luffy, Usopp, Carue, Mr. 5, Ms. Goldenweek, Ricky, and Ms. Valentine stared at the large flames covering the Candle Service Set and the wax covered bodies of Nami, Zoro, Vivi, and Broggy. **FWOOOOOM!** The wax started melting and Mr. 3 screamed as his Candle Champion gave way to the heat and started melting too.

"OOOOHH! OOHHHH! AAAHHH!" Mr. 3 shrieked as Luffy stood on top of the melting remains of the Candle Champion.

"Uhh… whoops," said Luffy, "I hope the others don't get all burned up."

"CURSE YOU, YOU STUPID STRAW HAT PIRATE!" Mr. 3 yelled. "YOU DESTROYED MY PRECIOUS CANDLE SET! HOW DARE YOU SHOW SUCH DISREGARD FOR ARTISTIC INTEGRITY!" Mr. 3 pulled himself out of his melting suit of armor and took off running into the jungle.

Ms. Goldenweek took one last look at Ms. Valentine who was hypnotized by Passion Purple into thinking she was in love with Ricky. Ms. Valentine was still straddling Ricky's chest and was attempting to prove her love to him by beating him in a fight.

"Time to go," Ms. Goldenweek announced. "Have fun you two." She headed off into the jungle after Mr. 3.

"NO, YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY WITH THIS!" Luffy called out as he chased after them.

"QUACK, QUACK!" Carue quacked as he dodged falling globs of wax and ran after Luffy.

"Damn it!" Mr. 5 snapped. "How dare you mock Baroque Works Agents!"

"I don't care if there _are_ flames burning all around us!" Ms. Valentine told Ricky. "I'm not getting up until you give up. Tell me you love me and I'll stop. I'm doing this for you!"

"Not gonna happen," Ricky replied, blood was coming out of his mouth, at least three of his ribs were broken and he had countless internal injuries. But he refused to give up.

"Kyahahaha," Ms. Valentine giggled, "that's what I expected. You're so tough. Let's see how much you can handle. 7,000 kilograms… 8,000 kilograms…" **KRAK! KRAK!** The tell-tale sign of two more of Ricky's ribs cracking under the Baroque Works Agent's immense weight rang out.

**Koff!** Ricky coughed up blood, "Nothing you can do to me will make me quit, Airhead."

"I'll prove my love!" Ms. Valentine assured him, "even if I have to cripple you to do it! 9,000 kilograms… 10,000 KILOGRAMS!"

"Ugghhhh…" Ricky groaned as Ms. Valentine's maximum weight pressed down on him. "I… won't… quit…"

"INCREDIBLE!" Ms. Valentine exclaimed. "I weigh 10,000 kilograms! You're still conscious! I'm so impressed!"

"See Airhead…" said Ricky, "I don't think it's gonna work out…"

"I'LL STILL WIN!" Ms. Valentine assured him. "I'll win this fight by crushing you! Then you'll love me!" Ms. Valentine lowered her weight to one kilogram and leapt off of Ricky and up into the air.

"This is gonna hurt…" Ricky muttered as he laid on his back and stared up at the blonde Officer Agent. "I can't move…"

"10,000 KILO PRESS!" Ms. Valentine shouted as she started to gain weight and began her decent.

**SKISH!** A bright red figure burst out of the flames that were around the remains of the Candle Service Set and slammed a bow staff into Ms. Valentine's face, **WHOMP!** The blonde officer agent was knocked out of the air and down to the ground,** BOOOM!**

Ms. Valentine hit the ground and landed on her back, **POUNCE!** Nami landed on top of her and pressed the shaft of her bow staff into the blonde's neck under her chin and proceeded to strangle her with it.

"What good are your Devil Fruit Powers now?" Nami snarled. Her long-sleeved shirt had been burned off in the fire, now she wore a dark blue bra, her yellow skirt, sandals, and the Log Pose on her wrist. "TAKE THIS YOU BLONDE-HAIRED BIMBO!"

"Uhhh… catfight…" Ricky weakly groaned from his spot on the ground.

**TMP!** Vivi leapt out of the flames and landed next to him, then carefully bent down and helped him up. "Will you be alright, Mr. One Eye?" she asked. She was still fully clothed but her clothes had all been burned by the fire.

"I'll be fine," Ricky assured her as he staggered backwards and held his broken ribs. "Nice timing."

"I offered to help her," Vivi explained as she watched Nami choke the Officer Agent unconscious with her bow staff, "But she insisted that she could handle it herself."

Vivi cast wary glance at Nami, then leaned in and whispered in Ricky's ear, "I'd be careful if I were you," she warned him. "The wax didn't entirely fill our ears. We could still hear… perfectly."

Ricky winced, "I don't suppose you'd be willing to knock me unconscious?" he requested. Vivi shook her head. "Damn, didn't think so."

"Blonde hussy…" Nami muttered to herself as she got off of the now unconscious Ms. Valentine and walked over to Ricky and Vivi.

"That was really hot," Nami commented as she walked over. "Couldn't you have thought up another plan?"

**KOFF! KOFF! **Ricky finally noticed Nami's partially clothed state and started coughing, it wasn't only because of his internal injuries.

"You're being a little picky here don't you think?" asked Usopp as he staggered back up. "Aren't you at least a little bit grateful?"

"I've got at least six broken ribs, I've been blown up twice, and I had to deal with an annoying blonde with an insane crush on me," Ricky recapped, "And _you're_ complaining about a little uncomfortable heat?"

"You've got a point there," Nami admitted as leaned in and quickly kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for keeping me from getting turned into a wax statue."

Ricky stared at her, then caught Nami off guard when he leaned in and kissed _her _on the cheek. "Thanks for keeping me from getting crushed," he replied as he flashed her a foxy smile. Nami's skin already had a red tint to it due to the fire and the melting wax so her blush went unseen.

"Uh... let's get out of here before blondie decides to wake up," Nami resolved. "That purple paint refuses to come off."

"I can't believe we're actually alive," Vivi commented, "thank you."

Ricky turned away from them and staggered towards the jungle, "If you'll excuse me. I've got a score to settle. _No one_ kicks me in the jewels and gets away with it."

"**NOBODY MOVE!" **Mr. 5 called out as he aimed his gun at the three Straw Hats and the Princess. "You may have gotten out of the wax but I've had enough. We simply can not afford for you to screw up our mission anymore."

"Go Ricky, I'll cover you!" Usopp assured him as he pulled out his slingshot and loaded something into it. Ricky turned and ran off. "HEY, MR 5! SURE-KILL EXPLODING STAR!" **THWANG!**

Ricky reached the trees and put two fingers in his mouth then let out a loud whistle, **SWEEE! SWEEE!** "Oi, Tim! I need you!"

**CHOMP!** Mr. 5 opened his mouth and easily swallowed Usopp's attack. **GULP! **"You fool!" Mr. 5 taunted. "Haven't you figured out that your pathetic explosives don't affect me at all? They're nothing to an exploding man!"

"You took the bait," Usopp replied with a smirk.

"Ugghh…" Mr. 5 suddenly started sweating, whatever he'd just swallowed wasn't sitting right. And whatever it was, it _wasn't_ gunpowder.

"I'm sorry," Usopp apologized, "But I just told a little lie. That wasn't an Exploding Star. That was my Extra-Special Tabasco Star!"

"GAAH! SPIIICYYYY!" Mr. 5 screamed, he tilted his head up and flames shot up out of his mouth and above the tree-line, **FWOOOOSH!**

"AHAHAHAHAHA!" Usopp laughed. "I tested its effectiveness _personally_." He remembered the time he'd gotten the Tabasco sauce in his eye, it wasn't pleasant.

"Ughhh…" Mr. 5 groaned as he dropped down to his knees, "Damn you stupid pirate!" **KOFF! KOFF! KOFF!** "I REFUSE TO LET YOU MAKE A MOCKERY OF ME!" Mr. 5 got up and charged at Usopp, "TIME OF A FULL BODY EXPLOSION! THERE WON'T EVEN BE BONES LEFT!"

**Whap!** Mr. 5 ran over and grabbed Usopp before he had a chance to get away. "Ahh! Ahh! Let go of me!" Usopp shrieked as he struggled against the agent's hold on him. "Ahh! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! Please let go!"

"LET HIM GO!" Nami yelled as she and Vivi readied the respective weapons and prepared to fight. But they didn't need to.

**FWOOSH!** The flames around the wax puddle that had once been the Candle Service Set flickered as Zoro charged out of them wielding all three of his swords. "FLAMING… DEMON SLICE!" Zoro shouted, the swordsman and all three of his blades were covered in flames as he reached Mr. 5 and slashed him with his flames swords. **SHWAK!**

"AAAHHH!" Mr. 5 screamed as blood splashed out of the burning wound on his chest. Zoro had passed him and stood with his back to him as Mr. 5 hit the ground… and exploded, **KA-BOOOOOM!**

**Klik!** Zoro stood in front of the huge explosion and looked bad-ass put his swords away. "A flaming sword… not bad," he commented.

"ZORO!" Nami exclaimed. The flames on Mr. 5 went out and he seemed to recover from the explosion but was out cold.

Broggy started moving and slammed his hand down to the ground, **THOOOM! **His entire body was engulfed in flames but he was still alive.

"Hey there," Zoro greeted him. "Good to see that you made it out alive."

"Heh, yeah," Broggy agreed as he glanced over his shoulder at Dorry who was still lying on the ground where he'd fallen as a result of Mr. 3's interference with the giants' battle.

"Master?" Usopp called up to Broggy, he was concerned when he saw the sad look on the giant's face while he surveyed his fallen opponent.

"So now it seems only two foes are left," Broggy commented as he sat down beside the pirates and the princess. Luffy, Carue, and Ricky had that covered.

**-x-**

"BIRD GUY, LET'S GO!" Luffy called out as he and Carue ran through the jungle in pursuit of Mr. 3 and Ms. Goldenweek.

"Quack!" Carue replied.

"Real men don't interfere in someone else's fight!" the shirtless pirate growled.

"**HOOHOOHAHAHA!"** Mr. 3's laughed rang through the jungle. Luffy and Carue suddenly came to a stop and spotted Mr. 3, all thirty of him.

"**So good of you to come,"** Mr. 3's voice greeted him. The only problem was, Luffy couldn't tell which Mr. 3 was the real Mr. 3.

The clearing in front of them was filled with wax copies of Mr. 3. He was standing in the middle of the clearing, leaning against a tree, five more Mr. 3s were gathered around a pair of rocks. They were all painted so they looked exactly like them, except none of them were moving.

"**I've been expecting you,"** Mr. 3's voice came from somewhere in the group of thirty Mr. 3s. **"Welcome to my Wax Wax Mansion!"**

"What's going on?" Luffy wondered as he stared at all the Mr. 3s.

"**Why just a little game of Hide and Seek,"** Mr. 3 replied. **"Can you figure out which one is me? Hoohoo****haahaahaa! I'd say you picked the wrong group of people to go up against."**

"Quack… quack…" said Carue as he frantically scanned the crowd of Mr. 3s for any movement. Luffy stood silently beside him and stared out into the group of Mr. 3s.

"**You're no matc****h for my intellectual prowess and artistic abilities!"** Mr. 3's voice bragged. **"You're just another buffoon who acts on blind instinct and uses brute force to solve all his problems! You can't hope to catch an intellectual giant like me! HOOHOOHAAHAAHAA!"**

The real Mr. 3 grinned evilly in his hiding place as he called out, **"I am a Baroque Works Officer Agent. Every assignment that is given to me, I see through to its end! So if you think you're ready then just step forward! Hoohoohaahaahaa!"**

"…" Luffy silently stared at the large gathered group of Mr. 3s. The real Mr. 3 had hid himself perfectly and couldn't be seen talking or laughing. Carue looked completely confused.

"**That's right, just take a little step," **Mr. 3 encouraged Luffy. **"But as soon as your ba****ck is turned… I'm going to stab you…" SHEEEN! **The real Mr. 3 discreetly drew a dagger and held it at his side ready to stab Luffy when he came close enough. **"… right through that pathetically noble little heart of yours! HOOHOOHAAHAAHAA!"**

"…" Luffy continued to silently stare at the clearing filled with Mr. 3s, then he made his decision. He pulled back his leg then shot it out, "GUM… GUM…" **SHOOOM! **"STAMP!"** THWHAM!** Luffy's foot slammed into the real Mr. 3's face and drove him back into the tree he was standing in front of, **WHAM!**

Mr. 3 was left with a sandal-print on his face, "Ughhh…" he groaned. "How… could you have known… that this… is where I was?" **THUD!** Mr. 3 went crashing down to the ground and was out old.

"Instinct," Luffy bluntly stated.

After seeing Mr. 3 go down, Ms. Goldenweek quietly tried to make her own escape. But Carue heard her, then spotted her making her way through some trees.

"QUAAAACK!" Carue cried out as he charged the painter.

"EEEK!" Ms. Goldenweek squeaked in terror.

She turned and changed direction… and was met with the sight of a giant bluish-green tyrannosaurus and a red-haired pirate on top of it.

"Tim, use screech!" Ricky ordered.

**RAAAAAWWWWRRRRRRRR! **The huge Tyrannosaurus opened its mouth and roared at the remaining Baroque Works Agent.

Ms. Goldenweek flinched.

"Alright, now follow up with Iron Tail!" Ricky instructed. **SWISH! WHOMP! **The dinosaur spun around and smashed his massive tail into Ms. Goldenweek. The Baroque Works Agent went flying and was knocked out when she slammed into a big tree. **WHAM!**

Ricky turned to his two animal companions, "Good job Tim, you too Carue." Carue whimpered slightly as he stared up at the tyrannosaurus. Then Luffy noticed it.

"WHOOOAA!" Luffy exclaimed, "RICKY, WHERE'D YOU GET THAT LIZARD?"

"He kind of found me," Ricky admitted, "Want a lift?"

"YEAH!" Luffy quickly agreed.

**-x-**

Sanji was sitting alone in Mr. 3's empty wax hut and was helping himself to a cup of tea. "Mmmm, Earl Grey is perfect addition to the afternoon," Sanji casually commented as he sipped his tea. He suddenly sat up straighter and looked up in alarm, "HOLD ON! WHAT AM I DOING? I shouldn't be sitting here all relaxed, just casually sipping tea without a single care in the world! Miss. Nami, Miss. Vivi, and the others could be waiting out there right now for me to come and help them!"

**Klink!** Sanji put his cup down and stood up. "I am curious about one thing though," Sanji admitted out loud. "What is a nice relaxing place like this doing smack in the middle of a creepy jungle?"

Sanji was about to leave when a box on the other side of the hut started shaking and ringing.** RRING! RRRING! RRRING!**

"What…" said Sanji as he slowly approached the shaking box. **RRING! RRING! RRRING! **Sanji knelt down in front of the box and opened it. The object making the ringing inside the box was a Transponder Snail. **RRING! RRRING! RRRING!**

"A Transponder Snail?" questioned Sanji as he took the ringing snail out of the box and placed it on the table. It was purple with a black mustache and had a darker purple and teal vertically striped shell. There was a gray dial on the side of it and written in black on both sides of the top of the shell was 'Mr. 3'. **RRING! RRRING! RRRING!**

**Klak!** Sanji picked up the receiver and brought it to him, finally stopping the ringing. Sanji sat down and spoke into his end. "Yeah… hello, you've reached the Crap Café. Can I take your order?"

"_**You can quit fooling around now, jackass,"**_ came the deep gravelly voice on the other end. _**"Now then, your**__** report's a little bit late, don't you think?"**_

"My report you say?" Sanji repeated. "And with whom exactly am I speaking please?"

"_**Me. Mr. 0."**_

Sanji scowled, he recognized that name.

**-x-**

**Snail-O-Phone:**

**-x-**

Luffy, Ricky, Carue, and the unconscious Ms. Goldenweek rode Tim out of the jungle and over to the clearing the rest of the Straw Hats were in.

"Thanks Tim," said Ricky as he grabbed Ms. Goldenweek and leapt off of the dinosaur. Luffy and Carue followed him off and Tim headed off into the jungle.

"I've got to clean myself off and then I've got a bet to settle," Ricky informed anyone that cared to listen. Ricky groaned as he hefted Ms. Goldenweek over his shoulder then grabbed Ms. Valentine by the back of her dress and Mr. 5 by the back of his coat. "I'll be back eventually." With that Ricky carried the three agents off into the jungle intent on taking their stuff due to the conditions of the bet he made with Mr. 3

**-x-**

"BWWAA! BWAAAAHAAHAA!" Broggy cried over the death of his opponent and friend Dorry. Giant tears rained down on the gathered Straw Hats, the Princess, and the duck. A rainbow appeared behind the huge streams of tears.

"Look at that!" Luffy exclaimed. "His tears are making a rainbow!"

The Straw Hats, Vivi, and Carue all covered their ears to muffle Broggy's loud sobs.

"BWAAA! BWAAAHAAHAAHAA!"

"With all this crying, we'll drown here!" Nami complained.

"It's practically a waterfall," Zoro remarked as the tears fell like heavy rain and created a large puddle around the giant.

"So sad!" Usopp sobbed as he wiped away his own tears. "Master Broggy!"

"BWWAAAHAAHAAHAAAHAA!"

The constant sheet of tears caused Dorry's fingers to twitch, his eyes slowly opened. DORRY WAS ALIVE! **THOOM! **Dorry drove his sword into the ground and used it to pull himself to his feet.

"BWAAAAHH?" Broggy's eyes bugged out as he stared at his 'dead' opponent.

"DORRY! YOU'RE ALIVE!" Broggy exclaimed.

"I must've lost consciousness," Dorry admitted. "Uhhh…"

**-x-**

Ricky had cleaned off of his clothes and fixed his injuries as best he could before he returned to the clearing where he'd left Ms. Goldenweek, Ms. Valentine, and Mr. 5.

Mr. 5 was still bleeding and burned from where Zoro had slashed him, Ms. Goldenweek was still out from when Ricky had punched her, but Ms. Valentine appeared to be coming to. "Oh… you're awake…" he realized.

"Huh…" said Ms. Valentine as she slowly sat up and gingerly held her throat. Then she spotted Ricky. "YOU'RE STILL HERE! After that whore choked me out, I thought you'd leave and I'd never see you again! YOU CAME BACK FOR ME!"

"Actually… I'm just here to collect on the bet I made with Mr. 3," Ricky admitted. _"Great, she's still hypnotized. The paint won't come off so I have to figure out a way to get her to remov__e her dress."_

"NO! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!" Ms. Valentine pleaded as she threw herself at him and hugged his legs.

"Calm down and listen to me for a minute," Ricky ordered.

"…" Ms. Valentine quieted and stared up at him.

"You're under the effects of the painter-girl's paint," Ricky bluntly explained. "Your feelings for me aren't real."

"YES THEY ARE!" Ms. Valentine argued. "I LOVE YOU!"

"Then take your dress off and prove it," Ricky suggested. "If your feelings are real, nothing will happen. If they're not, well… you'll be back to normal."

"Kyahahahaha," Ms. Valentine giggled, "If you wanted to see me in my underwear, all you had to do was ask." Ms. Valentine winked at him and grabbed the sides of her dress and began to pull it up. The second her white panties came into view, Ricky quickly turned around. "HEY! I'm doing this for you! The least you could do is look!"

"If you still want me to look when you're done, then I will," Ricky told her.

"Hmph," Ms. Valentine huffed as she pulled her dress the way off, during the process her yellow hat got pulled off along with it. The singed dress and hat hit the ground and Ms. Valentine stood there in her skimpy white bra and panties, and her white heels.

Snapping out of the hypnotic trance, Ms. Valentine stared around her in surprise. She eventually spotted Ricky. "ONE EYE!" she exclaimed. "I'LL FINISH YOU FOR GOOD THIS TIME!"

"Stop, you've already lost," Ricky told her.

"What?" she asked confused.

"You don't remember anything that happened when you were hypnotized," Ricky realized/explained. "The fight is already over. All four of you have lost. Look at your dress if you don't believe me."

Ms. Valentine glanced at her dress and saw the purple symbol on it. Then it finally dawned on her that she was standing in front of an enemy IN HER UNDERWEAR!

"YOU PERVERT!" she shrieked as she clutched her dress to her for cover.

"The painter girl put some fast-drying paint over the purple," Ricky informed her. "It made it impossible to smear. The only way to snap you out of your hypnotized state was to get you to take your dress off. Believe it or not, you're a lot less annoying now than you were when you were hypnotized."

"Then why are you still here?" Ms. Valentine demanded.

"One of the things that you _should _remember is that I made a bet with Mr. 3," Ricky reminded her. "My Nakama and I won the fight. That means I get to enact the Pirate's Code without repercussion."

"What do you want?" Ms. Valentine asked. She surveyed her outfit, she'd lost both of her lemon earrings over the course of the fight, her white heels were covered in dirt, her yellow hat was a little less dirty but still looked disgusting, her dress was torn, dirty, and stained with paint. The only thing she had on her that was in decent condition was her underwear. And she _definitely _wasn't going to part with that. "I… don't have anything of value on me. Mr. 5 always carried all of our money, and Mr. 3 and Ms. Goldenweek had all our supplies."

"Then I'll just take your umbrella," Ricky resolved.

"But then I can't float as high!" Ms. Valentine protested.

"Then I'll be doing the world a service," Ricky retorted, he turned away from Ms. Valentine and wlaked over to Mr. 5 and began picking his pockets. He came away with the Bomb Man's revolver, a sack of what he sensed was 250,000 berries worth of treasure, and his sunglasses. After organizing Mr. 5 things in his multiple pockets Ricky went over to Ms. Goldenweek and pulled the girl's blue backpack off of her and slipped it onto his shoulder, then carefully removed the girl's bracelets and golden necklace and placed the jewelry in his bottom left pocket.

"And that's that," Ricky concluded. "Take care Airhead. I'm not sure how the paint works, but I'd suggest washing it off before putting your dress back on again. Otherwise things could get awkward for you and your fellow agents."

Ms. Valentine stared after him as he headed off but Ms. Goldenweek opened her eyes and sat up. "Wait!" she called out. "Please… leave my paints."

Ricky turned around and raised an eyebrow, "Why would I leave the things you get your powers from?" he asked, "especially after what you put me through at the expense of your fellow agent?"

"If you take those, we'll have no way off this island," Ms. Goldenweek meekly told him. "We don't have a Log Pose and Mr. 3 will most likely flee the island and leave the three of us here to die."

"Die?" Ricky repeated, "It's not that bad here. And you've got the nose-picker and Airhead with you. You'll hardly be defenseless."

"You don't understand," Ms. Goldenweek attempted to explain. "When Mr. 0 learns that we failed our mission, he'll send the Unluckies or a higher ranking agent to kill us. That's what Mr. 3 and I just finished doing before this. Mr. 6 and Ms. Mother's Day failed their mission and Mr. 3 was ordered to kill them. We're all disposable tools to Mr. 0."

Ms. Goldenweek pushed herself up to her knees and outright begged, "Please!" She pleaded. "I don't want to take over Alabasta. I didn't even want to in the first place. The only way I could think of to survive getting off this island without a Log Pose is by taming a bird like you did. To do that, I need my paints. Please, I'll do anything."

Ms. Valentine progressively paled as she listened to Ms. Goldenweek and Ricky's conversation. Ms. Goldenweek was right, this was the second mission that she and Mr. 5 had failed. Mr. 0 would send someone to kill them. Without her umbrella she couldn't float them off the island, and they couldn't escape by boat because they didn't have a Log Pose. Their fate rested in the hands of pirate that she'd _personally_ attempted to kill on multiple occasions. He was perfectly within his rights to tell them to drop dead and walk off. That's what _she_ would do in his situation. There was no way a dirty pirate would be willing to save their lives, especially after whatever had happened when she had been hypnotized.

Ricky took a deep breath and surprised Ms. Valentine by saying something she never expected, "What did you have in mind?"

**-x-**

In Mr. 3's wax hut, Sanji stared in surprise at the Transponder Snail. _"Mr. 0," _Sanji thought to himself, _"I've heard that name somewhere before. Wasn't that the name of the Boss-guy that Miss. Vivi was so frightened of? But that would mean… that the perso__n on the other end of this Transponder Snail… is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."_

"_**It's been a long time since I issued your orders Mr. 3," **_the deep gravelly voice of Mr. 0 came across the Transponder Snail. He was a large, well-dressed man with dark hair, _**"What's happening on that island?"**_

"_Alright," _Sanji said to himself, _"So I guess this Mr. 3 character is the owner of this transponder snail. I think I have this figured out now. This little place here is an enemy hideout, and someone named Mr. 3 __was ordered by someone named Mr. 0 to come to this island and kill Vivi. DAMN IT! What was I thinking? This was no time for me to be out on a hunting trip! I hope that they're all still okay."_

"Shit," Sanji cursed.

"_**Well… are you going to answer me?" **_questioned Mr. 0. A hand adorned with numerous expensive rings poured some water into a glass filled with ice cubes. _**"When I ask a question, I expect an answer! Have you eliminated Princess Vivi and the Straw Hats as you were ordered?"**_

"Oh yeah," Sanji answered. "The mission was successful. I eliminated all those pesky brats like you said to. Your secret is completely protected. So there's no need to keep going after them anymore."

"_**I see,"**_ Mr. 0 replied as he casually reached out and prodded a flower that was in a water-filled vase in front of him. _**"As we speak the Unluckies are headed your way in order to confirm the success of your mission, and to deliver a certain… package." **_Mr. 0 removed the flower from the vase and carefully held it between his fingers.

"The Unluckies, of course," said Sanji. "And a package?"

"_**It's Eternal Pose that will point you to Alabasta Kingdom," **_Mr. 0 explained as he placed the stem of the flower in his water glass and used it to stir his drink. _**"Once that arrives, you and Ms. **__**Goldenweek will head for Alabasta. It's time for the next phase of the plan." **_Mr. 0, or Crocodile, sat in a spacious dark room. Across from him was his namesake, an ENORMOUS crocodile… except it had a banana on its head for some reason. _**"We are about to beg**__**in embarking on our most important operation to date. Details will follow after you reach Alabasta, wait for my orders."**_

Sanji turned away from his phone call with the enemy and noticed a vulture and an otter standing in the round windows in the side of the wax hut. IT WAS THE UNLUCKIES!

"What the heck are those?" Sanji wondered as he eyed Mr. 13 and Ms. Friday.

**FWIP!** Ms. Friday pulled her wings up and momentarily hid herself from view, then moved them to reveal a double-barreled cannon that was now strapped to her back. **CHUCK-A-CHIK!** Sanji flinched when he realized that the vulture's cannon was now armed.

**WISH! **Mr. 13 pulled out a clam shell, then pulled apart to reveal that it was actually two spiked gauntlets that the otter easily held in his hands.

"_**Mr. 3, what was that?" **_Mr. 0 demanded.

"Oh uh… it's nothing really," Sanji assured him.

**POW! POW! POW! POW! BOOM!** Ms. Friday opened fire and attempted to blast the cook with her cannon. But Sanji shot out of his seat and ducked behind the table.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" Sanji exclaimed as Ms. Friday continued firing. **POW! POW! POW! POW! **The tea set shattered and holes were blasted in the walls as Sanji remained behind the table.

**Skish!** Mr. 13 leapt out of his window and charged Sanji with his spiked gauntlets ready. **SWISH! SWISH! **Sanji dodged the otter's first attack as well as the follow-up attack.

"So I guess you're trying to kill me, huh?" questioned Sanji. "Well bring it on, ya four-eyed monkey!" **THWAK!** Sanji lashed out his leg and kicked Mr. 13 in the back of the head, sending the otter slamming into the wax wall and knocking it out. The two clam-shell gauntlets clattered to the ground beside him.

"Alright you, what now?" Sanji challenged Ms. Friday. The vulture replied by opening fire, **POW! POW****! POW! POW! **Sanji flipped forward onto his hands and dodged the attack, then shot his legs down and locked them around the Ms. Friday's neck, **WHAP! **"So what are you gonna do now, you over-grown chicken!" **KER-RACK!** Sanji spun to the side and snapped Ms. Friday's neck. The vulture fell out of the window and dropped to the ground unconscious, **THUD!**

"_**HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON?" **_Mr. 0 demanded. _**"ANSWER ME MR. 3!"**_

Sanji ran over to the phone and picked up his end, "Hey!" he replied. "Well… nothing. It's just… that damn Straw Hat was still alive. It's okay though, I finished him off real good. No need to worry."

"_**What do you mean he was still alive?"**_ asked Mr. 0 in a menacing tone. He reached out and gripped the flower in between his fingers and the water in his glass suddenly started draining, leaving just an ice-filled cup. _**"I thought you told me just a moment ago that you said your mission was completed successfully?" **_Mr. 0 continued to pinch the flower between his fingers and watched as it withered up and died, then disintegrated into dust. _**"Isn't that correct?"**_

"Yes, that is what I said," Sanji admitted. "I mean, I absolutely thought it was completed then but that Straw Hat guy is really a lot tougher than you'd expect."

"_**So let me see if I understand,"**_ Mr. 0 commented._**"The report you gave me was a complete lie?"**_

"Well… yeah…" Sanji reluctantly confessed. "When you put it that way, I guess the report wasn't the truth. But now I've gotten rid of that Straw Hat for sure! So there's no need for you to send anyone else after him or the others."

"_**Very well,"**_ said Mr. 0. _**"Take the Pose and head straight to Alabasta from there immediately. Do you understand me?"**_

**-x-**

"How are you still alive?" asked Nami as the Straw Hats and Vivi stared up at Broggy and Dorry.

"The weapons," Dorry answered. "They saved me."

"Weapons?" Usopp repeated, "OH YEAH! That makes sense! Not even weapons made in Elbaph could hold up after a hundred years of giants dueling to the death with them. They must be dull by now! Ahh, well that's a relief! Ahahahaha! It's a miracle really."

"GEBABABABA!" Broggy laughed/cried as he hugged Dorry.

"Broggy… would you let go?" Dorry requested. "I'm a little sore here!"

"I'm so glad you're still alive Dorry!" Broggy exclaimed. "It's amazing! Gebababababa!"

"Gegyagyagyagya!" Dorry laughed along with his friend.

"Come on, this wasn't a miracle," Zoro cut in. "The fact that those weapons are still intact after a century of fighting is the miraculous thing. They should be scrap by now, I'm surprised they lasted this long."

"THANK YOU GOD OF ELBAPH FOR THIS WONDERFUL DAY!" Broggy exclaimed, now that both he and Dorry had survived, he was still as devout as ever.

"Oh, is that true Broggy?" questioned Dorry. "You're saying that fighting me while I was injured, cutting me down and knocking me out, was all wonderful?"

"DON'T BE AN IDIOT DORRY!" Broggy argued, "That's not what I'm saying and you know it!" **WHAP!** Broggy slammed Dorry on the back of the shoulder.

"Would you keep your hands off my wounds?" Dorry complained. "Gegyagyagyagya!"

"Gebababababa!" Broggy laughed, but he was cut off when Dorry punched him in the chest, **POW! **Broggy retaliated and punched Dorry in the arm.

"YOU TRY DOING THAT AGAIN AND SEE HOW FAR YOU GET!" Dorry growled.

"OH YEAH?" Broggy replied. "I COULD TAKE YOU DOWN IN A HEARTBEAT!" The two giants stood and glared at each other, they looked ready to start fighting again.

"YEAH! DUEL!" Luffy cheered. "FIGHT!"

"YOU TWO ARE FIGHTING AGAIN, ALREADY?" Nami shouted.

**-x-**

**_"We'll have no more radio contact for now on,"_** Mr. 0 informed Sanji as he sat in the dark in his secret lair. "If the marines catch on to what we're doing that will be most unfortunate. From this point on, all of my orders will be sent via letter, following the usual protocol. That will be all Mr. 3. Good luck on your mission."

**CLICK!** Mr. 0 hung up his Transponder Snail and stood up and eyed Ms. All Sunday who was wearing a long purple coat and was casually petting the snout of the giant crocodile with the banana on its head.

"Ms. All Sunday," Crocodile called out to her.

"Yes sir?" Ms. All Sunday replied, as she continued petting the enormous reptile.

"I want you to send Mr. 2 to Little Garden immediately," Crocodile ordered. "Mr. 3 is on his way from Little Garden to Alabasta. I want you to see that he is eliminated."

"Perhaps that might be… a little extreme, Crocodile?" Ms. All Sunday suggested. She got up anyway.

"We still have plenty of agents to spare," he reminded her. "Are you arguing with me, Ms. All Sunday?"

"No, I'll make the arrangements at once," Ms. All Sunday agreed as she headed up a big set of stairs and left the room. "Consider it done."

**-x-**

Back at Little Garden, Sanji sat in Mr. 3's wax hut and stared at the quiet Transponder Snail. "Well he finally hung up," Sanji said to himself as he got up and approached the still forms of Mr. 13 and Ms. Friday. "I wonder who these guys were, they sure are funny looking."

Sanji suddenly spotted a glass ball in a wooden frame on the ground next to Mr. 13. Sanji bent down and picked it up. "What's this?

IT WAS THE ETERNAL POSE TO ALABASTA! The fight was over and the Straw Hats and Princess Vivi now had a way off of Little Garden.

**-x-**

Next chapter the Straw Hats have to leave Little Garden and head for Alabasta. But on the way out they encounter the main reason why pirates never manage to make it off Little Garden. Broggy and Dorry step up and decide to help and defend their pirate honor.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	15. Chapter 15

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own One Piece or any of its characters. This is a fan-made work of fiction, aptly named FanFiction.

**Pirate Pride:**

**-x-**

On Little Garden the Land of Giants, Broggy's laughter could be heard all around the island. It's not every day your best friend and rival comes back from the dead.

"GEBABABABABABA!" Broggy's booming laughter sounded around the island. "GEBABABABABA!"

"GEGYAGYAGYAGYA!" Dorry joined in with the laughter, he'd taken off his armor and his large body was now wrapped in bandages. "We've been fighting for so long that we completely forgot about the bounties that had been put on our heads! It has been a long time!"

"But I'm the whole reasoned the Baroque Works Agents came here in the first place," Vivi admitted, she felt guilty that everyone had almost been killed because of her. "It's my fault."

**Tweek!** Nami pinched her cheek, "None of that any more, okay?" Nami scolded her.

"Yeah, come on Vivi," Luffy called out. He was still shirtless from the battle and was sitting with Usopp, and Carue as they ate Ms. Goldenweek's leftover rice crackers. "Here, have a rice cracker."

Nami sweat-dropped, "Uh… guys… where did you get those?" she asked.

"I know!" Luffy announced as he turned to Usopp and Carue and raised his rice cracker up over his head. "Let's have a Rice Cracker Party!"

"Rice crackers aren't that exciting though," Usopp pointed out as he peered into the bag.

"Sure they are!" Luffy insisted. "We can even toast with them!"

Nami turned to Vivi, "See, nobody's blaming you," she pointed out. Vivi reached up and held the spot on her face where Nami had pinched her. It was true, no one was mad at her.

"CHEERS!" Luffy called out as he smashed his rice cracker into Usopp's, **Krack! **The rice crackers broke and fell on the ground.

"Hey Luffy, don't do that!" Usopp complained, as he picked up the pieces of his broken rice cracker and dusted it off. "You can't just go wasting food like that, seriously, you should know better." Usopp went to eat the pieces of his broken cracker when Luffy tackled him.

"HEY WHAT'RE YOU DOING?" Luffy demanded. "WHO SAID YOU COULD HAVE MY CRACKER? GIVE IT!"

"HEY, IT'S MINE!" Usopp protested.

"Ungghh…" Nami groaned as she scratched at an itchy pink mark on her bare stomach. Her t-shirt had been burned off in the fire, so now she was just wearing her dark blue bra, her yellow skirt, her Log Pose, and her sandals.

"What's with you?" Zoro asked, as he calmly sat on a rock with his swords next to him.

"Nothing," Nami replied dismissively, "Just a bug bite."

"I still can't believe we have to wait here a year for the Log Pose to reset," Zoro complained.

"I know," Nami agreed as she called out to Luffy and Usopp who were rolling on the ground fighting over the rice cracker, Luffy ended up biting Usopp's hand which was still holding the rice cracker. The marksman was forced to surrender the rice cracker of lose the appendage. "IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT!"

"All of you helped save us from those other guys," said Broggy. "If we can, we would really like to return the favor."

Luffy jumped up onto a big rock and addressed the giants, "Well maybe you guys could do something about our Log Pose so we won't be stuck here," Luffy suggested.

"I'm afraid the Log Pose is the one thing that we can't help you with," Dorry regrettably informed him. Broggy also looked disappointed that they couldn't help their tiny friends.

"**AH! MISS. NAMI! MISS. VIVI! And all the rest of you…"** Sanji cried out as he came dancing out of the jungle, happy to see the two women okay, and slightly less enthusiastic about the guys all being alright.

"Hey Sanji!" Luffy greeted the cook with a wave. Usopp and Carue glared at the cook who'd been absent for the entire fight.

"I'M SO HAPPY YOU'RE ALL OKAY!" Sanji called out as walked over with a big smile on his face. "SO HAPPY! SO HAPPY!"

"Of course he's happy, the big useless jerk," Usopp grumbled. "He shows up after we've taken care of everything!"

"Quack," Carue agreed.

It took a few seconds for Sanji to get over the sight of Nami and Vivi, but eventually he spotted the two giants. "GGAAAHH!" Sanji shouted in surprise. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? IS ONE OF YOU GUYS MR. 3?"

"Wait… just how do you know about Mr. 3 anyway?" Nami asked.

Sanji turned to face Nami and his eyes turned into hearts and bugged out of his head when he saw the navigator's state of undress. Her shirt had been burned off and now she was only wearing a yellow skirt, a dark blue bra, and her sandals. "Whoooa Nami!" Sanji gasped. "You look absolutely amazing in that outfit!"

"Say that again!" Nami growled as she clenched her fist.

"Now Nami," Sanji lightly scolded her as he slipped off his suit jacket leaving him in his blue button-down shirt and his black tie, "If you stand around like that all day you'll catch a cold. Here take my coat."

"Oh, thank you," Nami replied as she took Sanji's offered coat and put it on.

Sanji went and sat down on a rock and began to explain where he'd been during everything. "So I've been a kind of busy," Sanji explained. "I just finished talking to that Mr. 0 guy over a Transponder Snail."

"MR. 0?" Vivi repeated in shock.

"Yeah, that guy," Sanji answered, "I was talking to him in this weird hideout place that I found in the jungle. He thought I was some guy called Mr. 3 and I thought it'd be a good idea to let him believe it. Anyway, since I had 'im on the line, I went ahead and told him that we were all dead."

"So he thinks that he doesn't have to send people after us anymore," Vivi realized.

"So you're saying that we're finally free of people chasing us, now that we can't go anywhere anyway!" Usopp exclaimed, "Oh that is just perfect!"

"You can't go?" questioned Sanji. "Why is there still something that we need to take care of here? That's a real shame after I managed to get a hold of this thing." Sanji reached into his pocket and pulled out the Eternal Pose to Alabasta that he'd gotten from the four-eyed monkey.

Carue, Luffy, Usopp, Vivi, Nami, and Zoro all stared at Sanji with dropped jaws. "Uh… what?" said Sanji, wondering why they were looking at him like that.

"AN ETERNAL POST TO ALABASTA!" Luffy cheered. "ALRIGHT! NOW WE CAN SET SAIL! WOOHOO!" Luffy, Nami, Usopp, and Carue started jumping up and down and celebrating.

"Thank you so much Sanji!" Vivi exclaimed as she dashed towards the cook and hugged him. "I was really worried! Thank you!"

"No problem!" Sanji sighed with a big goofy smile and hearts in his eyes. "It was all my pleasure! I'm just glad I could make you happy Vivi!"

"**Does this mean you found a way off the island?" **came Ricky's voice as he walked out of the jungle into the clearing. He was wearing Mr. 5's sunglasses, had Ms. Goldenweek's backpack thrown over his shoulder, and was using Ms. Valentine's umbrella as a walking stick. A sack of gold, some jewelry, and a revolver were also somewhere on his person.

While the sight of Ricky and his winnings might have been… odd, what was really strange was the fact that the three people that he had won them from were walking behind him. Ms. Goldenweek was following him closely, as was Ms. Valentine who had washed the paint and dirt off of her dress, hat, and shoes and was now wearing her full outfit again. Mr. 5 was trailing behind them and looked grumpy.

"AAAAAH! THEY'RE STILL HERE!" Usopp screamed in terror at seeing the Baroque Works Agents.

"Hey Captain, would it be too much trouble to take these three off the island with us?" Ricky inquired as he led the three officer agents into the clearing.

"WHAT?" Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Vivi, Usopp, and even Carue shouted.

"THEY'RE OUR ENEMIES!" Usopp exclaimed.

"THEY TRIED TO KILL US!" Nami yelled.

"They don't have any other way off of the island," Ricky stated, he turned to Luffy. "I know we don't owe them anything… but it takes a year for the Log Pose to reset. They don't have another way off the island since I'm currently in possession of an umbrella and a pallet of paints. We came to an agreement that they'd stay out of the war in Alabasta if we could grant them safe passage off of the island. Since you're the Captain I wanted to get your approval."

Luffy stared at Ms. Goldenweek and Ms. Valentine who were standing behind Ricky and looked desperate, then glanced at Mr. 5 who was glaring at Ricky's back due to the fact that the one-eyed pirate was wearing _his _sunglasses even though he had his own pair of sunglasses in his pocket.

"They're our enemies," Luffy said.

"But the fight's over now," Ricky pointed out. "Now they're just a bunch of people with no way off of an island. Two of them can't swim and the other is pretty much helpless without her paints. I'll take full responsibility for them while they're on the ship, I just don't think it's right to leave them here to die."

"Die?" Luffy repeated.

"When Mr. 0 finds out that we failed out mission…" Ms. Goldenweek started to say.

"Twice," Ms. Valentine chimed in while Mr. 5 flinched.

"…He'll send another agent here to kill us," Ms. Goldenweek continued, "Probably Mr. 2 or maybe Mr. 1 and his partner. He punishes failure with death."

"You don't have to worry about that," Sanji assured her.

"Where've you been?" Ricky asked as he stared at the cook.

"I found this weird hut in the middle of the jungle," Sanji answered. "I had some tea and got a call from Mr. 0. He thought I was Mr. 3, so I told him that my mission to eliminate the Straw Hats was successful." Sanji showed them the Eternal Pose, "I got attacked by a chicken and monkey and kicked their asses and got this."

Ms. Goldenweek gasped while Mr. 5 looked stunned but Ms. Valentine's reaction was by far the most emotional.

"You beat the Unluckies?" Ms. Valentine questioned, she didn't look relieved instead she looked terrified. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE? They're Mr. 0's personal messengers! When they don't return to him after their delivery, he'll get suspicious! Even if you did tell him we completed our mission, he'll STILL send Mr. 1 or Mr. 2 to kill us!"

The blonde agent threw herself down on her knees beside Ricky and bowed to the Straw Hats, "PLEASE HAVE MERCY!" she begged. "I DON'T WANNA DIE!"

"Calm down," Ricky consoled her. "I promised you I'd get you off this island. Just give me some more time to convince them. Why don't the three of you say what we agreed on so I can begin persuading them?"

Ms. Valentine looked up and stared at the Straw Hats looking desperate, "If you take pity on us and help us get off this island, we promise to stay out of the war in Alabasta," she vowed.

"And we won't use our powers against you while we're on your ship," Mr. 5 added.

"Interfering in the giants' battle was Mr. 3's idea," Ms. Goldenweek said. "Our real mission was just to eliminate you. We were just following orders."

"Just like the Princess and her partner were just following orders when they tried to kill the whale and capture us at Whisky Peak," Ricky pointed out.

"I don't care what you promised them," Zoro protested. "Orders or not, they tried to kill us. If we bring them along, they could try it again."

"They just promised not to use their powers against us while on the ship," Ricky reminded him. "Besides, two of them can't swim, if they tried to sink our ship, they'd sink too. And… you've heard of the saying 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer' right? If we bring them along as sort-of prisoners, we can keep an eye on them and ensure they stay out of Baroque Works' plans against Alabasta. That's three less super-powered enemies to worry about."

"You've got a point," Zoro reluctantly agreed. "It'd be suicide for them to sink our ship, and I'd sleep sounder knowing that there are three less of them to get in our way. If you can convince the rest of them… I guess I'm okay with it."

The Straw Hats stared in surprise, Zoro, the most paranoid and untrusting one of them, had been the first to agree.

Ricky took Ms. Goldenweek's backpack off of his shoulder and rummaged through it, "Luffy, I noticed you have a bag of rice crackers there with you…" Ricky fished out another bag of rice crackers and showed them to the Captain.

"YAY! FOOD!" Luffy exclaimed. "SURE, THEY CAN COME! AND WE CAN HAVE A RICE CRACKER PARTY!" Ricky grinned and tossed the rice crackers to the Captain.

"What do you think Sanji?" Ricky asked the cook. "Should we lend a hand to two ladies in trouble?"

Sanji smiled at Ms. Valentine and Ms. Goldenweek. "Of course!" he quickly agreed. "You ladies won't have to worry about a thing! I'll protect you and make sure your every need is tended to!"

Ricky walked over to Carue and knelt down in front of him, "For a duck, you're really brave," Ricky told him. "You risked your life to save your Princess. Many grown men would've turned tail and run if faced with what you were faced with today. Even more would've failed trying to do what you did. But you did it, you saved her. Now I'm asking you to do something else that many grown men wouldn't be able to… can you look into your heart and find forgiveness? They want to leave this island and go home, just like you do. What do you say?"

Carue stared at the three Baroque Works Agents for a moment, then glanced at Ricky, "Quack!" he agreed with a nod.

Ricky smiled and patted him on the head, "Good duck."

Ricky stood up and turned to Usopp, "If we take them off the island with us, we'll probably be doing the giants a favor," he pointed out. "I don't think they'd want to play host to three people that almost ended their battle."

"It's true," Broggy admitted. "If they attacked us while they were here we'd have a new trio of skulls."

Ricky turned to Ms. Valentine, "Tell him what you told me."

"Oh, right…" Ms. Valentine agreed somewhat reluctantly. "Well… like we said… interfering in the giants' battle was Mr. 3's idea. I'm sorry we did it. Mr. 5 and I have blown up and crushed a lot of people… we did both to you but you still came back and fought us. I was impressed."

Usopp chest had swelled up from the praised. "What do you say?" Ricky asked the sniper. "You're an honorable warrior right, do you really want to have their deaths on your conscience when we can do something about it? It'd be the honorable thing to do."

"Alright, they can come," Usopp conceded.

Ricky nodded and walked over to Nami, he reached into his bottom left pocket and pulled out the sack of treasure he'd gotten from Mr. 5's coat. "There's two hundred fifty thousand berries in here," he informed her. "It's yours if you agree."

Nami stared at the sack of treasure, then cast a quick glance at Ms. Valentine, she stared back at the treasure, then glanced at Ms. Valentine.

"If this is about whatever I did while I was hypnotized, it was all the paint!" Ms. Valentine assured her. "I don't even _remember_ half the battle."

Nami glared at Ms. Valentine then snatched the sack away from Ricky, "Fine," she relented, "but they're your responsibility. If they do something wrong, I'm taking it out on you."

"I can agree to that," Ricky resolved, with that he walked over to Vivi. "Princess, we took a chance when we brought you and your partner to Whisky Peak. We ended up in a nest of bounty hunters. Despite that, we took another chance and agreed to get you back to your kingdom safely. Don't you think we could give them the same chance? If we do, they said they'd stay out of the problems between Baroque Works and your country. That'll be three less Officer Agents to worry about."

"You're a treasure hunter with a silver tongue," Vivi remarked. "Since it's alright with all of them, I guess it's alright with me too."

"And that's all of them," Ricky concluded as he turned back to the Baroque Works Agents. "Welcome aboard."

Mr. 5, Ms. Valentine, and Ms. Goldenweek stared wide-eyed at Ricky. They'd been skeptical when he said he'd convince his crew to bring them along. But he'd convinced all of them one after another. He'd also convinced _them_ that he was a Baroque Works Agent. Mr. 0 was in for some trouble when the Straw Hats finally reached Alabasta.

"Now that that's settled and we've got a way off the island, let's get going," Ricky suggested. "The Princess' Kingdom isn't gonna save itself right?"

"He's right," Nami agreed. "We don't have time to be sitting here."

"Zoro, hold on a sec," Sanji called out to the swordsman. "So uh… did you forget about our hunting contest?"

"Nope," Zoro replied, "hate to tell you this, but you lost. I caught a huge rhino."

"That doesn't sound very tasty," Sanji commented. "But I guess you can eat it."

"Sounds just fine to me," Zoro remarked.

"_Hunting contest?"_ both Broggy and Dorry thought to themselves.

"Something about that sounds familiar somehow," said Broggy.

"Hmm…" Dorry grunted as he tried to think of why that was so familiar.

"Hey, giant old guys!" Luffy called out to the two giants. "It's really been a lot of fun, but we've gotta go."

"Of course, right," Broggy replied, "We can tell that you need to get going."

"It's too bad that you have to leave so soon," Dorry admitted, he directed his attention toward Vivi, "I hope you get to your homeland in time."

"Me too," said Vivi. "Thank you."

"Bye giants," Ricky said simply before he turned to his crew, "I'll get us a ride back to the ship." Ricky let out a pair of whistles, **SWEE! SWEE! TweeeEEEEE!**

**GWA! **Bob the prehistoric bird came flying into the clearing followed by Tim the Tyrannosaurus who knocked down a few trees that were in his path.

"YOU CAN'T EXPECT US TO RIDE THAT THING!" Nami exclaimed.

"Sure I do," Ricky replied. "It's perfectly tame, watch." Ricky walked up to Tim, "SIT!" **TMP!** Like an obedient dog, the tyrannosaurus bent its long hind-legs and sat on the ground as ordered. "LIE DOWN!" Tim brought the rest of his body down onto the ground. "ROLL OVER!" **SKISH! SKISH!** The huge dinosaur rolled around on the ground like a dog. "LIE DOWN!" Tim resumed his previous position of lying flat on his belly on the ground.

Ricky turned back to the crew, "If there are no further objections… all aboard."

"WOOHOO! DINOSAUR RIDE!" Luffy cheered. He and Usopp jumped up onto the dinosaur's back then ran up its neck to the top of its head. "SEE YA! TRY NOT TO DIE ANYMORE!" Luffy shouted to the giants from on the dinosaur's head.

"Master! I'm going to go visit Elbaph someday!" Usopp vowed.

"You just wait and see," Sanji told Zoro, "my catch is much bigger than yours."

"Hmph, you wish," Zoro retorted as the two of them jumped onto the dinosaur's back. "Although, this thing's even bigger than my rhino… Ricky didn't kill it… he _tamed _it."

"Good thing he wasn't involved in the contest then," Sanji commented, "It's bigger than my catch too."

Nami, Vivi, and Carue went up the dinosaur's long tail and took seats on its back in front of Sanji and Zoro.

"QUACK!" Carue called out to the giants.

Ricky turned to the three agents, "Get on," he ordered.

Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine jumped up onto the dinosaur's back while Ms. Goldenweek walked to the dinosaur's tail and sat down next to them.

"So… what did I do while I was hypnotized?" Ms. Valentine asked the other two. Mr. 5 and Ms. Goldenweek stared at each other awkwardly.

"Alright, everyone's on," Ricky observed as he stuck Ms. Valentine's umbrella into Ms. Goldenweek's backpack then leapt up onto Bob's back.

"Wait, you're not riding with us?" Nami asked.

"I prefer flying," Ricky answered with a shrug. Nami surprised him when she stood up and jumped from the dinosaur to the giant bird. "Uh… you'll probably want to ride the other one. Tim stays on the ground, Bob does mid-air tricks."

"Oh please, I can handle it," Nami assured him.

Ricky grinned, "Alright… but when you get scared and beg me to stop, I get that two hundred fifty thousand berries of treasure I gave you."

Nami stared at him defiantly, "It couldn't possibly be worse than your names for them. Bring it on."

"If you insist," Ricky agreed, "Bob, use fly!" **WOOSH!** Bob took off and flew up into the air above the dinosaur. Ricky winced as Nami wrapped her arms around him from behind. "TIM, follow us back to the ship!"

Bob flew around the dinosaur then ascended up into the air and flew off over the trees. Tim stood up and bounded off into the jungle while carrying his nine passengers.

"I DID WHAAAAAATTT?" Ms. Valentine suddenly screeched. Apparently she'd just been told of the effects Passion Purple that had on her. She glared at Ms. Goldenweek. "How could you do that to me? He probably thinks I'm some dumb bimbo! I won't be able to look him in the eye again!"

"GO LIZARD!" Luffy cheered. "CATCH THE BIRD!"

The two giants were left alone. "Our friends are setting sail," Broggy commented with a smile.

"That's right," Dorry agreed. "We can't just sit here. Not when there's a monster waiting for them in the sea."

"So Dorry, how are your wounds doing?" Broggy asked.

"These? I think I can live with 'em," Dorry replied.

Broggy picked up his giant battle axe, "It's safe to say that our weapons are about worn through," he observed.

"Any regrets?" Dorry inquired as he picked up his giant sword.

"It's difficult to give up," Broggy admitted as he stared down at his axe. "I've fought with this ax for over a hundred years. But if it's a sacrifice for our friends, then it's worth it!"

"Yeah, I agree," said Dorry. **THOOM!** The two giants got to their feet. They had something important to do.

**-x-**

**WOOSH!** Bob took a steep dive then did a corkscrew as he ascended up into the air. "You sure you don't wanna give up?" Ricky asked, Nami was clinging to him and had her eyes clamped shut.

"_It's for two hundred fifty thousand berries,"_ Nami thought to herself. _"I won't lose to him again." _Nami strengthened her resolve, "NO WAY!" she shouted she opened her eyes and looked determined. "Is this the best you and your chicken can do?"

Ricky grinned, "Hear that Bob?" he asked the big bird. "She called you a chicken. You're not gonna take that are you?"

**GWAA!** Bob squawked, he dove downwards then flew up into the air and did a loop-de-loop. Ricky held onto the bird while Nami held onto him. She felt the wind rush through her hair, her stomach rose and dropped repeatedly and she felt the adrenaline pumping through her.

Despite how fast they were going, how high they were, and how dangerous this was, Nami leaned into Ricky and found herself enjoying the ride.

"COME ON! IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT!" Nami cheered as the prehistoric bird soared through the air and did a series of flips, sharp turns, and steep dives.

"Hah-ha, that's the spirit," Ricky chuckled as he ignored the pain from Nami squeezing his recently broken ribs and focused on enjoying the ride.

**-x-**

"You two stay out of trouble," Ricky told the bird and dinosaur when they'd reached the Going Merry. Ricky and Nami were standing together on the back deck of the ship while Bob was perched on Tim's head. "Don't attack the giants, cause that's just asking to get killed. But if you two work together you could rule over the other dinosaurs and animals on the island."

**GWA! **Bob squawked before Tim turned and bounded back into the jungle, carrying the bird on his head.

"Thanks for the ride!" Nami called after them, she had changed into a light blue t-shirt.

"SEE, I TOLD YOU MINE WAS BIGGER THAN YOURS, I WIN!" Zoro announced as he and Sanji stood on the shore next to the Going Merry. They'd gone and retrieved their kills for the hunting contest and were arguing over who's was bigger.

"LOOK CLOSER!" Sanji shouted. "MY LIZARD IS MUCH BIGGER!"

"ARE YOU BLIND?" Zoro retorted. "MY RHINO IS OBVIOUSLY BIGGER THAN YOUR STUPID LIZARD IS!"

"It doesn't really matter," Luffy replied as he leaned against the railing of the Going Merry and stared at the two dinosaurs. "They both look yummy!"

"JUST SHUT UP!" Zoro and Sanji yelled at the captain.

"Yours doesn't even have horns!" Zoro pointed out as they went back to arguing.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sanji demanded.

"Children, how long are you going to fight?" questioned Nami. "We don't need all of it anyway! Just cut up what we do need so we can get out of here already!"

"RIGHT! OF COURSE MISS. NAMI!" Sanji agreed.

"Hey Usopp, tell that cook that I'm clearly the winner!" Zoro asked the Sniper.

"Sorry, but I really don't care," Usopp admitted as he folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the railing.

"Can't you call it a draw?" Vivi suggested, she had changed out of her singed clothes into a purple sweatshirt and was standing next to Usopp.

"I don't believe in ties, I fight to win!" Zoro protested.

"I'll settle this," Ricky resolved as he walked down to the main deck and leaned against the railing next to Luffy. He stared at the two dinosaurs for a moment, Zoro's triceratops and Sanji's tyrannosaurus were both practically the same size. "Was the contest about the bigger beast or the most weight?"

"The one who killed the beast that weighed the most wins," Sanji answered.

Ricky turned around and faced the three Baroque Works Agents. "Ms. Valentine, can you use your Devil Fruit Powers to tell how much something weighs?" he inquired.

Ms. Valentine let out a squeak at being addressed directly by the pirate she'd humiliated herself over and stared down at the deck. "Um… I've never tried that before," she admitted. "but… I think so."

"Would you mind doing the honors so we can get out of here?" Ricky requested.

Ms. Valentine nodded and leapt from the Going Merry onto the two dinosaurs. She knelt down and rested her hand on Zoro's triceratops and concentrated. Her eyes widened, then she stood up and climbed onto Sanji's tyrannosaurus. She knelt down and placed her hand on the other dinosaur and concentrated on its weight. She nodded then stood up.

"The rhino weighs more," she stated.

"HA! SEE, I'M THE WINNER!" Zoro boasted.

"THAT THING'S NOTHING BUT BONES!" Sanji protested. "IT'S HARDLY EDIBLE!"

"Sanji, you said yourself that the contest was about which one weighed more," Ricky reminded him as Ms. Valentine got back on the ship. "If you wanted it to be about how much of the monster was edible, you should've said so from the beginning and made it clear so Zoro understood."

"That being said," Ricky continued, "Sanji, be sure to get more meat from yours. I ate meat from a bigger version of the same kind of dinosaur earlier, it was really sweet and flavorful. Zoro's looks like it's mostly muscle and tough skin."

"Alright," Sanji conceded, he turned and glared at Zoro, "You may have won on a technicality, but next time I'll be the winner!"

"Yeah right!" Zoro retorted. "I beat you in this contest, I'll beat you in that one too."

"HURRY UP AND GET IT LOADED UP ALREADY!" Nami yelled. Zoro and Sanji quickly scurried to cut up their kills and load the meat onto the ship.

**-x-**

**Straight Ahead:**

**-x-**

It took some time, but once they got as much dinosaur meat as they could onto the Going Merry, the Straw Hats set sail.

"While we're on the ship, Nami's in charge," Ricky informed the three Baroque Works Agents down on the main deck. "Do whatever she tells you without question. If we're ever on land, you listen to me and Luffy. Got it?"

"Yes sir," the three agents chorused.

"Good," said Ricky. "We don't really believe in taking prisoners so unless you can think of a way to use your powers to benefit us, keep them to yourselves. If you blow us up, sink us, or try to hypnotize us, you have my word that you will live to regret it and die shortly afterwards. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir," the three agents agreed.

"Then you can have these back," Ricky decided as he handed Ms. Valentine her umbrella, Ms. Goldenweek her backpack, and Mr. 5 his sunglasses.

"What about my gun?" Mr. 5 asked.

"I'm keeping that," Ricky told him, "Now I've gotta go steer the ship, don't get in the way." Ricky went up to the galley and took hold of the whipstaff while the agents sat down on the deck and watched the jungles of Little Garden go passed.

"The giants said that going straight would take us to the western end of the island," Nami explained to the crew up on the front deck.

"Hey couldn't you guys have gotten more meat on board?" Luffy asked Zoro and Sanji.

"Yeah right," Zoro scoffed.

"We can't possibly preserve more than this," Sanji told him. "It'll just spoil before we could eat it."

"Are you actively trying to sink the ship?" Nami asked Luffy.

"Hey, look at that, it's the giants!" Luffy observed as he pointed two figures standing on opposite sides of the waterway they were going through. "They must've come down here to say goodbye."

The waterway cut Little Garden in half almost exactly. The Going Merry sailed all the way through it to the western shore. Dorry stood on the left bank of the river overlooking the ocean while Broggy stood on the right side.

"A great danger still lies ahead of you," Broggy warned them.

"It is an obstacle that has always been here trying to prevent people from reaching the next island," Dorry continued. "You fought like warriors to protect the honor and pride of our duel."

"And because you were willing to do that," said Broggy, "no matter what enemy you may face…"

"We will never let them destroy your pride friends!" Dorry announced.

"YOU MUST HAVE FAITH IN WHAT WE SAY!" Broggy called out. "YOU MUST KEEP GOING STRAIGHT! NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, YOU MUST KEEP GOING STRAIGHT! UNDERSTAND?"

"Yeah, got it," Luffy agreed, he turned and looked over his shoulder, "YOU HEAR THAT RICKY?"

"Keep going straight no matter what," Ricky replied as he stood in the galley holding the whipstaff, "I've got it."

"What was that about?" Zoro wondered.

"I don't get it, what'd he say?" Usopp asked.

"NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, WE JUST GO STRAIGHT!" Luffy resolved. The Going Merry reached the end of the water way and sailed passed the two giants out into the ocean.

"This is goodbye," said Broggy.

"Let's meet again someday," Dorry added. The two giants threw their capes opened and held their giant weapons out in front of them.

"LOOK OVER THERE!" Nami suddenly shouted. **FWWOOOOSH! **The water ahead of them started to rise up and a GIANT fin was coming out of the top of it.

"Hello Island Eater," Dorry greeted the giant monster that was coming out of the island.

"YOU WILL OPEN THE PATH!" Broggy shouted. "IN THE NAME OF ELBAPH, YOU WILL OPEN IT!"

"GRRAAAAAHHHHH!" Dorry roared as he held his giant sword up in the air, a blue aura appeared around it.

"RAAAAAHHHHH!" Broggy snarled as he raised his giant battle axe up over his head, a red aura appeared around it.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" The Straw Hats screamed as an ENORMOUS GOLDFISH came out of the water in front of them. It rivaled the monsters in the Calm Belt in size and had an orange and white pattern on its scales.

"What the heck is that thing?" Luffy wondered. "A goldfish?"

"I-i-it's a g-g-giant g-g-goldfish!" Usopp stammered in terror.

"RICKY! TURN THE SHIP OR WE'LL BE EATEN!" Nami yelled at the First Mate.

"Sorry," Ricky apologized. "They said to sail straight ahead. That's what I'm doing."

"WHO CARES, JUST HURRY UP!" Nami shouted.

"But… the giants said to go straight ahead!" Usopp timidly protested, "right Luffy?"

"Uh-huh," Luffy replied as he calmly sat on the sheep figurehead, "We sure do."

"I thought they were gonna get us off the island!" Ms. Valentine exclaimed. "NOT GET US KILLED!" Beside her, Ms. Goldenweek whimpered and covered her eyes with her hands.

The Island Eater Goldfish opened its mouth and Ricky sailed the ship towards it. "Hey Usopp, come here," Ricky instructed. The sniper timidly joined Ricky in the galley. "Here's step two of your Brave Warrior Training… steer the ship straight ahead."

**GULP!** Usopp swallowed as Ricky stepped aside, he cautiously took hold of the whipstaff. His legs were shaking but he kept the ship going straight. "A g-g-goldfish? I think I've heard this somewhere before!"

"You have," Ricky confirmed. "That was the story you were telling Kaya when Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and I came to the mansion. It's time to make one of your tall tales a true one. Sail the ship straight head into that fish's mouth."

"DON'T BE INSANE!" Nami hollered. "THIS ISN'T GONNA BE ANYTHING LIKE LABOON!"

"Yeah I know," Luffy agreed, "Now calm down. Have a rice cracker."

"I DON'T WANT A CRACKER!" Nami shouted, despite that she caught the cracker Luffy threw to her. "IF WE DON'T TURN THE SHIP AROUND RIGHT NOW, THAT THING IS GONNA EAT US!"

"Nami, just give it up," said Zoro as he calmly leaned against a wall on the main deck, he opened the door to the storage room so the terrified Carue could run inside for shelter.

"We failed two missions," Mr. 5 resolved as he leaned back against the wall on the other side of the door. "We're dead anyway."

"Uhh…" Nami let out a terrified whimper.

Ricky came over and placed a hand on her back, "It'll be alright," he assured her. "Have faith in our giant friends."

"FAITH?" Nami screeched, "You don't even believe in that stuff!"

"You're right, I don't," Ricky agreed, "but I believe in people and I've seen what giants are capable of. They obviously knew that this monster was here and they said they'd get us through it safely. We'll be fine. There's nothing to worry about." He reached out and took hold of Nami's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. She squeezed his hand tightly and took a series of deep breaths to calm herself as they sailed closer and closer to the opened mouth of the giant goldfish.

Ricky's words had been heard by everyone on the Going Merry and had a resounding calming effect. Ms. Valentine let out the breath she was holding while Ms. Goldenweek peaked out from in between her fingers, Usopp's legs had stopped shaking and he was standing up straighter, Zoro and Mr. 5 were still calmly leaning back on opposite sides of the door, and Carue was chancing a glance outside of the storage room.

Sanji lit up a cigarette and turned to Luffy, "So you're sure we can trust those pals of yours?" he inquired as he inhaled on his cigarette.

"Yup," Luffy replied.

"So we're going to willingly sail into that beast's belly?" Vivi asked.

"That's what's straight ahead," Ricky stated. And so, the Going Merry and all of its passengers sailed straight ahead into the mouth of the giant goldfish off of the coast of Little Garden.

"You've sure gotten a lot bigger Island Eater," Dorry commented as he glared at the giant goldfish, "Filthy goldfish!"

"And his size isn't the only surprising thing about him either," Broggy added. "There's also the dung that he produces after he devours an island. The size of that stuff is quite impressive. I recall one specimen that's known as Nanimonai Island."

The red and blue auras that were around the giants' weapons had spread so they covered their entire bodies. It would've been an amazing sight if the Straw Hats hadn't been currently sailing in the mouth of a giant fish.

"GEGYAGYAGYA!" Dorry laughed. "Yes, we landed on it a long time ago and thought it was real land that we were standing on."

"I'm beginning to feel nostalgic watching them sail in," Broggy remarked. "I remember my old adventurous days."

**GULP!** The Island Eater closed its mouth and trapped the Going Merry inside.

"THE ONLY THING THAT WE CAN'T PIECE WITH THIS WEAPON IS A GREAT BLOOD-STAINED SNAKE!" Dorry shouted as he and Broggy held their respective weapons over their heads. Their red and blue auras gave meaning to their nicknames Red Ogre and Blue Ogre.

"TOGETHER OUR WEAPONS PROVIDE THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPON ELBAPH CAN OFFER!" Broggy yelled. "THE GIANT SPEAR!"

"So now what?" Zoro asked as they stared around the dark mouth of the giant goldfish.

"We keep going straight!" Luffy resolved as he sat on the figure head.

**SHOOOOM!** With their auras surrounding them, Broggy and Dorry drove their ax and sword down into the water in front of them.

**BOOOOOM!** A red beam was created from the impact of Broggy's axe while Dorry's sword made a blue beam.

**WOOOOOOSSSHHHH!** The red and blue beams spiraled together and blasted into the Island Eater's mouth. The pirates, the princess, the duck, and the agents all stared in amazement as the red and blue beams rushed passed their ship and kept going passed them and went down the goldfish's throat. **WOOOOSH!**

**SHOOOOOOOM!** The two beams blasted a HUGE hole clear through the back of the Island Eater's throat. "**WARRIOR SOVEREIGNTY!**" the two giants shouted together.

"YAHOOO!" Luffy cheered. "WE'RE FLYING!"

Luffy, Ricky, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Vivi, Carue, Ms. Goldenweek, Mr. 5, and Ms. Valentine all stared in shock, surprise, and wonder as the Going Merry flew through the hole the giants had blasted in the Island Eater and soared over the opened sea.

"DON'T BOTHER LOOKING BACK!" Luffy called out. "CAUSE WE'RE GOING STRAIGHT AHEAD! LOOK AT US, THIS IS INCREDIBLE!"

"They blasted a hole right through it!" Usopp exclaimed. "THE STRENGTH OF THE ELBAPH WARRIORS IS AMAZING!"

"Kyahahaha!" Ms. Valentine laughed, "We're still alive!"

"I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes," Mr. 5 muttered.

Ricky patted Nami on the back then turned and grinned at him, "Get used to that," he advised, "With our crew, the extraordinary in the norm."

**SPLASH!** The Going Merry touched down in the ocean and kept going onward.

**SPLOOOSH! **The Island Eater dropped down into the ocean and was dead from being pierced by the blast from the two giants. The waves from the Island Eater dropping into the water splashed up onto the two giant warriors as they stood on the edge of Little Garden and watched the Straw Hats sail off.

"GOOD FORTUNE ACCOMPANY YOU!" Broggy and Dorry called out together. Their axe and sword had been broken in half as a consequence of their powerful attack, but they seemed happy to help their friends.

"GEGYAGYAGYA!" "GEBABABABABA!" The two giants laughed loudly as the Going Merry disappeared over the horizon.

Long ago the sea was ruled by colossal swashbuckling ruffians known as the Giant Warrior Pirates. Living only for the thrill of battle and conquest these pirates laid waste to all who opposed them. They were presided over by two Bosses, Red Ogre Broggy and Blue Ogre Dorry, both exceptionally strong. The power and influence they held went largely unchecked, for no other giant was their equal. Ordinary men cowered in their massive shadows. This made the fact that a lone little girl single-handedly put an end to their attacks all the more surprising.

**-Flashback from over 100 years ago-**

Two large Viking-style ships were anchored off the shore of an island. The Giant Warrior Pirates were on the island celebrating their latest conquest.

"HUHUHUHUHU!" one giant laughed as he and another giant slammed their large glasses together. "Our two Bosses are truly great! Did you hear about their catch?"

"Yeah!" replied the other giant. "I can hardly think about anything else, it's so exciting! It's not every day someone bags a huge Sea King! And they each got one! Now that's impressive!"

"Yeah," the first giant agreed. "We're Elbaph Giants, no greater warrior exists, but even we don't come close to taking down one of those massive beasts! Wouldn't you say that's fair men?"

"AYE!" a bunch of other giants cheered.

"GEBABABABABA!" Broggy laughed as he and Dorry casually leaned against a pair of houses and enjoyed drinks of their own. One hundred years ago, Broggy's full beard was a small goatee on his chin. "I BET THAT NO ONE'S EVER SLEIGHED A BIGGER SEA KING THAN US!"

"MMMMM! A CONQUEST DESTINED TO BECOME LEGEND!" Dorry boasted. His extremely long black beard was non-existent. One hundred years ago it was merely stubble on the end of his chin.

"Awesome!" exclaimed a small brown haired girl who couldn't have been older than ten, "So which one was bigger?"

"Huh?" said the giants. "What?"

"Who won the contest?" the girl innocently inquired.

The two giants glared at each other and laid their massive kills down side-by-side. "Look at the size of mine, Broggy," Dorry pointed out. "Mine is slightly bigger, see?"

"Keep dreaming!" Broggy retorted. "Mine beats yours by three whole inches!"

"WHAT? YOU'RE OUT OF YOUR MIND!" Dorry yelled.

"Bosses please, stop bickering!" one of the other giants pleaded.

That was what led to the Duel of Honor between the two Giant Bosses. Over the years the skeletons of the Sea Kings that they slayed wore down and became the giant cave-filled mountains that the two giants called their homes.

**-End Flashback-**

"I must mention Broggy," said Dorry, "I recall something about a Hunting Contest, but I can't exactly remember."

"Don't worry, the same thing goes for me," Broggy replied.

**THOOOOOM!** In the middle of the island, a volcano erupted.

"It's Middle Mountain!" Broggy realized, that was the signal for the two giants to fight.

"Hm, what do you say you and I go ahead and finish this," Dorry suggested.

"Sure," Broggy agreed. "We can always think things through after that!"

"**RRAAAHHHHH!" **The two giants attacked each other and continued their duel by fighting hand-to-hand.

**-x-**

The Straw Hats have left Little Garden with three additional guests thanks to Ricky. Why did I decide to bring them along? Because I thought _Ms. Goldenweek's Operation: Meet __Baroque Works _was a fun mini-arc and wanted to give Ms. Goldenweek, Ms. Valentine, and Mr. 5 more character development. And I figured that it was about time I made some changes to the storyline.

New problems await the Straw Hats on their journey to Alabasta. They need to get to Alabasta quickly, so they'll have to make the Merry move at Maximum Speed.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	16. Chapter 16

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own One Piece or any of its characters. This is a fan-made work of fiction, aptly named FanFiction.

**Maximum Speed:**

**-x-**

The Going Merry sailed peacefully away from Little Garden and was following the Eternal Pose towards Alabasta.

"Guys, listen up!" Usopp addressed the rest of the crew. "I _will_ go to Elbaph someday! TO THE VILLAGE OF WARRIORS!"

"YEAH, GREAT!" Luffy cheered.

Luffy and Usopp threw an arm over each other's shoulder and started singing and dancing. "Juh-juh-giants, juh-juh-giants! El-baph, El-baph, EV-RY ONE IS HUGE! They're soo hu-uge, be-cause they're giants! Juh-juh-giants, ev-ry-bo-dy's huge!"

Ricky sweat-dropped as he stood on the deck in front of Ms. Valentine and Ms. Goldenweek holding a bundle of blankets and pillows. He'd patched himself up and was now wearing a black t-shirt with a red 'x' going across the front and back, his cargo pants, and his steel-bottomed boots.

"Maybe we _do _need a musician," Ricky muttered before he turned to the two agents. "Technically, our women's quarters is Nami's room. But since she's hardly the most generous person on the ship, if I put you in the storage room there would be a lot of traffic going through, you can stay in the anchor room while you're here. It's not much but you'll at least have some privacy. These are most of our spare blankets and pillows, if you need more let me know. We have an extra hammock in the men's quarters so Mr. 5 will be staying down there."

"Thank you Mr. One Eye," said Ms. Goldenweek as she took the blankets and pillows from him.

"Yeah… thanks," Ms. Valentine added, she looked tired.

"Are you alright?" Ricky asked as he eyed the blonde agent.

"Yeah… I'm fine," Ms. Valentine insisted. "I got the fudge kicked out of me on Little Garden. I need some rest."

"That's probably a good idea," Ricky agreed. "While you're on this ship you're my responsibility. So if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"We'll be fine for now," Ms. Goldenweek assured him. The two female agents went into the anchor room and took the blankets and pillows with them.

Ricky spotted Nami coming out of the galley and joined her when she sat down against the main mast.

"You alright?" Ricky asked as he eyed Nami suspiciously, she looked really tired too and her face was flushed.

"Yeah," Nami replied, she glanced at Luffy and Usopp who were singing and dancing on the railing. "Where did they get so much energy?"

"WAAAHHH!" Luffy and Usopp slipped and almost fell overboard, but managed to catch themselves.

"QUACK!" Carue quacked as he ran over.

"Ahhh," Nami let out a tired sigh, "After everything that's happened… I'm exhausted."

"I'll watch the Eternal Pose for you," Vivi offered as she came over and sat down across from Nami.

Nami smiled and handed her the Pose the once again leaned back against the mast, Nami smiled at the Princess, "You're on your way," she told her. "Soon you'll return to Alabasta. Well… my rosy outlook is assuming we can make it there safely and without any more surprises."

Ricky frowned as he cast a cautious glance in the tired navigator's direction, he didn't think they'd be that lucky, but chose not to vocalize those doubts.

"Yes, I must return, it's my obligation," said Vivi, as she took her eyes off of the Eternal Pose to her homeland for a moment and then glanced at Nami. "I am the person that everyone in the kingdom is counting on."

"_Believe me when I say it is the only way to save the kingdom," Igaram told a younger Vivi before they infiltrated Baroque Works. "It's true that your father no longer has sway with the people. Our only hope of stopping this uprising is for you to tell them the truth. This is the only action that can save us. You have to understand that your survival is vital, you must live, even if it means sacrificing others, whether by grace or betrayal, live on, no matter what. Sometimes… it's harder to live than to die."_

"I will return home alive," Vivi resolved, Ricky, Nami, Carue, Luffy, Usopp, and even Ms. Goldenweek who had just wandered out of the anchor room all stopped and stared at the Princess.

"**You'll get home," **came Sanji's voice as he walked out of the galley carrying a tray. "But there's no need to push yourself so hard. You've got me!" Sanji leaned down and offered the tray of desserts to Vivi, "Here you go, try one of these sweets. They'll help you relax. I've made some delicious tarts and your choice of coffee or tea."

"Thank you," said Vivi with a small smile.

"WHOOAA!" Luffy and Usopp exclaimed as they slid over and stared at the tray of tarts. Carue stood next to them and eyed the goodies.

"Yours are in the kitchen, NOW GO!" Sanji ordered.

"YEAH!" "QUACK!" The Captain, marksman, and duck all cheered and ran for the galley.

Ms. Goldenweek walked over, "Um… what kind of tea?" she inquired.

Sanji spun around and smiled at her, "I have many kinds of tea stocked up," he informed her. "If you'll come with me to the galley, you can pick your favorite and I'd be happy to make some for you."

Ms. Goldenweek smiled, "That sounds good."

"Ms. Goldenweek… how's Ms. Valentine?" Ricky asked.

"She's still mad at me for hypnotizing her," Ms. Goldenweek answered. "She told me to leave her alone so she could get some sleep."

"I'll leave these here for you ladies," Sanji decided as he placed the tray of tarts on the deck between Vivi and Nami, then turned and glared at Ricky. "Don't swipe any, One-Eye." With that he turned and led Ms. Goldenweek to the galley to get some tea.

"I wasn't hungry anyway," Ricky muttered, he cast a wary glance at the door to the anchor room, then another at Nami who was staring at a spot on the deck in front of her with a faraway look in her eyes. Ricky frowned then laid down on his back and stared up at the sky. Something was up. He just didn't know what.

**-x-**

On the rear deck behind the galley, Zoro was working out. His shirt was off and he was covered in a layer of sweat. His muscles pulsed as he slung a large bar with numerous weights on it over his head. **KLANK!**

"Six-oh-three," Mr. 5 called out, he was calmly sitting against the rear railing watching the swordsman's excessive training. "You still haven't explained why you're pushing yourself so much." **KLANK! **"Six-oh-four."

"Hmph," Zoro grunted. "If I could've cut that wax I would've beaten you sooner and wouldn't have left anyone hanging there."

**KLANK! **"Six-oh-five," Mr. 5 counted. "That wax was as hard as steel. You've reached a wall you can't pass. I've never heard of a swordsman that could cut steel." **KLANK! **"Six-oh-six."

"Yeah…" Zoro panted, "in that case… when I pass that wall and manage to do it, I'll be the first." **KLANK!**

"Six-oh-seven," said Mr. 5 with a frown. There was something off about these pirates. They didn't seem to understand how the world worked. Steel swords couldn't cut steel no matter what angle or how strong the swordsman wielding them was.

**-x-**

In a harbor on Sandy Island, the island that Alabasta Kingdom was on, a loud bell rang out. **RING-A-****DING-DING-DING!**

"Mr. 2 Bon Kurei!" someone called out. "The Swanda is ready!" Anchored in the harbor was a ship with a swan figurehead and a '2' on the sail.

"Okay, okay, I heard ya," came the high-pitched but still male voice of Mr. 2. "Sheesh. What's all the fuss? Honestly, someone give me one good reason why I should be the one to do this. Mr. 3 is a piece of garbage, go toss him out yourselves!"

"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" one of Mr. 2's men exclaimed. "We wouldn't even stand a chance against him!"

"You have to help," another man added, "Those were the boss's orders!"

"Un… deux… trios… uh… what's four again?" Mr. 2 asked. "Anybody? Ohh that Zero, so much trouble!"

Clearly the Baroque Works Agent known as Mr. 2 Bon Kurei wasn't all there, but if he was referring to Mr. 3 as garbage than he had to be even stronger. Something dangerous was heading for Little Garden, something wearing… make-up and a ballet costume?

**-x-**

"I'm sorry," Nami apologized in a shaky voice. "But I need to rest."

Ricky sat up and stared at the navigator while Vivi turned around from staring off the railing and glanced at Nami. "I understand Nami," Vivi replied. "Everything's under control. I'll keep an eye on our course."

Nami slowly pushed herself up to her feet and took a single step before her body gave out and she fell forward. **FWUMP!** Ricky shot up and caught her before she could hit the ground. "Gotcha," he said as he held the girl up and felt her forehead with his hand. "Damn it, she's burning up!" Ricky yanked his hand off of Nami's burning forehead and carefully lifted her up and cradled her in his arms. She was covered in sweat and her face was flushed. This wasn't good.

Ricky turned to Vivi, "I'm gonna get her to bed, you tell the others." With that he carried Nami to the storage room and down into her room.

Vivi called out loudly toward the galley to the rest of the crew's attention, "HEY EVERYONE!" the Princess shouted. "COME QUICK!"

**Klank!** Zoro dropped his weights and he and Mr. 5 turned in the direction the shout had come from.

**Krek!** The door to the galley opened and Luffy, Usopp, Sanji, and Carue peered out. "What's wrong Vivi?" Luffy asked. "Are you okay?"

"Nami has an awful fever!" Vivi answered.

"WHAAATT?" Sanji screamed as he shoved Luffy and Usopp out of the way. Ms. Goldenweek was momentarily glad that she was still seated at the table. "NAMI'S SICK!"

**-x-**

A few minutes later, down in Nami's room, Sanji was crying while Luffy, Usopp, and Carue stood in front of Nami's bed and stared at the navigator in concern. Everyone had taken their shoes off in Nami's room and were either in socks, or in Luffy's case barefoot. Nami was attempting to rest, but was taking long gasps of breath and appeared to be in a lot of pain.

**Squish!** Vivi knelt in front of Nami's bed and rang out a damp rag that she'd soaked in cool water then laid it down on Nami's forehead.

"It's most likely the climate," Vivi reasoned. "It's quite normal. Sailors in the Grand Line aren't used to the strange weather and can become quite ill. There are countless stories of tough notorious pirates who suddenly died. Their immune systems were attacked and ravaged by colds and fevers. Ignoring the symptoms can make even the slightest cold deadly."

"Aaaahhh Naaahhhhmiiii!" Sanji cried as he wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

"Is there anyone aboard this ship with even the slightest amount of medical experience?" Vivi asked.

Luffy pointed to Nami but Usopp pointed across the room to Ricky, who was sitting barefoot at the bar reading a book with a red cross on the front cover.

"I'm nowhere near qualified to be a doctor," Ricky stated when he looked up and noticed Usopp pointing at him. "This looks like a severe fever."

"But you noticed that Yosaku had scurvy before even Nami did," Usopp pointed out. "And you were the one who patched Zoro up from his fight with Mihawk." Luffy changed his mind and pointed to Ricky.

"The little that I know about medicine I learned from watching Ollie," Ricky replied. "I only have very general medical knowledge. I'm out of my league when it comes to anything serous." Ricky pointed to a passage in his medical book, "According to this… a fever is the body's natural response to an infection. Normally a fever doesn't require medical attention, but in more severe cases visiting a doctor is recommended."

"When you're sick, eating lots of meat always helps," Luffy supplied, "Right Sanji?"

"Meat is protein, and that does give the body energy to operate properly," Sanji answered. "I can cook some foods that'll boost her energy, but there's no guarantee, I'm not a doctor."

"Besides," Sanji sadly continued. "If my cooking made that much of a difference, she'd never get sick. I put a hundred times more care into preparing her meals than I do for you losers. I serve Nami fresh meats and vegetables to ensure a balanced diet. Anything that's rotten or moldy… goes to you."

"JERK!" Usopp snapped.

"Great, now I'll have to think twice about eating something you serve," Ricky muttered.

"Oh well, still tastes good to me," Luffy chimed. "Shishishishi!"

"My point is," Sanji said, "As long as I'm this ship's cook, nobody's gonna feed Nami better in terms of nutrition. I can do anything in the kitchen. I know that there are specific foods for different kinds of illnesses, but I can't make that call. She needs to be diagnosed by a doctor who'll tell us how to help her."

"Just… feed her everything that we've got," Luffy suggested.

"Oh shut up!" Sanji snapped. "That'd make a healthy person sick!"

"The book says that in the case of a fever you're supposed to keep cool," Ricky informed them. "And drinking cool liquids is supposed to help keep the body flushed. So I'd suggest getting her to drink a lot of water to keep her hydrated. If she shows signs of improvement, we could switch to juice or something."

Ricky turned his attention to Vivi, "What's her temperature?" he inquired. "I wanna know what kind of fever we're looking at here."

Vivi pulled out the thermometer she'd been using to get Nami's temperature, "AHH! ONE HUNDRED AND FOUR!" She gasped. "THIS ISN'T GOOD!"

"There's bound to be doctors and nurses in Alabasta that can help, right?" questioned Usopp. "How much longer until we get there Vivi?"

"I don't know," the Princess admitted. "At least a week, and that's too long!"

"Does it hurt to be sick?" Luffy wondered.

"Dunno, I've never been sick," Usopp and Sanji answered at the same time.

"ARE YOU PEOPLE EVEN HUMAN?" Vivi demanded.

"According to the book, the body's normal temperature is between ninety-eight and one hundred degrees Fahrenheit," Ricky recited, "A fever above one hundred four degrees requires immediate treatment and medical attention. If it goes unchecked it could be… um… really bad."

"That's an understatement," Vivi corrected him. "It could be _life threatening_!"

"WWAAAAAHHHH!" Luffy, Usopp, Sanji, and Carue all shrieked and started crying.

"See… that's why I purposely left out the words 'life threatening' and 'deadly'," Ricky remarked, Usopp and Carue ran frantically around the room while Luffy and Sanji cried.

"NAMI'S GONNA DIE?" Luffy screamed in shock.

"NABI, BLEEZ DOAN DIE!" Sanji sobbed. (Translation: Nami, please don't die!)

"YOUR SCREAMS AREN'T HELPING!" Vivi yelled at the crying pirates.

"WE HAVE TO FIND A DOCTOR TO HELP NAMI BEFORE SHE DIES!" Luffy shouted.

"Everyone just calm down!" Vivi called out, "You're only going to make her feel worse."

"**Listen…" **Nami quietly called out, the room instantly quieted. "I'm fine." Nami sat up and held the rag to her forehead.

"Nami?" said Vivi looking concerned.

"YEAH! SHE'S CURED!" Luffy exclaimed.

**WHACK! **Usopp hit Luffy on the back of the head, "SHUT UUUUP!" he yelled.

Nami sat there with the rag pressed to her forehead for a moment then turned to Vivi.

"Go to my desk and open the second drawer. There's a newspaper in the bottom."

**-x-**

Zoro sat on the railing in front of the galley pumping a weight up and down with one arm. "No change… in our course," he grunted to himself as he pumped the weight.

"You idiot, don't you know the first thing about navigation?" Mr. 5 scolded him.

"Shut up, I know what I'm doing," Zoro insisted.

"Follow the damn Log Pose!" Mr. 5 ordered.

"Hey!" Zoro growled. "I don't take orders from you!"

"We're lost," Ms. Goldenweek stated as she sat against the main mast.

"What were they thinking when they left _him _in charge of navigating?" Mr. 5 wondered.

**-x-**

"Drink this," Ricky instructed as he held a glass of cool water that he'd gotten from a cooler behind the bar to Nami.

Nami wordlessly took the glass of water from him and drank it using one hand while she used the other to keep the cool rag pressed on her forehead. Ricky sat down on the edge of Nami's bed and watched Vivi as she read the newspaper that Nami had directed her to.

"No, that's not possible!" Vivi exclaimed.

"What's up, something wrong?" asked Luffy.

"Is it about Alabasta?" questioned Sanji. "Tell us."

"According to this article," Vivi said, "300,000 Royal Soldiers have defected to the Resistance. Until now, we've been embroiled in a cold war, with 600,000 Royal Soldiers against 400,000 Rebels. But with this… the balance has shifted!"

"The uprising in Alabasta will seriously escalate now," Nami explained once she'd finished her glass of water. "This'll get ugly. That paper you're looking at is three days old. I'm sorry I didn't say something earlier, we can't change our speed so I didn't want to worry you. There's nothing anyone can do right now." Nami addressed the Captain, "You understand Luffy?"

"Things are bad and beyond our control," Luffy answered.

"That sunk in better than I had hoped," Nami remarked, she held out the empty glass which Ricky wordlessly took from her and brought back to the bar.

"Nami look, you need to see a doctor right away," Usopp told her.

"I'm fine," Nami insisted. "That thermometer's broken. I mean, come on, nobody gets a temperature of one hundred and four. It was probably just a mild case of sun stroke. There's nothing a doctor could to for me that time won't."

"…" Ricky frowned as he stood with his back to Nami at the bar.

Nami slid out of bed and stood up, showing that she was fine. "Besides, we don't have time to hunt for one, we need to head straight for Alabasta, right?" Nami walked across the room over to the stairs that led up to the storage room. "I appreciate the concern, thank you." Nami went up the steps and left the room.

"I call bullshit," Ricky stated once Nami was gone.

"You mean… she's _not _recovered?" questioned Luffy.

"She's faking," Usopp pointed out.

"She's so stubborn," Ricky muttered.

**-x-**

Up in the storage room, where no one could see her, Nami slumped against the wall and struggled to hold herself up. Her body was shaking and her vision was fuzzy. She was definitely NOT okay.

**-x-**

"Now that this conflict has escalated, more blood will be shed in the kingdom," Vivi realized as she stared at the newspaper. "We're at war. If I don't put a stop to this insanity, the entire kingdom of Alabasta will be doomed. Crocodile will move in and seize control." **SWUP!** Vivi crunched the newspaper up in her hands. "YOU'RE TRYING TO GET ME HOME SAFELY BUT THERE'S NO TIME! I need to get home as quickly as possible! If I don't make it back in time, a million innocent citizens will give their lives needlessly."

"There's a million people there?" questioned Luffy in surprise. "Wow!"

"What a horrible burden you have to carry," Sanji commented. "I'm sorry."

Vivi knelt on the carpet and sobbed into the newspaper.

"I'll say this," said Ricky as he slipped his boots on and headed for the stairs. "We'll never get there if our navigator dies because she's too stubborn to admit that she's sick." With that he left the room.

**-x-**

Nami staggered out of the storage room, then quickly gathered herself and glanced at the Eternal Pose. Her eyes widened in surprise. She stomped up the steps and confronted the swordsman who was sitting on the railing in front of the galley pumping weights.

"Zoro, what the hell have you been watching all this time?" Nami asked.

"What are you talking about?" questioned Zoro. "We've been going straight ahead as ordered."

"Oh yeah, straight at a right angle!" Nami snapped, she held up the Eternal Pose. "Look at the Eternal Pose, it doesn't lie!"

"I don't need to look at it," Zoro replied, "I've been using that big cloud over there as my guide."

"YOU MORON!" Nami yelled, "CLOUDS MOVE AND CHANGE SHAPE CONSTANTLY!" Nami winced and held her head, dealing with the crew was a pain. "UGGGHHH! My head hurts."

**Krek!** The door to the storage room opened and Ricky walked out onto the deck. "What's got Nami so worked up?" Ricky inquired.

"Your idiot swordsman has absolutely no sense of direction," Mr. 5 told him, he was sitting against the main mast with Ms. Goldenweek. "He has us following some stupid cloud. I tried to tell him to follow the Pose, but he won't listen to _me_."

"Now we're lost," Ms. Goldenweek supplied.

"What were we thinking leaving him in charge?" Ricky wondered as he went up the steps to the deck outside the galley.

"I was wondering the same thing," said Mr. 5.

"If your head hurts, leave the navigating to me and go to bed," Zoro instructed Nami.

"I wish that I could," Nami admitted. "But I'm here because I can't trust you with this."

"And that would be suicide," Mr. 5 added.

Nami suddenly stood up straight and walked over to the side of the ship, "The air… it's changed," she commented.

"What do you mean?" asked Zoro. "The weather's been nice like this all day."

"Never mind, just get the others," Nami instructed.

"HEY, GET YOUR BUTTS OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!" Zoro shouted down into the storage room. "WE'VE GOTTA WORK!"

**Krek!** Luffy, Usopp, Sanji, and Carue came out of the storage room and walked out onto the deck.

"What do you want?" questioned Usopp.

"You know, I find it hard to get motivated when you're giving the orders," Sanji said.

"It's Nami's orders," Ricky informed him as he leaned against the door to the galley and glanced at the navigator who was staring off the side of the ship.

"Miss. Nami, what's wrong?" Sanji inquired. "It's the perfect day. The sun is shining, the waves are quiet."

"The wind," Nami replied, her face was still flushed but she looked certain. "There's a powerful wind heading right this way. I think…"

**Whap!** Luffy suddenly held his hand to Nami's forehead. **Ssssssss… **His hand sizzled as if it was on a grill and he quickly yanked it off. "YOUR HEAD'S ON FIRE!" Luffy exclaimed. "YOU'VE GOTTA STAY IN BED AND WE NEED TO GET YOU A DOCTOR!"

"Maybe you should mind your own business!" Nami snapped. "This is my normal temperature! Now quit being so stupid and pull the damn ropes!"

"I've only met two people who could possibly have a normal temperature of one hundred four," Ricky remarked. "One ate the Flame Flame Fruit and the other ate something very similar."

"Miss Nami, I know you're acting brave for Vivi," Sanji said, "but if you keep pushing your body you won't have a chance to heal."

"I TOLD YOU GUYS I'M FINE!" Nami insisted. "LET IT GO!"

"Hey, take it easy," Usopp suggested.

"NOT ANOTHER WORD, DAMN IT!" Nami snapped. "HURRY UP AND MOVE THE SHIP!"

The crew scattered. Usopp and Carue ran into the galley to adjust the whipstaff while Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji ran to drop the sails.

Mr. 5 and Ms. Goldenweek stayed where they were sitting against the main mast and stared in surprise at how the previously lazy crew jumped into action.

Ricky stood behind Nami and watched the navigator critically, the girl was slumped against the railing and was breathing hard.

"_Something… I don't know what… but something's heading this way…"_ Nami thought to herself, _"A__nd soon."_

Zoro and Sanji adjusted the rigging and turned the sail while Usopp turned the rudder, Luffy ran and jumped up onto his special seat and watched as the Going Merry changed course and started sailing in a different direction.

The Eternal Pose in Nami's hand adjusted and was now pointing straight ahead to Alabasta.

**-x-**

"I need to get home," Vivi said to herself as she sat on Nami's bed and stared at the newspaper, "Before time runs out."

Vivi stood up and left Nami's room then came out of the storage room and walked out onto the deck. "I have to ask you all a favor," Vivi requested as she addressed the crew. "As a passenger on your ship it's not my place to ask this but I have no choice. My homeland is in jeopardy of being destroyed, so I would really appreciate it if we could move even faster. Every minute I'm out here puts more of my people in danger of losing their lives. We need to head for Alabasta at maximum speed."

"…" Luffy, Ricky, Usopp, and Sanji all silently stared at Vivi.

"Of course we will," Nami replied with a smile, "just like we promised."

"…" The four previously mentioned Straw Hats still didn't say anything.

"Then it's settled," Vivi resolved, "Let's find an island with a doctor on it right away!" Nami stared at Vivi in surprise, "First things first, we need to hurry and get Nami healthy again. Then we head for Alabasta. After all, we need her at the helm to move at top speed."

"Right," Luffy agreed with a smile. "No one makes this ship move like Nami."

Ricky smiled and nodded, "Nami guiding the ship _is _our maximum speed."

"Princess, hold on," said Usopp. "Won't finding a doctor for Nami take time that the citizens of Alabasta just don't have?"

"That's right," Vivi replied. "So the sooner we get Nami a doctor the sooner we can get to Alabasta."

"Those are wise words Miss. Vivi," Sanji commented with a smile. "You're beautiful _and _brilliant."

"The girl's got guts," Zoro remarked.

"Thank you Vivi," said Nami as she slowly walked over to the Princess and leaned against the railing next to her.

"Don't overexert yourself Nami," Vivi told her.

"I'm… I'm sorry…" Nami weakly apologized, "I… may need to… lie… down…"

"Nami!" Vivi exclaimed as the navigator's strength suddenly gave out and the girl collapsed. But Ricky was right there to catch her when she fell.

"It's alright Nami, I've got you," Ricky reassured her as he held the exhausted navigator against him.

"GAAAAHH! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" Luffy suddenly screamed.

**SHWWOOOOOOO!** A giant gray spiraling storm was on the water off to the side of the ship. The waves were rough, the winds ever violent, and the clouds were all gray. Lightning was shooting down out of the gray storm clouds and was striking the water. It had come out of nowhere and was on the water exactly where the Going Merry would've been if they hadn't changed course.

"IT'S A CYCLONE!" Vivi shouted in alarm.

"IT'S HUGE!" Usopp yelled.

"Wait, that's the same path we were headed on!" Vivi realized.

"Miss. Vivi's right, that's the exact same direction!" Sanji exclaimed.

"That would've been a direct hit!" Usopp shrieked, "We'd all be dead right now."

Mr. 5 and Ms. Goldenweek stared at the storm that would've _killed them_ in shock. If it hadn't been for the navigator coming out and badgering the crew into changing their course, they would've sailed right into it and died.

"WAY TOO CLOSE!" Luffy hollered as he clung to the main mast. "WE BARELY MISSED IT!"

"_Incredible," _Vivi thought to herself, _"Cyclones in the Grand Line are said to be impossible to __predict." _Vivi turned to Nami and saw her cradled in the First Mate's arms. _"But somehow Nami did. However she does it, it's obvious that her technique isn't based on any conventional method. It's as if she's detecting the weather with her body."_

"It's beyond reason," Vivi said out loud, "A miracle."

"She's one of a kind," Ricky told her as he held the barely conscious navigator in his arms. "That's why we can't lose her." With that, he carried her bridal-style, down the steps, into the storage room, down into her room, and put her to bed.

"ALRIGHT! WHAT ARE WE WAITING HERE FOR?" Luffy called out. "LET'S FIND NAMI A DOCTOR!"

"YEAH!" the rest of the crew chorused. Ignoring the Eternal Pose that pointed toward Alabasta they sailed the Going Merry in search of a doctor.

**-x-**

Ricky, Vivi, Sanji, and Carue were gathered in Nami's room looking after the sick navigator. Ricky sat on Nami's bed and offered her another glass of ice water.

"Drink this," he instructed, "we need to keep you hydrated."

Ricky held the glass for her as she drank it, Vivi watched with a smile as the First Mate took care of the navigator. When Nami had finished the glass Ricky placed it on the floor and lightly nudged Nami's shoulder.

"Now lie down and get some rest," he told her. Nami nodded and laid back, Ricky leaned over and adjusted the covers then sat up straight and turned his attention back to Sanji, Vivi, and Carue.

"How do you think Miss. Nami got the infection?" Sanji eventually asked.

"I don't know," Ricky admitted. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Well, _I _haven't been pouring over a medical book all day," Sanji pointed out. "What would you guess happened to trigger it?"

"I originally thought it might've been all the wax," Ricky explained, "But Zoro and Vivi are perfectly fine." Vivi's eyes widened slightly, he called her 'Vivi' instead of 'Princess'. "She didn't get injured at all during the battle, and unlike Zoro, she didn't try to cut her legs off and try to fight. There were no exposed injuries to get infected."

Ricky turned and stared silently at Nami for a moment, then turned back to the other two and the duck. "Did either of you see anything weird after the battle?" Ricky asked.

"Miss. Nami was walking around without a shirt on," Sanji recalled with his eyes closed, seemingly picturing the navigator. "Her skin looked slightly burned and her bra clung nicely to her chest. Her skirt was low on her waist and there was…" Sanji's eyes flew opened. "THERE WAS A PINK MARK ON HER STOMACH!"

"It's the best clue we've got," Ricky commented, stood up and grabbed the covers, "Pardon the intrusion Nami," He pulled the covers back to expose Nami's lightly clothed body, he gently grabbed the bottom of Nami's shirt and slowly pulled it up to expose her stomach… and a swollen red lump.

"Sanji, you being a pervert helped us out for once," Ricky remarked. "I think we've found the cause of the infection." Ricky stared at the swollen red lump on Nami's stomach. "It looks like a bug bite of some kind." Ricky reached out and lightly prodded the red lump caused Nami to wince. Ricky took note of Nami's reaction, "So its swollen and sore. This can't be good."

"What do we do?" asked Sanji, drawing Ricky's attention away from Nami.

"No clue," Ricky answered, "we were on Little Garden, the climate there was prehistoric. The bug that bit her could've been anything." Ricky stood up and darted over to the bar where he'd left his medical book on the counter. He opened to the front and glanced at the index then began to rapidly page through it.

"Rarely harmless my ass…" Ricky muttered as he read a passage in the book. "Try to identify bug… yeah, good luck with that… apply ice to reduce swelling… if problems continue, see a doctor… what do you think we're _trying _to do?" **Whap! **Ricky slapped the book closed then went around the bar and ducked behind the counter. He popped back up with a bag of ice then walked back over to Nami's bed and applied the bag of ice to the bug bite on Nami's stomach.

It was quiet for a moment but a light knock on the wall by the top of the staircase drew everyone's attention. **Knock… knock… **Ms. Goldenweek stood there and awkwardly met the four and half pairs of eyes that were suddenly focused on her.

"Um… Mr. One Eye," said Ms. Goldenweek, "I know you're very busy and I wouldn't have bothered you unless it was really important. But… um… it's Ms. Valentine. _Something's _wrong with her."

"Damn," Ricky cursed as he stood up, he turned and placed his hand on Nami's leg which was covered by bed sheets, "I'll be back as soon as I can." He turned to Vivi, "Vivi, keep applying the ice for twenty minute intervals."

"That's twice that you actually called me my name," Vivi realized.

"You're helping us look after Nami," Ricky replied with a shrug, "Anyone willing to do that is more than just a passing acquaintance."

Ricky followed Ms. Goldenweek up the stairs and across the deck. "Can you name anything that's wrong with her?" Ricky inquired as he and Ms. Goldenweek left the storage room and walked across the deck.

Mr. 5 and Zoro were standing at the bottom of the mat, Usopp was up in the crow's nest keeping a lookout, and Luffy was sitting in his special seat on the figurehead.

"She's been really tired," Ms. Goldenweek answered, "and she's sweating a lot. She might have a fever."

Ricky stopped in front of the anchor room, "Here's what I want you to do," Ricky instructed, "check her body from any suspicious-looking bug bites. We just discovered that's what made Nami sick. Ms. Valentine had her dress off for a short period of time until she could wash your paint off of it."

Ms. Goldenweek nodded and entered the anchor room, Ricky turned to face Zoro and Mr. 5 who were looking at him with mild concern. "Zoro, Mr. 5, go down into the men's quarters and get the comfy couch we have down there," Ricky ordered. "Move it into the women's quarters. If something's wrong with Ms. Valentine, it'll be easier to look after her if she's in the same room as Nami." The two of them nodded and opened the flap then disappeared below deck.

"**Mr. One Ey****e," **Ms. Goldenweek's quiet voice called out from the opened doorway of the anchor room. **"I found it."**

Ricky entered the anchor room and saw Ms. Valentine lying on the floor on top of a pile of blankets. Her dress had been pulled up to reveal her white panties… and the swollen red bug bite on her right side.

Without a word, Ricky walked over to Ms. Valentine and picked her up, he ignored the surprised look on the blonde's face and turned to Ms. Goldenweek, "Grab a bunch of those blankets and a pillow and follow me to the women's quarters."

Ricky carried Ms. Valentine out of the anchor room and across the deck, "She's sick," he informed Luffy and Usopp without either of them having to ask. Ricky entered the storage room and went down the steps into Nami's room. Vivi, Sanji, Carue, and even Nami looked surprised as he came in carrying the blonde agent.

"We've got another bug bite," Ricky announced, "Sanji, go through the emergency hatch and help Zoro and Mr. 5 bring the couch in here." Ricky carried Ms. Valentine across the room and set her down on the foot of Nami's bed as Sanji slid opened the lock on the emergency hatch that connected the men's quarters with the women's quarters and slipped into the other room.

Ricky stood up in time to see Ms. Goldenweek coming down the stairs with the blankets from the anchor room. "Just put them down on the floor until they get here with the couch," Ricky told her as walked passed Nami's bed and over to the closet in the corner, he opened it and eventually tossed a yellow t-shirt over his shoulder and into the middle of the room. "One of you girls change her into that. I'm gonna need to be able to see the bug bite so we can attempt to take care of it, the dress will only get in the way. Carue, avert your eyes and give her some privacy."

Despite being sick, Ms. Valentine was surprised by Ricky's sudden take-charge attitude. He'd already impressed her on Little Garden when he convinced them that he was an agent and convinced his crew to take them off the island. It was clear why Ricky was the First Mate, Luffy might've been stronger, but Ricky was smarter and when he gave an order it was followed immediately. Ms. Valentine resolved to keep an eye on him.

It took a while, but eventually Ms. Valentine had been changed and situated on the couch that Zoro, Sanji, and Mr. 5 had moved into the women's quarters. The couch had been placed against the fourth wall of the room across from the desk, bookshelf, and closet. It ended up between Nami's second bookshelf and the bar. Ricky, Sanji, Vivi, and Carue stayed in the room to look after the two sick women while Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Mr. 5, and Ms. Goldenweek were out on the deck continuing the search for a doctor.

**-x-**

Ignoring the Eternal Pose that pointed towards Alabasta, the Straw Hats kept sailing. The very next day, it started to snow.

Ricky paced back and forth in the middle of Nami's room, "We needed to keep them _cool_, not _freeze them_!" Ricky complained. There was a faint ring around his eye that was a sign of a lack of sleep. "This snow is the last thing we needed. Now they're freezing and burning up at the same time."

"Their fevers are still rising," Vivi reminded him. "We need to find a doctor now more than ever. If this keeps up… they could die."

**-x-**

Out on the deck, Usopp, Ms. Goldenweek, and Zoro were all bundled up in blankets they'd gotten from the men's quarters. Luffy and Mr. 5 were dressed as they normally were, but the bomb man at least had a coat, Luffy seemed completely oblivious to the cold that accompanied the snow.

Zoro sat up in the crow's nest, covered in a layer of snow as he stared through a pair of binoculars. "HEY! SEE ANY DOCTORS YET?" Luffy shouted up at him.

Suddenly Zoro spotted something. "Uh… hey guys… what do you think about people standing on water?" he inquired.

"You've been up there too long and are starting to hallucinate," Mr. 5 offered.

"What do you mean?" questioned Luffy. "Do I think it's possible?"

"What kind of question is that?" Usopp wondered. "It's impossible of course."

"Oh yeah?" Zoro replied, "then… what's that?"

Luffy, Usopp, Mr. 5, and Ms. Goldenweek all stared in the direction Zoro had indicated.

"There's a person standing on the water," Ms. Goldenweek realized.

**-x-**

Next Chapter, the Straw Hats encounter Wapol of Tin.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	17. Chapter 17

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own One Piece or any of its characters. This is a fan-made work of fiction, aptly named FanFiction.

**Wapol of Tin:**

**-x-**

"Guys…" Zoro called down from the crow's nest as he stared through his binoculars. It was snowing and the Straw Hats were still searching for a doctor for Nami and Ms. Valentine. Zoro had spotted… something. "What do you think about people standing on water?"

"You've been up there too long and are starting to hallucinate," Mr. 5 offered.

"What do you mean?" questioned Luffy. "Do I think it's possible?"

"What kind of question is that?" Usopp wondered. "It's impossible of course."

"Oh yeah?" Zoro replied, "then… what's that?"

Luffy, Usopp, Mr. 5, and Ms. Goldenweek all stared in the direction Zoro had indicated.

"There's a person standing on the water," Ms. Goldenweek realized.

Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Mr. 5, and Ms. Goldenweek all stared in surprise at the strange man in front of the Going Merry. HE WAS STANDING ON THE WATER!

The man wore heavy-looking blue and green clothing that showed that he was seemingly used to the cold weather they were in. He wore a fluffy blue and white cape, a big coat that had a hood with jester-like top, thick green pants and blue shoes. Strapped to the man's back was a quiver filled with arrows and a bow.

**Rub… Rub…** Luffy, Usopp, and Ms. Goldenweek all rubbed their eyes to make sure they weren't seeing things. Mr. 5 raised his sunglasses and silently stared at the strange archer.

"…" The three Straw Hats and the two Officer Agents silently stared at the archer.

"…" The archer silently stared back.

"Hello! Sure is chilly today!" the man suddenly called out.

"Yeah, it is chilly today," Luffy replied.

"Definitely," Usopp agreed. "It's very chilly, in fact, it'd even say it's freezing."

"Really?" the archer inquired causing the five people on the main deck of the Going Merry to stare at him in surprise, but the archer stared back equally surprised.

"_**INCREASE BUOYANCY!" **_someone ordered.

**SPLOOOOSH!** The archer suddenly rose up out of the water, revealing that he hadn't been standing on the water, but was instead standing in a crow's nest. The crow's nest was on the top of a giant metal dome.

The waves from the dome rising out of the water caused the Going Merry to unsteadily drift backwards.

"WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?" Luffy exclaimed. "A watermelon?"

**-x-**

"WHY ARE WE SHAKING?" Vivi cried out in alarm, she staggered to the side as the ship tilted beneath her. Sanji stood nearby balancing Nami's bed on his leg while Ricky was holding onto the couch that Ms. Valentine was sleeping on and attempted to keep it steady. Carue slipped and went rolling across the floor.

"HOLD THE RUDDER STEADY!" Sanji shouted up towards the deck. "IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO NAMI I'LL HOLD EVERY ONE OF YOU RESPONSIBLE!"

"We can't trust them to steer the ship for two minutes," Ricky complained.

**-x-**

"What the hell is that?" Zoro wondered as he sat in the crow's nest covered in a blanket and a layer of snow. "Is that a ship?"

**KA-CHUNK! **The top half of the dome started coming apart, revealing the numerous panels that made it up, the panels disappeared below surface and revealed the large central mast and the sails that were attached to it. **KREEK!** From under the water an animal head rose up and stuck out from the front of the bottom half of the dome. It was a hippo with a crown on its head, and from the looks of things, it was the figure dome wasn't a dome at all, IT WAS A PIRATE SHIP! The pirate ship was manned by many uniformed men that were standing on the main deck.

**SWISH!** A black flag slid up the mast and started waving. It was a Jolly Roger. The skull had a crown on the top of its head, its mouth was closed but had bolts in it, and the skulls tongue was seemingly licking its lips.

"OH CRAP!" Usopp exclaimed. "IT'S A PIRATE SHIP!"

"It's… a submarine…" Mr. 5 realized.

"It's huge!" Luffy commented as he stared at the giant ship in astonishment.

"Great," Zoro muttered, "Just when we needed to hurry."

"…" Ms. Goldenweek didn't say anything because she was no longer sitting on the deck.

"**What's the matter?"** a deep somewhat raspy voice taunted, **"Don't tell me our underwater raid ship the Bl****iking surprised you! MAAA HAHAHAHAHA!"**

**-x-**

Down in the women's quarters Sanji and Ricky heard the laughter coming from up above them. "That doesn't sound good," Ricky remarked.

"I'll go check it out!" Sanji announced as he raced up the steps, he stopped for a moment, "Ricky, don't let anything happen to Miss. Nami, Miss. Vivi, and Miss. Valentine."

Ricky nodded, "I've got it under control."

Sanji continued running up the steps and reached the storage room, **KREK!** Sanji rushed out onto the deck but then stopped and stared in surprise. "Hey! What's going on?" Sanji demanded.

**MUNCH! CHOMP! CHOMP!** A blue-haired man with a metal plated jaw took a big bite of a large slab of meat that was impaled with a dagger.

Sanji calmly pulled out a box of matches and lit up a cigarette. "So… what's going on?" Sanji calmly inquired.

"Well we're under attack," Luffy answered. "And it's still snowing."

Both of Luffy's statements were true. It was still snowing and the deck was crowded with men wearing dark furry uniforms that were armed with guns. Usopp was standing in the middle of the deck with his hands up, ten uniformed men were aiming guns at him, Mr. 5 was sitting at the bottom of the mast with six men pointing guns at him, Zoro was up in the crow's nest along with another four men with guns, and Luffy was sitting on the railing in front of the galley with numerous men on the deck behind him and below him aiming guns at him. Sanji now stood outside the door to the storage room with five mean training guns on him.

"Well yeah, the guns pointing my face kind of gave that away," Sanji admitted. "What next?"

**Munch! Munch! "You all consider yourself a band of pirates?" **asked the man with the metal-plated jaw as he chewed on some more of his meat. "That's amusing. I only count five of ya." The man opened his mouth wide and stuck the dagger and the remaining meat that was skewered on it into his mouth. **CRUNCH!** The man chomped down on both the meat and the dagger and began chewing it up.

The four pirates and the officer agent winced when they saw the man begin to chew the metal dagger.

"Sort of strange that your group would have so few members," the man commented. He was FAT. He had spiky blue hair and a metal plated jaw, he wore a heavy gray coat, brown gloves, purple and orange pants, and brown fur-topped boots. He also wore a white hooded cape that had the head of a furry hippo. **Munch! Munch!** The Straw Hats and Mr. 5 stared in surprise as the man finished chewing the bit of the dagger that was in his mouth, then threw the handle in, **CHOMP!**

"That's just strange," Luffy said with a wince, "What kind of guy likes to eat knives?"

"Devil Fruit," Mr. 5 stated, "it's the only explanation."

"Aahh!" Usopp gasped, "My gums are bleeding just watching!"

"Search the rest of the ship," the fat man who was known as Wapol 'of Tin' the Captain of the Tin Tyrant Pirates ordered as he stood on the railing and surveyed the main deck.

"Yes sir!" replied some of the uniformed men. Three of them went into the galley, three went into the anchor room, three went down into the men's quarters, and another three went into the storage room.

"Alright, I'll keep this simple," Wapol announced. "See… my men and I wish to travel to Drum Kingdom. You wouldn't happen to have an Eternal Pose or a Log Pose would ya?"

"Nope, can't help," Sanji refused. They _did _have Log Poses but he wasn't inclined to help the guy that had just put Nami, Vivi, and Ms. Valentine in danger by ordering some men to search the storage room. "Sorry, but I've never even heard of this Drum Kingdom."

"Well, now that we have that all settled, would you guys just leave already?" Luffy requested. He didn't seem to like the fat man much either. "We're in a hurry and we don't have time to deal with all this."

"You'll never enjoy life if you're always in a rush," Wapol lectured. "But if you have neither Pose, what can be done. I suppose I'll have to settle for your treasure and this ship."

"Huh?" said Luffy. Why would he want their ship when he had that cool watermelon?

**-x-**

**Tmp! Tmp! **Ricky heard footsteps up in the storage room and shot up from his seat at the base of Nami's bed in time to see three men come down the steps into the women's quarters.

"Everyone, put your hands up!" one of the men ordered. The three men pointed their guns at Ricky, Vivi, and Carue who were standing in the middle of the room and looked like the biggest threat, as opposed to the two sick-looking women on a bed and a couch.

Ricky frowned and slowly put his hands up, Vivi and Carue mimicked his actions, "What do you want?"

"We're here to claim your ship and your treasure!" one of the men announced, "If you comply, none of you will be hurt."

To show that they meant business two of the men trained their guns on Nami and Ms. Valentine.

"Don't… point your guns at them," Ricky growled, "they're sick."

"_Crap," _Ricky cursed internally,_ "I have to get to them before they can fire their guns."_

**-x-**

"You there, put your hands up!" a soldier commanded as he and another pair of soldiers burst into the anchor room. They came across a girl wearing a pink hat. For some strange reason she was holding a pallet of paints.

**-x-**

"I'm still feeling a bit hungry," Wapol commented as he stood on the railing of Going Merry. **CHOMP! **He suddenly turned and opened his mouth impossibly wide AND BIT OFF A LARGE WOODEN CHUNK OF THE RAILING!

"HE'S A SHIP-EATING MONSTER!" Usopp shrieked as Wapol chewed on the large piece of wood in his mouth.

"HEY!" Luffy shouted. "OUR SHIP ISN'T YOUR LUNCH!"

"Be quiet!" one of Wapol's men ordered as he pointed his gun in Luffy's face, "Wapol doesn't like to be disturbed while he's eating!"

"SHUT UP!" Luffy suddenly raised his arms over his head, then brought them down on the head of the two soldiers standing around him and knocked them out, **WHAM!**

"DAMN PIRATE!" one of Wapol's men snapped. "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK! SHOOT HIM!"

**CLICK! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! **Wapol's men opened fire and shot at the rubber pirate.

"Now things are starting to get interesting," said Zoro as he threw off his blanket.

"Perfect," Sanji commented as he pulled off his blue scarf and got ready to fight, "this is more like it!"

**BAM! BAM! BAM!** "STOP IT! CAN'T WE DISCUSS THIS?" Usopp cried out as he jumped to the mast and climbed down the other side of it to avoid the bullets.

"Hmph," Mr. 5 grunted. **SKISH!** He leapt out of his seat against the mast and launched himself up into the air to avoid the bullets that were fired at him.

Back on Wapol's ship Bliking, another bunch of uniformed men were standing on the deck. With them was the strange archer from before as well as a man with a big black afro and a beard that ended in two fuzzy balls at his chin. He wore a heavy golden cloak over additional heavy clothing.

"They took it upon themselves to start this," the archer, Chess, commented.

"What fools," the afro-man, Kuromarimo, remarked. "Do they have a death wish?"

**-x-**

"_I need to get to them before they can fire at the others," _Ricky thought to himself as he stood in front of Nami's bed.

"I have a sack of gold in my bottom left pocket," Ricky informed the three men. "If you want my treasure, you'll have to allow me to get it."

"Do it," the man who seemed to be in charge ordered. "But don't try anything funny." The three men trained their guns on Ricky as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a sack. Ricky shook the sack and produced a jingling sound that proved that it really was filled with gold.

"_Time to test out the technique I've been working on with Zoro," _Ricky resolved.

"Catch," Ricky stated as he lobbed the sack of gold up into the air. The three men looked up as the sack of treasure flew towards them.

"Speed Step!" Ricky's bare feet pounded the ground and he disappeared from view. **ZOOM!** In a split second a red blur appeared on the other side of the room and slammed into the three men, **WHAAM! **The three men went flying and smashed into the wall behind them, Ricky reappeared and staggered a few steps, then turned around and caught the sack of gold he had thrown in midair, **Whap!**

**Whup-whup-wh****up!** Ricky whipped the sack around alongside him then spun around again and smashed the metal-filled sack into the face of the leading man, **WHUMP!** The soldier was knocked out cold and flew backwards into the other two men, **THUD!** The three men were left in an unmoving, unconscious heap on the floor.

"Never point a gun at Nami again," Ricky growled, Nami, Ms. Valentine, Vivi, and Carue all stared at Ricky in shock.

"Since _when_ can you move… faster that we can see?" Nami inquired from where she was sitting up in her bed.

"Since… just now…" Ricky answered, he dropped down to one knee and panted, "First time I've done that."

"That was… amazing…" Vivi gasped.

"Quack!" Carue agreed.

"Thanks for not doing that to me!" Ms. Valentine called out.

"Vivi, Carue, would you mind getting those guys out of here?" Ricky requested, "I've lost most of the feeling in my legs."

"Of course," Vivi agreed, she and Carue crossed the room and gathered up the three men. Before they left, the Princess turned and smiled at Ricky, "I'd tell you to look after them… but I know you'll do it anyway." Vivi and Carue left the room while Ricky used his arms and dragged himself backwards across the room and sat against Nami's bed.

"Ricky… thanks for looking after me," Nami said quietly before she laid down on her bed and closed her eyes.

"I always will," Ricky whispered in reply.

**-x-**

"You shouldn't take on anything you can't handle!" Sanji snapped, he swung his leg around and hooked it on the neck of one of the men, **THWAK! **"RECEPTION!" Sanji drove the man into the ground with his foot.

"Get him!" another man called out, three more men charged the cook, **Swish! **Sanji dropped down onto his hands, then swung his legs around and took out all three of them, **THWHAM!**

Sanji rolled forward and launched himself at two other men that were charging him. **SWISH!** Sanji hooked his leg around one man's neck and then sent him flying into the mast, **WHAM!**

"Yipe!" Usopp yelped as he barely managed to dive out of the way in time.

Zoro threw the three soldiers out of the crow's nest, then leapt over the edge and ran down the mast with _Yubashiri _and _Kitetsu III _in his hands. **SLA-LISH!** Zoro sped passed a group of four men and lashed out with both of his swords. **THUD!** The men went crashing down to the ground and were knocked out.

**Swish! Swash!** Zoro dodged sword strikes from another group of men and then lashed out his swords again, **SLISH! SLOSH!** "GAAAHH!" the men yelled out in pain as they fell to the deck.

"Huh, all bark, no bite," Zoro remarked.

**KA-BOOOM!** Mr. 5's foot exploded as he kicked a man in the chest, sending him flying into a group of men behind him, and knocked them all down like a bunch of bowling pins. **THUD!**

"Pathetic," Mr. 5 grunted, he pulled up the sleeves of his coat and charged another two men, "EXPLODING DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE!" **KA-BOOM-BOOM!** Mr. 5's arms exploded when they connected with the two men and blew them both sky-high.

**-x-**

**Skish! Skish! Skish! "Betrayal Black!"** Ms. Goldenweek whisked a trio of familiar black symbols onto the men that had charged into the anchor room.

"You know," the girl told them, "it'd be really bad for your crew if you went out and attacked anyone else wearing your uniform."

"RAAAAHH!" the three men drew swords and charged out of the anchor room, AND BEGAN ATTACKING THEIR FELLOW SOLDIERS!

"That was easy," Ms. Goldenweek remarked as she calmly sat on a blanket in the anchor room and watched the battle going on out on the deck through the still opened door.

**-x-**

"CAPTAIN WAPOL!" one of Wapol's men called out, "WE NEED HELP! THESE GUYS ARE TOO MUCH!"

**CHOMP!** Wapol didn't reply, he simply bit down on another part of the Going Merry's railing and started to chew it up.

"YOU STILL EATING?" Luffy hollered as he smashed his way through Wapol's men to get to the fat ship-eater.

"This ship doesn't taste half bad!" Wapol remarked.

"HEY YOU!" Luffy called out to him, causing Wapol to turn and stare at the rapidly approaching pirate.

"You fool!" said one of Wapol's men, "You're no match for Wapol!"

"Yeah!" added another one of Wapol's men. "Now you'll be eaten by the power of the Munch Munch Fruit!"

**CHOMP!** Wapol opened his mouth wide AND THEN BIT DOWN ON LUFFY!"

"LUFFY NO!" Usopp cried out in shock when he saw his captain getting chewed by their enemy.

**VREEEEM!** Luffy stretched his rubber arms out behind him just as the door to the storage room opened again. Vivi and Carue came out and dumped a trio of unconscious men on the deck.

"Huh, what's this?" Vivi wondered as she noticed Luffy's arm stretching across the deck.

"Oh, hey there Miss. Vivi," Sanji greeted her as he calmly stood beside her. The combined efforts of Sanji, Zoro, Mr. 5, and three of Wapol's own men had made short work out of the attacking soldiers. The only one left fighting was Wapol himself. "Everything okay with Miss. Nami and Miss. Valentine?"

"Ricky's watching them," Vivi answered. "So they couldn't be safer."

"I'd prefer someone less chewy," Wapol complained, Luffy's rubber body mad him impossible to eat.

"**I said…" **Luffy's voice suddenly sounded from inside Wapol's mouth, **"LEEAAVE!" SHOOOOM!** Luffy's arm shot backwards and slammed into Wapol, the fat man went flying off into a distance while Luffy flew out of his mouth in the other direction and landed safely on the deck.

Wapol's men all stared in shock at the sight of their leader getting blasted off of the ship and disappear into the horizon. **TWINKLE!**

The Straw Hats all grinned while Mr. 5 folded his arms across his chest, Vivi stared at Luffy in surprise.

"THIS IS BAD!" Chess the archer exclaimed, "HE SENT WAPOL FLYING OUT INTO THE OCEAN!"

"BAD?" repeated Kuromarimo the afro-man, "IT'S A DISASTER! WAPOL'S GONNA DROWN! HE CAN'T SWIM!"

"Recall the troops!" Chess ordered, **CHUNK!** The mouth of the hippo figure head opened and a ladder extended like a tongue. Wapol's battered men quickly left the Going Merry and ran back to the safety of their ship. Well, relative safety, they were still being chased by three hypnotized soldiers. "There's no time to lose! We've gotta rescue him before he sinks to the bottom!"

"THIS IS FAR FROM OVER!" Chess shouted at the Straw Hats. "YOU'LL PAY, I PROMISE YOU'LL PAY!"

"YOU'RE DEAD!" Kuromarimo shouted. "YOU BRATS!" They quickly took off and shouted death threats as they left.

"YOU'D BETTER HOPE WAPOL DOESN'T DIE!"

"OR IT'S YOUR BLOOD WE'LL SPILL! REMEMBER THAT! WE'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!"

They sailed off after their captain and left the Straw Hats, Vivi, and Mr. 5 staring after them.

"Wow, crazy," Usopp commented, "those guys were really upset. What were they calling that old garbage can? Wapol?"

"Who cares," Sanji replied. "Don't worry about it. The guy's obviously a moron, best to just forget about him."

Vivi stared off after Wapol in surprise, "I know him…" she realized, "but from where?"

**-x-**

**See?:**

**-x-**

A few days earlier, in another part of the Grand Line a Marine Vessel with 'Smoker Marine' marked on the main sail was making its way through the Grand Line in pursuit of the Straw Hats.

"**Captain Smoker!" **came the voice of Lieutenant Devo, **"I've just intercepted a very intriguing signal."**

"What is it?" asked Smoker as laid back on a lounge chair that was out on the front deck of the ship.

In another room on the ship, Sergeant Major Tashigi was staring intently at a sword. "Such an incredible full temper!" Tashigi exclaimed as she surveyed the sword, "The Legendary Kashu!"

"**Tashigi!" **Smoker's voice came through the door. **"Tashigi!"**

But the Sergeant Major was too caught up with the legendary sword to hear him, she lifted her glasses up and investigated the sword's finely crafted blade. "Only here in the Grand Line could I find such a prized sword as this so quickly!"

"**TASHIGI! COME HERE!" **the normally relaxed Smoker shouted for the Sergeant Major. **"ARE YOU DEAF, YOU SWORD-CRAZY ****FOOL?"**

"AAAAHH!" Tashigi yelped as she ran out of the room and down flight of stairs, "YES SIR, COMING CAPTAIN!" Tashigi was running so fast that the clumsy marine officer lost her footing on the stairs and tumbled down them, **THUD! WHUMP! **The sword Tashigi had been carrying went flying and launched high up into the air over her head, then came down and imbedded in the deck next to her head, **SHUNK! **"AAAAHHHH!" Tashigi screamed as she scampered away from the sword that had nearly killed her.

Up on the deck above her, Captain Smoker and Lieutenant Devo sweat-dropped. "STOP CLOWNING AROUND AND GET OVER HERE!" Smoker snapped. "I NEED YOU TO LISTEN TO THIS!"

Tashigi whimpered for a moment but then her attention was drawn to the black snail that was on Lieutenant Devo's wrist. "Oh neat, a Black Transponder Snail Listening Device!"

"I just picked up this conversation minutes ago," Devo informed her, "I've got it all cued up for whenever you're done fooling around."

Tashigi quickly came up the stairs and stood with Captain Smoker and Lieutenant Devo, "Alright, I'm ready, play it back please," she requested.

"_**It's me, Mr. 0, now quit fooling around you jackass!" **_came a deep gravelly voice from the recording. _**"Have you eliminated Princess Vivi and the Straw Hats as y**__**ou were ordered?"**_

"Straw Hats?" Tashigi repeated, then her eyes flew opened in realization, "STRAW HAT PIRATES!"

"_**Oh yeah… the mission was successful," **_a second smoother voice replied on the recording.

"_**From this point on all of my orders will be sent v**__**ia letter following the usual protocol," **_the first gravelly voice spoke again. _**"That will be all, Mr. 3."**_

"The rest of the message is undecipherable static," Devo concluded.

"It's a faint signal," Smoker commented, "but there are key names and phrases laced in the conversation that clearly stood out. 'Princess Vivi', 'Straw Hats', 'orders via letter', and 'Mr. 0'."

"Mr. 0, could that be a codename for somebody?" Tashigi wondered. "In fact, it's possible that he could be connected to that suspicious swordsman we caught earlier in Luness. What did he say his name was?"

"Mr. 11," Devo supplied as he cast a quick glance at the man they had tied to a mast. He had gray hair and wore a fancy black suit and a top hat. On his face were two double ended arrows that mirrored each other as they went diagonally across his cheeks. They resembled an '11'. He was the one Tashigi had gotten _Kashu _from.

"Probably part of a criminal organization that uses numbers for codenames and sends orders via letter," Smoker reasoned, he glanced at Mr. 11 and called out to him, "Sound about right?"

"Mr. 0? Organization? I have no idea what you're going on about," Mr. 11 replied.

"Then how do you explain the letter of detailed orders we found in your pocket?" Smoker asked.

"Uh…" Mr. 11's eyes flew opened in surprise, _"Damn letter! I thought I burned it!" _"Wait! That's not mine!"

"That's funny," Smoker remarked, "because we didn't actually find anything in your pocket."

"GAAAAAHHH!" Mr. 11 wailed when he realized that he'd just given himself away by falling for a simple trick.

Smoker grunted and sat back down in his chair and resumed smoking his cigar. "Alright then… Princess Vivi… if I remember correctly she's from Alabasta," Smoker reasoned, "reports say she's currently missing."

"Excuse me for interrupting," Tashigi apologized, "but isn't the Kingdom of Alabasta in the middle of Coup? Could this mysterious criminal organization and the Straw Hats be involved in the uprising?"

"That's not what they said on the recording," Devo pointed out. "That shady Mr. 0 character had given orders to eliminate Princess Vivi _and _the Straw Hats. For some reason, they're together."

"So far this is our only clue toward the Straw Hats' whereabouts," Smoker stated. "Lieutenant, I want you to contact Headquarters and get an Eternal Pose."

"Yes sir," Devo agreed as he went off to carry out the order.

Smoker smiled as he stared off in front of his ship, "It's time we play a little visit to Alabasta," he resolved. Whenever the Straw Hats got back on track to Alabasta, it looked like they'd have trouble waiting for them there. Not only in the form of Crocodile and Baroque Works, but also Captain Smoker and the Marines.

**-x-**

It had stopped snowing and the sun was setting as the Going Merry continued on its aimless course in search of a doctor.

Luffy, Ricky, Sanji, Vivi, and Carue were gathered in Nami's room and were looking over Nami and Ms. Valentine. It was still cold, an extra blanket had been added to Nami's bed and Ms. Valentine's couch. Vivi was wearing a white winter coat, Sanji wore a thicker jacket and a light blue scarf, Ricky was dressed in his long black coat, and Luffy was dressed as he normally was. Nami and Ms. Valentine were currently sleeping but had damp rags on their foreheads and were taking deeper breaths than normal.

"What if we just throw some water on them?" Luffy suggested, "Will that cool them down?"

"Shut up," Sanji groaned.

"Come on Nami, cheer up!" Luffy urged her. **Whup!** Luffy grabbed his ears and stretched them up to the top of his head and then tied them together over his straw hat. Then he grabbed his chin and spun it around into a long knotted beard, **Vreeen! **Finally, Luffy grabbed his nose and stretched it out in front of his face and then tied it in a bow so it looked like a loopy mustache, **Woing!** Luffy waved his hands around and attempted to get Nami to laugh, "Ah-blah-blah-blah-blah!"

"…" Nami and Ms. Valentine didn't react at all.

"No change at all!" Luffy gasped as he pulled out the knots in his face and it instantly returned to normal.

"Luffy… they're sleeping," Ricky told him, "And if they're not, you just gave them nightmares."

"Then wake 'em up and feed 'em some meat!" Luffy decided.

"YOU IDIOT!" Sanji and Vivi snapped at the same time, Vivi lashed out her arm and Sanji lashed out his leg, **THA-WHAP! **Luffy went flying across the room and slammed into the far wall, then went crashing down to the floor, **THUD!**

"This isn't good," Sanji resolved as he and Vivi returned their attention to Nami and Ms. Valentine. "The sun's about to set and there's been no change in either of them."

"It may have stopped snowing, but it's still cold," Ricky commented, "I was hoping the weather was finally starting to stabilize."

"Maybe we should find some place to drop anchor," Vivi suggested, "We can't navigate at night anyway without Nami's instructions."

"I _could_," Ricky replied, "but I don't want to leave them just so I can take over sailing the ship and maybe turn it away from the island we could be approaching."

"I'll take night watch and keep a look out for any ships," Sanji volunteered.

**-x-**

That night, Nami awoke in a room full of snoring. She sat up and glanced around the room. Vivi was sleeping on her knees with her head resting on the edge of Nami's bed, Carue was sleeping against the front of the bar and Zoro was covered in a blanket and was using the duck as a pillow. Luffy was sprawled out on his back at the bottom of the staircase, his foot was providing Usopp with a pillow, the marksman was sleeping sitting up at Nami's deck and was wrapped in a blanket. The snoring coming through the wall probably meant that Mr. 5 and Ms. Goldenweek were sleeping in the men's quarters.

Nami's eyes were drawn to movement across the room from her and she noticed Ricky putting a new rag on Ms. Valentine's forehead. Ricky stepped over Zoro's legs and then knelt down beside the bed. He reached out and gently placed a hand on her forehead.

"**Hi,**** want my ****autograph because I'm so famous?****"** Usopp suddenly called out, causing Nami to jump. Ricky didn't move and was seemingly used to the marksman shouting out random things in the middle of the night.

"He does that a lot," Ricky told her as he removed his hand from her forehead. "I've heard that guy spout out so many absurd stories that the things he talks about when he's awake seem boring."

Nami smiled, it was hard to imagine anything more farfetched than Usopp's tall tales, but apparently the marksman's dreams were even taller.

It was silent for a moment as Ricky produced a new rag and placed it on Nami's forehead. "Your fever keeps rising," he told her, "the cold weather isn't helping matters, and I don't need to tell you about the pain you're obviously in. With the way things just keep getting worse, that bug bite could be fatal."

**Gulp! **Nami swallowed hard, Ricky reached out and took hold of her hand. "I'm going to do absolutely everything I can to keep that from happening," he reassured her. "If we don't find something tomorrow... I'm going to use my last resort to personally get you to a doctor." Ricky pointed to his eye patch so Nami didn't have to ask what his last resort was. "I'll be able to go faster, I'll see further, and I'll hopefully be able to sense the treasure on the island from a distance. I'll just have to hold out against the parasite until I find something."

Nami knew that Ricky wouldn't risk using the Devil's Eye and losing control unless he was desperate. This was the second night in a row that Nami had woken up at night to find Ricky still awake and looking after her. The ring around his eye was proof that he hadn't slept since before Little Garden. He was really worried about her, all of them were.

Nami squeezed his hand, "It'll be okay," she insisted.

"That's what _I'm _trying to tell _you_," Ricky said with a shake of his head. "Go back to sleep. You need to rest."

"I'm warning you now," Nami threatened him, "When this is over, I'm going to make sure you get some sleep too." Ricky smiled at her optimistic threat as Nami closed her eyes and went back to sleep. He remained awake the rest of the night and looked after the two sick women.

Up in the crow's nest, Sanji was also up late as he diligently kept a look out for any ships that might come by and have a doctor.

"S-s-so c-cold," Sanji said with a shiver, he glanced up at the moon, "It's almost a full moon." As the night drew on Sanji and Ricky struggled to stay awake while performing their respective tasks, but only one of them succeeded.

**-x-**

**KONK! KONK! KONK! KLAK! **Early the next morning, the anchor had been raised and the Going Merry was once again sailing on in search of a doctor. A loud hammering sound could be heard coming from Usopp as he hammered in a bunch of boards and tried to repair the damage done when Wapol had tried to eat their ship.

Up in the crow's nest, Sanji jerked awake and stared around him. "Crap, I fell asleep," he complained. Sanji leaned over the side of the crow's nest and saw Usopp along the railing of the main deck attempting to patch up a big hold with a bunch of boards and nails. "You're up early."

"I can't just sit around doing nothing," Usopp replied as he held nails in his mouth in between his teeth. "We've gotta find a way out of this jam as quick as possible."

**Krek!** The flap to the men's quarters opened up and Mr. 5 and Ms. Goldenweek climbed up through the hole. "Hey, Cook," Mr. 5 called out, "One Eye told me to relieve you."

Ms. Goldenweek took a seat at the bottom of the main mast and pulled a paint pallet and a small canvas out from it. She stared at it for a moment and then began to paint, **Skish… skish… skish…**

Mr. 5 climbed up into the crow's nest and leaned against the side, Sanji frowned at him.

"I can handle being the lookout just fine," Sanji told him. "I've gotta find a doctor for Miss. Nami."

"One Eye told me that you'd say something like that," Mr. 5 stated, "He also said to tell you 'if you exhaust yourself, we'll have _three _sick people to deal with. Cook something for the crew to eat in the morning and then get some rest'."

"And why should I trust you with such an important job?" questioned Sanji. "If we don't find a doctor, Miss. Nami could die."

"Don't forget, my partner's sick too," Mr. 5 reminded him. "She can be annoying at times but I'd rather not have her die when I can do something about it. I have just as much reason for finding a doctor as you do."

"Hmph, alright fine," Sanji conceded, "trust Ricky to win an argument without even being here." Sanji climbed out of the crow's nest and down the mast, then went to the galley to cook breakfast before he got some rest.

Mr. 5 sat down in the crow's nest and stared off in a distance, below him against the mast, Ms. Goldenweek was painting the rising sun that was on the horizon, Usopp was still working on the repairing the ship.

**-x-**

Sometime later, down in Nami's room, Luffy sitting in a chair in front of Nami's bed.

"Come on Nami, this is weird!" Luffy urged the navigator as he tugged at his face.

"Luffy, you'd better cut it out," Ricky warned him from over by the bar, the ring around his eye had gotten darker from the sleepless night.

"If I make her laugh, she'll feel better," Luffy resolved.

"Luffy, that's not funny, it's traumatizing," Ricky told him, "We're trying to help them, not _torture _them."

"**Hey," **came Zoro's voice as he walked down the stairs into the room. He was wearing a long blue coat that went down to the top of a pair of dark green boots that he was wearing. His swords were sheathed at his waist. The swordsman approached the captain from behind hand called out to him, "What's going on Luffy?"

Luffy turned around and showed Zoro his face, he'd apparently gotten into _someone's _makeup. He had four fake eyelashes drawn above his eyes and a black semi-circle under each of them. The tip of his nose and his eyebrows were covered in grayish-black makeup. Pink lipstick was around his mouth, which Luffy was stretching opened to make him look even more like a monkey. On his forehead was the kanji for meat.

"GAAHHH!" Zoro yelped and fell down when he saw the 'scary' sight. Luffy stood up and began stretching his rubber mouth out more, "QUIT IT, YOU'RE FREAKING ME OUT!"

"See Luffy," Ricky pointed out, "If that face scares _Zoro_ then it's gotta be terrifying. Subjecting Nami to that while she's sick is just cruel."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Luffy apologized now that it finally sunk it.

"Wash your face off," Ricky instructed as he tossed Ms. Valentine's old rag to Luffy. "What did you want anyway, Zoro?"

"Oh, I just came down to tell you guys that the cook just finished breakfast," Zoro informed them. **ZZIP! **At the mention of food, Luffy out of the room in a flash.

Ricky shook his head and took a seat in Luffy's empty chair, he glanced at Nami, "If you're still awake you can open your eyes now," he told the girl. "He meant well."

Nami's eyes opened momentarily and she looked relieved. "_Someone's _gonna have to pay for that makeup." **ZZIP!** At the mention of owing Nami money, Zoro was gone.

"Wow," Ricky remarked as he stared after Zoro, "I don't know what scared him more, Luffy's face or the thought of owing you money." Nami smiled and then closed her eyes.

"No more monkey-face…" Ms. Valentine whimpered as she curled up into a ball and shivered. "No more…"

**-x-**

Outside, Carue had joined Usopp out on the deck and was holding the spare boards for him. The marksman had mostly patched up the hole in the railing of the ship. Ms. Goldenweek was adding the finishing touches to her painting of the sunrise and Mr. 5 was still sitting up in the crow's nest. Luffy and Zoro had briefly emerged and had joined Vivi in the galley eating the meal that Sanji had prepared before going down to the men's quarters.

"The weather seems to be getting stable," Mr. 5 commented from up in the crow's nest.

"Now that you mention it, it has been really calm and cold lately," Usopp remarked. "To be honest, it's freaking me out. The Grand Line can't even be predictable unpredictable."

"Hmph," Mr. 5 grunted, "It's quite clear that on this crew only One Eye and the Princess have any experience traveling in the Grand Line. Stable weather usually means you're approaching an island."

"**He's right," **came Vivi's voice as she walked out of the galley and leaned against the railing in front of it. "Mr. 5, be sure to check the horizon for any sign of land."

"That's what I've been doing," Mr. 5 replied.

"There must be a winter island somewhere nearby," Vivi reasoned.

"A winter island?" Usopp repeated in confusion.

**Skish! Skish! Skish!** Ms. Goldenweek painted a canvas then turned it around and showed it to Usopp. "There are four different kinds of islands in the Grand Line, Spring Islands…" Ms. Goldenweek pointed to a tree she'd drawn that had pink cherry blossoms blooming on it. "Summer Islands…" She pointed to a tree with lush green leaves. "Autumn Islands…" She pointed to a tree with colored leaves. "And Winter Islands…" She pointed to the final tree that was bare and had snow gathered around the bottom of it. "The four types of islands each have their own four seasons."

"That means there are at least sixteen types of weather patterns you have to be prepared to endure," Vivi explained, "Going from summer on a summer island, to winter on a winter island, and everything in between. There can be exceptions though, like Little Garden, that have their own unique climate."

"So that's why the seas between all the islands have such crazy weather patterns," Usopp realized.

"Correct," said Vivi. "The closer you get to an island, the calmer the sea is around you. That's why I asked Mr. 5 to start looking for land."

"That's it, I see it," Mr. 5 announced, Vivi, Carue, Usopp, and Ms. Goldenweek stared up at the crow's nest in surprise. "There's a winter island, dead ahead!"

**ZZZIP!** Luffy and Zoro were suddenly standing behind Vivi and stared off the front of the boat. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Luffy exclaimed. "AN ISLAND! WE FOUND AN ISLAND! NOW WE CAN FIND A DOCTOR!" Luffy ran across the deck and took his seat on the figurehead. "WHOOOOOAAAA! THERE IT IS! NAMI'S SAVED! It's all white and covered with snow! A SNOW ISLAND!"

**Krek!** Sanji had been woken by Luffy's shouting and came up through the flap in the deck. "Luffy, just so there's no misunderstanding," Sanji warned the happy captain, "we're going to find Miss. Nami and Miss. Valentine a doctor, we're not here to have an adventure. Are we clear?"

"I LOVE SNOW!" Luffy gushed as he stared off at the snow-covered island. "IT'S SO WHITE!"

"It's no use, he's gone," Sanji grumbled. "Guess I'd better get ready for the inevitable."

"Uh… are you sure this is a g-good idea?" Usopp asked timidly. "There could be snow monsters! And we don't even know if there's people there or not. Oh no! My 'better-not-go-on-that-island' fever is back!"

"Maybe the doctor should have a look at you too," Ms. Goldenweek offered.

"I'll go tell Ricky," Zoro offered.

**-x-**

"We found an island," Zoro reported as he walked down the steps to Nami's room.

"I heard Luffy," Ricky replied. "Would you mind watching them so I can negotiate with the natives?"

"That's why I came down here," Zoro agreed, Ricky got up and left the room. Zoro took the empty seat in front of Nami's bed, he faced the girl and chuckled, "Heh heh, I think this is the first time he's left your side other than to get your roommate."

Nami smiled, Ricky had been doing his best to take care of her. He'd only left the room for a few minutes and that was when he'd gone to get Ms. Valentine. She was glad they'd finally found an island, that not only meant they were one step closer to the doctor, but she was also one step closer to knocking him out and making sure he got some sleep.

**-x-**

The Going Merry sailed closer to the island. Its major geographic features were that it was completely covered in snow, and there were a set of five extremely large cylindrical 'drum-shaped' mountains.

The Straw Hats sailed the Going Merry through a waterway that led inland. Luffy was still sitting on the figurehead wearing his usual vest, shorts, sandals, and hat and was oblivious to the cold that accompanied the snow. Ricky was standing behind Luffy on the front deck and wearing his cowboy hat and his sunglasses to not only shield his eye from the bright snow, but to also hide the dark circle under his eye. Sanji, Usopp, and Vivi were all wearing their winter coats and were gathered on the front deck as well. Carue, Mr. 5, and Ms. Goldenweek, who was bundled in a bunch of blankets so they could save coats for Nami and Ms. Valentine, were waiting down on the main deck.

"I'm so happy!" Luffy exclaimed. "Look at the snow! It's like heaven!"

"Look at the mountains," Sanji remarked, "They're unlike anything I've ever seen."

"Say Luffy, aren't you cold dressed like that?" Usopp asked.

"It's ten degrees below freezing out here," Vivi pointed out, "that's when bears get ready to hibernate."

Luffy turned and stared at the others, "Oh boy… COLD!"

"YOU JUST FIGURED THAT OUT!" Sanji and Usopp snapped.

"There's a spare coat for you down in the men's quarters," Ricky told him. "Go put it on." Luffy leapt off of the figurehead and darted down the stairs and quickly disappeared below deck, Usopp went with him to help him find the coat.

The Going Merry continued to sail inward, Ricky and Vivi were left on the front deck, "It's a stream of melted snow," Vivi pointed out as they watched a bunch of snow slide off of the shore and into the water. "That could be a good spot to disembark."

"We'll have to find people first," Ricky reasoned, he glanced over his shoulder at the others, "I'll have Zoro stay behind to watch the ship, who wants to come along for the doctor search?"

"I'm in!" Luffy announced, he was now wearing a dark red winter coat and a pair of green gloves.

"Me too!" Sanji added.

"Fine, go have fun!" Usopp said.

"We'll leave finding a doctor to you," Mr. 5 resolved, "Ms. Goldenweek and I will stay here."

"**THAT'S FAR ENO****UGH, PIRATES!" **a loud voice called out. The Straw Hats looked up and spotted numerous armed men dressed in heavy clothing standing on both sides of the waterway. They all had their guns trained on the Going Merry and the crew.

"Everybody stay calm," Ricky quietly ordered as the Straw Hats surveyed the armed men. "Let me do the talking."

A large black haired man with a goatee that was wearing heavy green clothing, a green winter hat, and had some sort of weapon strapped to his back stepped forward, he looked a lot like a bull and seemed to be in charge. "I'll only say this once," the man addressed the Straw Hats, "Your kind is not welcome here. Leave immediately."

Ricky held up his arms in surrender, "We mean no harm," he assured the leader, "we've come in hopes of finding a doctor. We have two very sick people on board who desperately need medical attention."

"YOU'LL HAVE TO DO BETTER THAN THAT!" someone shouted. "WE WON'T FALL FOR THAT OLD TRICK!"

"It's not a trick," Ricky insisted, "We've been sailing for days and this is the first island we've found. If they don't receive medical treatment soon they'll die."

"THIS IS OUR ISLAND! WE WON'T LET ANY FILTHY PIRATES SET FOOT HERE!" another man shouted.

"Then we won't come ashore," Ricky offered, "could you send a doctor to our ship?" Ricky turned around, "everyone put your hands up to show we mean no harm." The order was followed, Luffy, Vivi, Usopp, Sanji, Mr. 5, Ms. Goldenweek, and even Carue raised their arms up into the air.

Ricky turned back to the men, "There's only three more people on this ship," Ricky told the armed men. "Please, we mean you no harm and we'd be willing to pay you if you allow us onto your island. I promise, no harm will befall on any of this island's inhabitants."

"WE WON'T TRUST THE WORD OF PIRATES, RAISE ANCHOR AND LEAVE NOW!" someone shouted.

"If we leave now, our sick will surely die," Ricky replied, "Please we're desperate." Ricky glanced behind him at the crew that was all standing there with their arms up, Ricky took a deep breath then dropped his knees and rested his head on the deck. "Please, I'm begging you. Please help our friends."

"Ricky…" Luffy said quietly. In all the years Luffy had known Ricky, he'd NEVER seen his brother beg. Ricky always got what he wanted, whether through stealing, swindling, or outright buying. He never begged. But Nami was in desperate need of a doctor, so there he was, on his knees begging these strange people that he could easily beat in a fight for help.

"Luffy, violence won't solve anything," Ricky quietly told him. "We need to assure them that we're peaceful and mean them no harm. If we get in a fight here, Nami and Ms. Valentine could die."

"_Keep dreaming!" _a memory of a much younger Ricky retorted in Luffy's mind, _"I don't beg for anything! Just give up now and save yourself a lot of trouble."_

Luffy followed his brother's example and dropped to his knees, his straw hat fell off as he rested his head on the deck, "Please help our friends," Luffy pleaded. The Straw Hats, Vivi, Carue, and the Agents stood silently as the Captain and First Mate begged for help.

"I'll show you to our village," the bull-like man with the goatee eventually decided, "follow me."

Ricky turned to Luffy and smiled, "See?" said Ricky, "Violence would've only gotten people hurt. Now he understands us."

**-x-**

Next chapter, the Straw Hats embark on an adventure in a nameless country.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	18. Chapter 18

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own One Piece or any of its characters. This is a fan-made work of fiction, aptly named FanFiction.

**A/N: Merry Christmas! My gift to all of you is an early release of the next chapter and the first glimpse of One Piece's version of Rudolph. Merry Christmas everybody, both to the people who celebrate it and even the people who don't. Religion shouldn't stop anyone from enjoying a day that is deep down all about joy, family, and togetherness. **

**A Land Without Doctors:**

**-x-**

Luffy, Ricky, Usopp, Sanji, and Vivi were led through the snow towards the village. Ricky was carrying Nami on his back while Sanji was walking next to him carrying Ms. Valentine. Both of the sick women were wearing full length pajamas under heavy winter coats. Nami's coat was one that she had bought for herself, it had a white, yellow, and orange plaid pattern. Ms. Valentine was wearing one of the spare coats Ricky had bought in Loguetown, it was solid golden color and was big on the blond agent due to it being a man's coat.

"There is one thing I feel should warn you about," said the bull-like man with the goatee and the heavy green coat. His name was Dalton an he was the Head of Security on the island. "The only doctor we actually have here is a witch." The Straw Hats, Vivi, and Ms. Valentine were being led by Dalton and another dozen men as an escort. It was clear that the inhabitants of the island didn't trust pirates.

"Huh… a witch?" Usopp repeated.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Sanji grumbled as he carried Ms. Valentine across the snow. "Everything about this island is messed up."

"Well we're desperate," Ricky replied. "Witch or not, if she's a qualified doctor, we'll go see her. Who knows, she and Nami might get along famously." One of Nami's elbows was driven into Ricky's shoulder. "Ow… I thought you were unconscious. On your island you were known as a witch, that means you and the witch have that in common."

"What do you call this crazy place anyway?" Sanji asked.

"Actually, this land still doesn't have a name," Dalton admitted.

"An island without a name?" questioned Vivi. "I didn't know that was possible."

Dalton didn't answer, so their journey to the village was silent with the exception of numerous feet crushing the snow. Usopp eventually broke the silence when he let out a loud scream.

"AAAAAAHHH! A BEEAAAARRRR!" the sniper screamed. "Hurry everyone, play dead!" Usopp flopped to the ground and acted like he was dead, but he was the only one.

The rest of the group kept walking towards the odd bear. It was walking on its hind legs, was covered in grayish-white fur, and was using a pick axe as a walking stick.

"It's a Hiking Bear," Dalton explained. "He poses no threat. Don't forget to bow. It's proper manners." The group bowed the Hiking Bear and the bear bowed back while it walked passed in the opposite direction.

Ricky glanced to the side at Usopp who was still playing dead, "Should we just leave him there?" he wondered.

"He'll come after us eventually," Sanji reasoned.

"Hey Usopp," Ricky called over his shoulder as they walked off, "you'd better come with us or an abominable snowman will find you alone and eat you."

Usopp was instantly on his feet and was practically running after them. Dalton kept walking but wondering if it would be a good idea to tell the pirates that there _was_ an abominable snowman on the island.

**-x-**

"Nice, that's much better," Zoro commented as he stared at the stitched up cuts that were on both of his legs. He was barefoot but was still wearing his long light blue winter coat. He was sitting on a box that he'd brought up onto the main deck. "Heh heh!"

"Quack," Carue quietly quacked as he stood on the deck wrapped in a blanket and watched the crazy swordsman.

"Finally I can start training seriously," said Zoro. "I was getting sick of that modified training I had to do with my stupid injury. Staying and guarding the ship is boring as hell." Zoro pulled off his coat and tossed it to the side, leaving him shirtless while revealing the scar he'd gotten on his chest from Hawk Eye Mihawk. "Maybe some ice-water swimming will clear my head a bit."

"Mr. 5… that guy's crazy…" Ms. Goldenweek whispered as she and Mr. 5 stood on the other side of the deck and watched the insane swordsman in shock. On Little Garden he'd attempted to cut his own feet off so he could 'fight', and now he was planning on taking a swim when the water was FREEZING!

"Are you really that stupid?" Mr. 5 bluntly asked Zoro. "The second you dive in there you'll be frozen solid."

"You're just jealous that you can't swim," Zoro retorted.

"Um… if you're intent on catching hypothermia… would you mind if I borrowed your coat?" Ms. Goldenweek requested as she stood there bundled up in blankets and eyed the swordsman's coat that was just lying there on the deck. "At least until your friends get back and chip you out of the block of ice you're bound to end up frozen in?"

"I want it back when I return," Zoro told her.

Ms. Goldenweek threw off her make-shift blanket cloak and grabbed Zoro's light blue coat and put it on. It was really big on the small Officer Agent. The bottom of the coat dragged on the ground and her short arms only went halfway through the long sleeves. "It'll do," she resolved.

Mr. 5 watched as Zoro dove off the Going Merry and into the freezing cold water and then began a take a casual swim.

"Idiot," Mr. 5 muttered, he'd never understand that swordsman.

**-x-**

"This is the village where we live," Dalton explained to the Straw Hats and Vivi as they walked through a small village. There were about twenty small houses that were made out of brick and had cone-shaped stone roofs. "It's called Big Horn."

"Look at all the weird animals walking around everywhere," Luffy commented to Usopp as they stared at a ram with long curled horns and a furry white hippo with a bunch of boxes strapped on top of it.

"Well yeah, this is snow country," Usopp pointed out.

"We finally made it to a village," Sanji announced to Nami and Ms. Valentine, "We're here."

"Thanks for the help everyone," Dalton called out to the guards that had escorted the Straw Hats to Big Horn with him. "If you're not a guard, you can return to your work."

"Are you sure you'll be alright here by yourself?" one of the guards asked Dalton. "They are pirates."

"I believe these people mean us no harm," Dalton replied. "That's my hunch anyway, you can trust me on that."

"If Dalton says they're alright, I guess we should believe him," one of the guards said to another.

"Alright Dalton, we'll leave them to you," another guard resolved, they all went their separate ways and left Dalton alone with the Straw Hats.

"You mean those men weren't real soldiers?" Vivi asked Dalton.

"No, they're just ordinary citizens," Dalton told her. "Come to my house for now." Dalton started to lead them off towards one of the houses.

"Hey, look over there Luffy!" Usopp exclaimed, "It's one of those Hiking Bears!"

"Another one?" questioned Luffy as he looked where Usopp was pointed. The two of them quickly bowed to the 'bear', who turned out to be just some fat lady in a heavy coat, Ricky and Dalton both sweat-dropped when they saw Luffy and Usopp bowing.

"Hello Dalton!" the bear-lady said in greeting. "I heard that some pirates landed on the island. I hope everything's alright."

"Everything's fine," Dalton reassured her. "There's nothing to be worried about." Luffy and Usopp gave each other an odd look and stood up.

"Just wanted you to know Dalton, I'm looking forward to the election in two days!" an old man called out. Dalton seemed to be really popular in this village. "Everyone I've talked to has said they're going to vote for you."

"I'm just an ordinary citizen," Dalton replied dismissively. "I'm not worthy."

"You can be humble when we're at this house of yours," Ricky told Dalton, "we've got two really sick people here and the cold isn't good for them."

"Right, of course," Dalton agreed as he led the Straw Hats to his house.

"…" Vivi silently stared at Dalton. She was the Princess in a monarchy, and here was a man who was going to be elected democratically for something.

**-x-**

"You can use the bed over there," Dalton offered once they'd reached his house, "I'm going to warm the place up." He went to the fire place and started to light a fire.

Ricky and Sanji placed Nami and Ms. Valentine down on the single bed that was in the corner. They removed their coats leaving the two in a pair of light blue and light yellow pajamas. Vivi pulled up the blanket and tucked the two sick women in, then knelt down in front of the bed while Ricky sat down and leaned back against it. Sanji stood off to the side not wanting to crowd the bed.

"I guess I should introduce myself," Dalton commented as he removed his weapon and set it down on a chair. "My name is Dalton. I'm the Captain of the Island's Security Squad. Please forgive our… less than friendly welcome."

"Excuse me, but can I ask you a question?" Dalton asked Vivi, causing the Princess to look at him in surprise. "It's just that… you look familiar to me for some reason."

"Uh… no, I just have one of those faces I guess," Vivi quickly answered. "Anyway, can you tell us more about this doctor... or witch if that's what she is?"

"Nami's fever's gone up to 107," Ricky added, "the other one's at 106 point something."

"How long have they had it?" Dalton asked in surprise.

"This is the third day and it's still going up," Ricky explained. "We've determined that it was caused by some infected bug bites they got on the last island we were on."

"They're likely to die if it gets any worse," Dalton remarked.

"We know," Ricky admitted, "that's why we're so desperate for a doctor."

"We've got to find a doctor as soon as possible!" Sanji exclaimed. "ANY doctor will do. Where's this witch of yours?"

"Do you see those mountains outside the window?" Dalton asked.

"Yeah, I noticed them earlier," Sanji replied. He looked towards the window and frowned then he saw the head of a badly made snowman in the middle of it.

"SUPER MASSIVE SNOWMAN!" Luffy called out from where he was perched on the shoulder of his snowman. It once again showed Luffy's lack of artistic talent.

"AND THE SNOW BEAST, SNOW-ZILLA!" Usopp added as he sat on his giant snow dinosaur. It was expertly crafted right down to the scales and teeth.

"GET IN HERE BEFORE I KILL YOU!" Sanji shouted at them from inside Dalton's house.

"Those mountains out there are known as the Drum Rockies," Dalton explained once Luffy and Usopp had come inside. The mountains certainly lived up to their name, they were large and cylindrical in shape, they looked like huge rocky drums. "Do you see the castle on the top of the tallest one? The one in the middle? That castle has lost its King."

"Castle?" Usopp repeated as he and Luffy knelt on the floor and drank some warm hot chocolate.

"This is good," Luffy remarked as he drank the warm drink.

"Yeah, I see it," Sanji said as he and Vivi stood and stared out the window at the snowy white castle on top of the mountain.

"What's so important about the castle?" questioned Vivi.

"That castle is where our land's only doctor lives," Dalton told them. "Dr. Kureha. She's the one who people here call a witch."

"Of all places why does she have to live on top of a mountain?" Sanji complained. "We need to call her here right now. We need her help."

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid there's no way to contact her," Dalton apologized.

"You can't be serious!" Sanji exclaimed.

"Sanji… if they could call her down, they would've done it already," Ricky pointed out from where he was calmly sitting against the bed. "What I'm concerned about are her medical skills."

"Her skills as a doctor are quite impressive actually," Dalton admitted. "However, she's an eccentric old woman. She's nearly one hundred forty years old."

"A hundred forty?" Sanji repeated. "No wonder she doesn't get around much,"

"Oh and one more thing, she likes pickled plums," Dalton added unnecessarily.

"Then what do you do when people are sick or injured?" Vivi inquired. "Doesn't she help them?"

"She comes down from the mountain whenever she feels like," Dalton replied. "She looks around for patients, treats them, then takes whatever she wants from their houses as payment."

"She doesn't sound like a very nice lady," Usopp commented.

"She sounds like a pirate," Luffy stated.

"How is a woman as old as she is capable of getting down that mountain?" Vivi asked.

"It's an odd rumor around here," Dalton answered. "Several of the villagers claim they've seen her at night, riding a sleigh of some kind through the sky. They see her silhouette when the moon is full. That's the reason she's thought to be a witch. There are others that say they've seen her with a strange creature. A creature that none of them recognize."

"GAAAHH! IT'S THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN!" Usopp screamed. "OH NO! OH NO! I DON'T WANNA RUN INTO IT!"

Everyone ignored Usopp's screaming as Dalton continued, "Dr. Kureha is the only doctor we have. But she's still a woman I would prefer to stay away from. All we can do is wait for the next time she decides to come down the mountain."

"We don't know how long that'll take though," Ricky finally spoke up, he'd been content to just listen to Dalton's story about the witch doctor. "If the doctor won't come to us, we'll go to her."

"What? You can't climb up that!" Vivi exclaimed.

"These past few days have been torture," said Ricky. "I've had to watch their condition get worse and worse, there was nothing I could do to help them but wait until we spotted an island. Now there is."

"Ricky, those mountains are huge!" Sanji told him. "You can't climb it."

Luffy got up and walked over to the bed, he shook Nami awake. "Hey Nami, Nami, wake up." Nami's eyes slowly opened and she stared up at the faces of Luffy and Ricky. "Here's the thing, the only way to see the doctor is to climb the mountain. So we're gonna have to climb the mountain."

"Are you crazy?" Sanji demanded, "What about Miss. Nami and Miss. Valentine? How do you expect to get them up there?"

"Luffy, I can trust you with anything right?" Ricky asked his brother.

"Of course," Luffy immediately answered.

"Then can you carry Nami on your back and make sure she gets up to the doctor?" Ricky requested. "You're the only one I'd trust with that. The second Ms. Valentine set foot on our ship, she became my responsibility, so I'm gonna carry her."

"Carrying them up there will just make them sicker!" Vivi attempted to reason with the usually rational Ricky. "I know you want to help them, but you're being too reckless."

"We need to hurry right?" questioned Luffy. "The faster we get up there, the faster they get to see the doctor."

"Do you two even see how steep and tall that mountain is?" Vivi demanded as she pointed out the window at the tall cylindrical mountain that went straight up.

"Right now, the only thing keeping me from climbing that mountain is you," Ricky almost growled. "_Nothing _is going to stop us from getting up there. If you're not gonna help, get the hell out of our way." At the look Ricky gave her, Vivi stepped behind Sanji, too intimidated to argue with the determined First Mate.

"_I need to get over this thing, and quickly," _Nami thought to herself. _"We need to hurry, for Vivi." _Nami slowly pulled her arm out from under the sheets, catching everyone's attention. She gave Ricky and Luffy a thumbs up sign. "I'm counting on you guys."

"Don't worry Nami, just leave it to us," Luffy reassured her, "You too umbrella lady."

"I promise, we'll get you up the mountain or die trying," Ricky vowed.

Ms. Valentine's eyes were opened and she saw that both the Captain and First Mate were now focused on her. "Thank you," she whispered.

"If you're so insistent on going, then I'm coming too," Sanji decided.

**-x-**

A few minutes later, Nami and Ms. Valentine were once again bundled up in their winter coats. Nami was on Luffy's back while Ms. Valentine was on Ricky's.

"Listen Luffy!" Usopp lectured the Captain, "you can't fall even once or Nami will die."

"No even once?" questioned Luffy.

"Hold still Luffy, this has to be tight," Vivi instructed as she knelt down in front of Luffy, they had used a pair of swords and some spare sheets from Dalton's house to secure Nami and Ms. Valentine to Luffy and Ricky's backs. The swords were tied to their backs with the bed sheets and served to keep Nami and Ms. Valentine tied to their back.

Vivi stood up once it was done, "I'm going to stay back here," she told them, she cast a slightly timid glance at Ricky, "If I came with you guys, I'd only get in the way."

"Yup me too!" Usopp added, he knew his own limitations… and he was scared of snow monsters.

"Let's go," said Ricky, as he trudged off in the direction of the mountain, Luffy and Sanji quickly followed after him.

"Wait!" Dalton called after them, "If you go that way you'll run into Lapins! They're fierce carnivorous rabbits that hunt in packs!"

"…" Luffy, Ricky, and Sanji just kept going. They weren't going to let a bunch of over-grown rabbits stop them from reaching the doctor.

Dalton could only stare after them in surprise.

**-x-**

"Are you sure they'll be alright?" Dalton asked a little bit later as he stood with Usopp and Vivi in the village. Luffy, Ricky, and Sanji were already long gone. Usopp and Vivi's noses were turning red from exposure to the snow and the cold.

"It's not those three we need to worry about," Usopp said.

"Nami and Ms. Valentine are the ones in trouble," Vivi added, "I just hope their strength can hold out long enough. They're getting sicker by the minute."

Dalton turned and made to go back inside his house, but stopped when he saw that both Vivi and Usopp hadn't moved. "Why are you standing there?" he asked. "Come on inside, it's cold out here."

"That's really okay, I want to stay out here," Vivi insisted.

"M-m-me too!" Usopp said with a shiver.

Dalton smiled. He was touched by the devotion these pirates showed for their comrades. "I see," he said, he closed the door to his house and then sat down in the snow outside of it. "Well in that case I'll join you." Vivi and Usopp stared at Dalton and smiled.

It was silent until Dalton eventually spoke, "We did once have some here on this island. Doctors. However, all of them left some time ago for some reasons. They were very good at what they did while they were still here. We were even well known for the medicine that was practiced on this island."

"So what went wrong?" Vivi asked.

"A few months ago we suffered a vicious attack," Dalton explained. "Our country was destroyed by pirates."

"OH MAN!" Usopp exclaimed. "THE WHOLE COUNTRY?"

"So that's the reason you acted that way when we showed up," Vivi realized.

"Yes, after the attack the word 'pirates' still terrifies everyone on this island," said Dalton. "I'm sorry about the way we treated you. Their group as small as well, only five people. Their Captain called himself Blackbeard."

"WHAT?" Usopp shouted. "DID YOU SAY BLACKBEARD?"

"Yes," Dalton answered. "Their power was so incredible they destroyed our country faster than you would believe. Have you heard of him?"

"He's got powers of the Dark Dark Fruit," Usopp replied, "and probably said something about Fate."

"He did," Dalton admitted. "How do you know?" Vivi looked curious as well.

"Blackbeard cut Ricky's eye out to get those powers," Usopp explained, "he nearly killed him. And that was without the powers of a Devil Fruit. With them, he's gotta be a monster."

"Well… there are some here that actually believe that the 'monster' was good for the country," Dalton told them.

"What could possibly be good about that happening?" questioned Vivi.

"THAT'S CRAZY!" Usopp exclaimed. "Who would say something like that anyway?"

"Thank you," said Dalton with a small smile. "I agree. But they have their reasons. The King who ruled here before the attack was a horrible man. His rule was despised by all his citizens. Our country used to be known as Drum Kingdom. Our King's name was Wapol. He was the worst King imaginable!"

Usopp and Vivi distinctly remembered the fat man that come out of the water in some kind of submarine and had attempted to EAT the Going Merry. Thankfully, Luffy got rid of him.

"NOT WAPOL!" Usopp shouted.

**-x-**

**Dr. Kureha:**

**-x-**

"You know Wapol too?" Dalton inquired. Usopp seemingly knew everyone, first Blackbeard, then Wapol. Luckily Usopp was the humble sort and he didn't let it go to his head… wait a minute…

"Of course, I'm a very popular pirate!" Usopp bragged. "I know everyone that calls themselves a pirate. That Wapol character tried to eat my ship, but I took care of him. He should've known better than to mess with Captain Usopp!" Usopp stopped boasting and looked thoughtful for a moment, "But now that I think about it… he did say something about heading for Drum Kingdom."

"I remember him quite well," Vivi added. "I'm sure I met him once in a monarch meeting my father took me too. I was still very young then, but I remember it 'til this day."

"A monarch meeting?" Dalton repeated. After Usopp's story, it was hard to tell which one was telling the truth. Were they both compulsive liars, or were they both telling the truth. But then, not for the first time, Dalton had the feeling that he'd seen Vivi's somewhere before. "Who are you?"

"Oh… I… uh…" Vivi stammered.

Usopp, being the better liar, came to her rescue, "The point is we do know Wapol," he resolved. "We ran into him yesterday on our way here."

"Yesterday?" Dalton repeated. "Are you sure about that?"

"But he said he was a pirate," Vivi recalled. "He never said anything about being a King."

"He's just calling himself a pirate as a part of his disguise," Dalton explained. "In truth, Wapol is only wandering the seas, trying desperately to return to this island."

"So… Wapol and the people who were on the ship with him were kicked off of the island because they were no match for the pirates?" Vivi asked. "Is that what happened?"

"That's not it," Dalton's voice became cold and spiteful, almost a growl. "When we were attacked… Wapol's army didn't even try to fight! The second he learned how strong the pirates were, Wapol grabbed his cronies and ran like a coward. He was the first one to abandon the country and flee out to sea!" Vivi started shaking through Dalton's angry story. "After that, the country fell into despair. We were left behind be our King!"

"WHAT SORT OF KING WOULD DO THAT TO HIS COUNTRY?" Vivi demanded, angry at Wapol's cowardly behavior. "A King abandoning his people? That thought of it makes me absolutely sick!" Usopp stared at the angry Princess in surprise.

"You're exactly right," Dalton agreed. "The only good that came out of this though, was the end of Wapol's tyrannical rule. The people who were left on this island have come together now, we're trying to create a new country. So what we fear most right now is the return of Wapol and his followers… the return of his brutal rule. We can't afford for him to come back now with the country so unstable. It would be the end of us. We want to build ourselves a new peaceful nation on this island."

**-x-**

Luffy, Ricky, and Sanji ran through the snow towards the Drum Rockies. Ricky had taken point while Sanji and Luffy were flanking him. **SHWOOO!** The three Straw Hats and the two sick women they were carrying ran through a cold wind as they continued on their journey.

"The wind's picking up," Ricky observed. "And it's getting colder. If our Navigator were conscious she'd tell us we're about to head into a snow storm."

"Luffy, why aren't you wearing any socks?" Sanji asked as he ran alongside Luffy and looked down at Luffy's feet. The rubber pirate may have been wearing a winter coat, but he was still wearing shorts and sandals. "I feel cold just looking at your feet."

"That's our police," Luffy replied.

"It's policy," Ricky corrected him, "Luffy and I don't wear socks."

"Yeah, but at least you're wearing boots," Sanji pointed out.

They kept running and didn't notice the big white rabbit that was crouching behind a tree watching them.

"So anyway, did you know that people in snow countries never sleep at all?" Luffy asked. "Because if they do, they'll freeze to death."

"Don't be an idiot," Sanji scolded him. "Everyone has to sleep some time." Another white rabbit was watching from further along their path.

"It's the truth!" Luffy insisted. "Someone told me a long time ago!"

"**RAAAAAHH!"** One of the white rabbits lunged at the three pirates. It had white fur, red eyes, sharp teeth, and claws. **SWISH! **But it only came up to Sanji's knee and they easily avoided it.

"Who Usopp?" Sanji asked.

"No, I heard it in the tavern in my village," Luffy explained.

**SHUNK!** The rabbit that had charged them, pulled its head out of the snow and growled at the pirates at they kept running and ignored it. "Grrrrr…"

"Then explain this, what does that Dalton guy have a bed for?" Sanji questioned.

"I guess that's a good point," Luffy admitted. "Hey! Maybe it's his death bed."

**SWISH!** Another small white rabbit lunged at the pirates with its teeth bared. But once again they avoided it. **CHOMP!** The rabbit kept going and ended up biting the trunk of a tree. **CHUNK!** The tiny rabbit bit clear through the trunk causing the tree to fall into the path in front of Ricky, **BOOOM!** But Ricky, Luffy, and Sanji paid the tree no mind and just leapt over it, **Skish! **The angry rabbit glared after them as they kept running.

"Luffy, you're not supposed to fall asleep if you've been buried in snow," Ricky corrected his brother. "I was there when Yasopp told you that story, he was really drunk. That was the day I conned him out of a hundred thousand berries."

"Did you know this, women in snow countries have skin that's as smooth as silk," Sanji supplied.

"How come?" Luffy asked.

"I'll explain it," Sanji offered. "When you get cold, you rub your skin to warm it up right?" **Skish!** Ricky jumped over the white rabbit that charged at him. "It's always freezing cold in snowy countries like this one…" **Whish! **Sanji ducked out of the way of another vicious white rabbit and continued speaking, "…so the women keep rubbing their skin all that time," **Skish! **Luffy dodged a third rabbit while Sanji jumped over a fourth one. It could've been the same two rabbits but the three pirates didn't care enough to check. "And so it becomes all white and silky smooth."

"Okay… but then how come it's white?" Luffy inquired. **Skish! Whish! **They dodged another two of the vicious tiny rabbits.

"Because…" **Skish!** Sanji ducked a rabbit that was attempting to take off his head, "the snow. It's constantly falling all over." **Skish! Skish! Whish! Skish! **Over and over again the rabbits charged, but the Straw Hats kept dodging. Ricky was getting irritated and a tick mark would've been seen on his forehead if it weren't for his cowboy hat covering it up. "So it dyes their skin all white."

**WHAP!** Instead of dodging the next rabbit, Ricky reached out and caught it. The angry white rabbit growled in his face. "GRAAAAAHHH!"

"You're getting annoying!" Ricky growled back at the rabbit. "If you keep this up, we'll be having rabbit stew when we get back to the ship!" Ricky roughly threw the rabbit away from him and it landed in a soft pile of snow. **SKOOSH!**

"What was with those things?" Luffy wondered. The rabbits stopped charging and Ricky, Luffy, and Sanji continued running in peace.

The kept running and it got colder and the snow got deeper.

"Just hang on a little longer Miss. Nami," Sanji called out some time later. "We'll get you to a doctor."

"The snow's getting really deep up here," Luffy remarked as his sandal encased feet plunged into the deep snow and were then pulled out over and over again.

"Luffy, would you try to run more smoothly?" Sanji requested. "You're jostling Miss. Nami. Look at how Ricky's running."

But Ricky suddenly stopped, causing the other two to stop too. They all stared in surprise at what was in front of them.

"GRRRRRR!" growled a giant white rabbit, it was as big as a fully grown bear, had long pointy ears, long whiskers, and extremely sharp teeth and claws. The one rabbit was backed by a herd of over twenty bear-sized rabbits.

"What are those things?" Sanji wondered.

"They're big and white, so they must be polar bears," Luffy reasoned.

"These must be those Lapins that Dalton guy tried to warn us about," Ricky realized. "If I hadn't been so impulsive he probably could've told us how to avoid them. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Sanji reassured him. "You were just trying to get Miss. Nami and Miss. Valentine up the mountain safely. I can't fault you for making them your primary concern."

**-x-**

"The snow's really starting to pick up, huh?" questioned Usopp as he and Vivi stood in Big Horn and stared at the Drum Rockies. It was snowing hard now, it had gotten a lot colder, and was very windy.

"_Nami, please be okay,"_ Vivi thought to herself.

Dalton sat in front of his house, "Tell me something, who are you guys?" he asked.

"Why do you ask that?" Usopp asked.

"A group of ten people sailing the Grand Line without a doctor is incredibly reckless," Dalton pointed out.

"Our Captain's still working on filling up the crew," Usopp replied. "But with a Brave Warrior of the Sea like me on board, there's nothing to fear from anyone or anything."

"Oookay," Dalton agreed.

"Even though we're very brave… we're still looking for a ship's doctor," Usopp continued. "I was hoping we would find one here on this island, but what I wasn't expecting, was that the doctor here would be a witch living in a castle."

"Well she's all we have," Dalton said. "You guys certainly seem to be different than the pirates we're used to."

"**Hello Dalton!"** called out the bear-lady from the last chapter, Usopp once again bowed to her. "I was looking for you."

"What can I do for you?" Dalton asked as he stood up and addressed the bear-lady.

"I heard the newcomers were looking for Dr. Kureha," said the bear-lady.

"Yes, but the friends of the two sick women have already taken them up the mountain," Dalton told her.

"Oh, that's too bad," the bear-lady replied. "Because I heard that the doctor's in Cocoaweed right now."

"SHE'S WHERE?" Vivi, Usopp, and Dalton all yelled at the same time, startling the bear-lady.

Usopp's loud shout could be heard throughout the village. **"SO NAMI AND THE OTHERS ALREADY PASSED HER?"**

**-x-**

"Ooooh… ooooh…" Chess was sitting up the crow's nest of the Bliking keeping a look out. The submersible attack ship was currently floating on top of the water instead of under it. Chess was peering through a pair of binoculars when he saw a small white island in a distance. "WAPOL COME QUICKLY!"

"What is it now?" Wapol demanded. "How you found that pirate's ship yet?"

"No that isn't it Wapol," Chess answered as he lowered his binoculars. "At long last we've returned home! How many long months have passed wandering the sea? THAT'S OUR HOMELAND! IT'S DRUM KINGDOM!"

"IT TRULY IS!" Wapol exclaimed, "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!"

**-x-**

"There's a ship approaching from a distance," Mr. 5 observed from up in the crow's nest of the Going Merry. "It looks like the one that attacked us yesterday."

Ms. Goldenweek and Carue stood on the deck as Mr. 5 climbed down. "Ms. Goldenweek, you and I are under no obligation to defend their pirate ship from attacks," Mr. 5 pointed out. "Especially against a crew that large."

"QUACK!" said Carue.

"Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to fight off that many without causing damage to this ship," Mr. 5 told the duck. "If you're so worried, go find the idiot swordsman and tell him what's happened. Ms. Goldenweek and I will leave the ship and watch from a safe distance away. If they find an empty ship, they'll assume we're all on the island. Maybe they'll leave it alone so they can go ashore and find us."

"Quack," Carue reluctantly agreed. He waddled over to the railing took a look at the freezing cold water, then dove in, **SPLASH!**

"Let's go Ms. Goldenweek," Mr. 5 instructed. He and Ms. Goldenweek quickly left the ship and never heard Carue's cries from the water.

The people of Drum Kingdom were all oblivious that the thing they'd been dreading was upon them. King Wapol and his men had returned.

**-x-**

In Cocoaweed, the village next to Big Horn, a cry rang out.

"**WAAAAAAHHHH!" **The cries came from a small brown haired boy wearing a yellow coat that was currently inside a restaurant called 'Stool's'.

"Come on, we've had enough of this crying already," one of the customers inside the restaurant complained. "Just make him stop, it's driving me nuts!"

"Uh, yes, I'm sorry," Stool, a man who wore a green and purple winter hat over his long brown hair, and a light blue sweatshirt and an apron over it that said 'fire STOOL', apologized on behalf of his son. He walked over to the boy and crouched down in front of him.. "Hey Tamachibi, what's wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?"

"WAAAAAAHHHH!" Tamachibi just kept crying.

"Please stop crying and tell me what's wrong," Stool told his son. But when the boy just continued crying, the man became irritated. "You're upsetting the customers! Tamachibi, say something! If you don't stop crying, you're going to go to your room."

A woman stood outside Stool's restaurant, civilians murmured and whispered as they stared at her.

"It's the witch," someone whispered.

"And she's got that weird monster with her again…"

The 'witch' turned and glared at the civilian that had called her companion a monster. The 'monster' in question looked a lot like a reindeer with a thick brown coat of fur, hard hooves, and strong antlers. But it had a blue nose, wore a pair of purple slacks, and a pink top hat with a white 'x' on the front of it on it's head.

"**WWWAAAHH!"** came Tamachibi's continued cries from within the restaurant.

"**That's it!**" Stool scolded his son, **"I've had enough of this!"**

"Well, well," commented the witch Dr. Kureha as she patted her reindeer on the back. "Doesn't sound like a very nice father in there. If a crying I crying uncontrollably, chances are something is wrong and he doesn't know what. Heeheeheehee!" Dr. Kureha let out a witch-like cackle and approached the door, "Stand back, Chopper," she warned her reindeer. **WHAM!** The old woman drove her fist into the wooden door and broke it clear off of its hinges and into pieces. The broken pieces of the door fell to the floor and everyone in the restaurant turned and stared as Dr. Kureha stood in the doorway.

Dr. Kureha wore black high-heeled cowboy boots, tight purple pants with a jagged pink design going up her left leg, a short purple blazer with yellow stripes going down the arms, and a white t-shirt with cherry blossom petals that bared her midriff and exposed her pierced navel. From the neck below the woman looked like she was in perfect shape and looked like a woman in her mid-twenties. But above the neck Dr. Kureha had long whitish-gray hair, a wrinkled face, a crooked witch-like nose, and wore a pair of glasses. She was clearly a very eccentric old lady.

"So sorry about that," Dr. Kureha apologized as she stepped over the remains of the door and walked into the restaurant.

"It's… you…" stammered Stool.

"Are you kids happy?" Dr. Kureha asked as she stood in the middle of the restaurant with her pet blue-nosed reindeer, Chopper, standing behind her. "Heeheeheehee!"

"YAAAAAAHHH! DR. KUREHA!" the occupants of Stool's restaurant shouted as they dove away from the woman.

"Anyone want my secret to staying young?" Kureha offered.

"NO! WE'RE FINE, THANK YOU!" the occupants all chorused together.

"I can't believe she's really a hundred forty years old," a man remarked. **SHUNK!** Dr. Kureha threw a fork and it embedded in the wall next to the man's head, causing him to let out a shriek of terror, "YAAAAH!"

"I'll have you know I'm only a hundred thirty-nine!" Kureha corrected him.

"WWWAAAAAAHHH!" Tamachibi whined.

"Shall I treat the boy?" Dr. Kureha asked Stool.

"Wait… what? He's fine!" Stool insisted as he hugged his crying son. "He isn't sick, or hurt, or anything! Really!"

"Oh, well then, excuse me… Doctor," Dr. Kureha apologized sarcastically. With that she turned and headed for the door, "Let's go Chopper." The pink-hatted reindeer turned and obediently followed behind her.

"Wait! Please come back!" Stool called after them. His son's health and safety was at sake, he'd risk dealing with Dr. Kureha's eccentricities if it meant his son would be alright.

**-x-**

**Clink!** Chopper placed a bowl with water and a rag in it on a chair, Dr. Kureha had laid Tamachibi down on a table and was looking over the boy.

"It's my hands," Tamachibi told the doctor, his voice was laced with pain. "They hurt!"

"Your hands?" Dr. Kureha repeated, "Alright… how's this?" **KREK!** Dr. Kureha poked Tamachibi's leg and there was a strange crunching sound. The boy let out a howl of pain.

"GAAAAAAHHHHH!" Tamachibi cried while the occupants of Stool's restaurant shouted at Dr. Kureha's rough treatment of the boy.

"You see?" Dr. Kureha asked the boy. "Now you've forgotten all about your hands hurting."

"WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?" Stool demanded.

"Are you happy?" Dr. Kureha asked her unmoving patient. "You're happy. Good. Now stay nice a quiet."

"HEY!" Stool shouted at Kureha.

"And you should calm down," Dr. Kureha advised. "I only touched his leg and I did it very lightly." Dr. Kureha adjusted her glasses then pulled down Tamachibi's blue pants revealing his green underpants, and purple and swollen knees. "He has pain in his hands and legs, he doesn't have a fever, the swelling on his legs is from a festering inflammation… and it doesn't look good. By now the bone is surely infected." Dr. Kureha called out to her reindeer/assistant, "Chopper, bring me some antibiotics.".

"Uh… Doctor… is he gonna be alright?" Stool asked Dr. Kureha.

"They key to curing this disease is curing it before it can get to strong," Dr. Kureha explain as she pulled a scalpel out from her black medical bag. "Don't worry, he'll live. However, he did almost die."

"WHAT? ALMOST DIED?" Stool shouted in alarm.

"We're going to do a little operation, okay?" Dr. Kureha asked, even though she was going to do it anyway.

"WAIT! AREN'T YOU GOING TO USE ANY ANESTHESIA?" Stool yelled.

"_This _is the anesthesia," Dr. Kureha replied as she lifted the boy up off of the table. **KONK! **Chopper had just returned with the antibiotics in time to hit Tamachibi on the head with his antlers, it didn't hurt the boy, but it was hard enough to knock him out.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Stool screamed.

With the boy unconscious, Dr. Kureha quickly tended to the swelling on his knee and administered the antibiotics.

"There, all done," Dr. Kureha announced as she stood up and put her medical supplies away. Tamachibi was now unconscious on a soft couch with both of his legs bandaged. "That's it for the treatment, or the part you need me for anyway. The rest is up to you. Just make sure he rests, and keep his legs tightly bandaged." **Whip!** Dr. Kureha tossed stool a roll of bandages. "Once they're bandaged keep them iced down. You understand?"

"Yes," Stool answered.

"Now about my fee," said Dr. Kureha. "I'm all out of trash bags and toilet paper. So I'm taking all of those that you have, along with all your food and Plum Wine. In addition to that, I'll be taking fifty percent of this restaurant's assets." Stool stared wide-eyed while Kureha addressed her reindeer, "Chopper, take it all to the sleigh."

"THIS IS OUTRAGOUS!" Stool exclaimed. "YOU CAN'T TAKE HALF MY ASSETS!"

"Don't even think about giving her all that!" one of the spectators called out. "It's too much!"

"It's ridiculous, she's crazy!" another complained. The occupants of the restaurant all murmured and complained about Dr. Kureha's high fee, it didn't seem to be getting to her, but Chopper looked like he was getting angry.

"How dare you take advantage of a sick person!" one civilian called out. "You should be ashamed!"

"YOU AREN'T A REAL DOCTOR AT ALL!" the civilians all chorused. "YOU'RE JUST A WITCH!"

"VRREEEN… VREEEN…" Chopper growled in the defense of Dr. Kureha.

"It's alright Chopper," Kureha told the reindeer. "They're just a bunch of blabbering children."

"**Old lady!"** Tamachibi woke up and called out. "The pain… it's all better now… thanks so much!" The boy smiled while Stool and the other occupants of the restaurant looked on in surprise.

"Well, it looks like your son just gave me a nice tip," Dr. Kureha commented. "I'll reduce my fee to forty-nine percent."

"Uh… I'll pay your price," Stool agreed, his son was okay, that meant the doctor had cured him. That was all that mattered. "Thank you."

Dr. Kureha and Chopper left the restaurant, the blue-nosed reindeer had barrel, rolls of toilet paper, and a black case all strapped to his back. "Hey kid!" Dr. Kureha called back to Tamachibi. "This happiness you feel, don't you ever forget it."

"Um… okay!" Tamachibi agreed with a smile.

"HEEHEEHEEHEE!" Dr. Kureha cackled as she left with Chopper in tow.

**-x-**

See, even Ricky makes mistakes. With Nami and Ms. Valentine sick and without getting any sleep over the last two nights, his normal laid-back attitude is gone, leaving him prone to charging off before thinking things through completely.

Next chapter Luffy, Ricky, and Sanji have to deal with an angry herd of Lapins.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	19. Chapter 19

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own One Piece or any of its characters. This is a fan-made work of fiction, aptly named FanFiction.

**Lapins:**

**-x-**

**KLOMP! KLOMP! KLOMP!** Dalton, Usopp, and Vivi raced from Big Horn to Cocoaweed in a sleigh that was being pulled by a pair of rams.

"I'm sorry, this is my mistake," Dalton apologized, as he sat up front in the sleigh holding the reins. Usopp and Vivi were both in the back seat. "I was aware that the doctor had come down from the mountain in the last few days, but I assumed that she had left and wouldn't be back for quite some time."

"Don't worry about it, this isn't your fault," Usopp reassured him. "The problem here is how strong Luffy, Ricky, and Sanji are, even if we go up the mountain after them, there's no way we'd be able to catch up to them. Especially with Ricky making them go twice as fast as they normally would. If we are able to find the witch in this Cocoaweed place, we just need to tell her to get back up the mountain as quickly as she possible can."

"You're right, that's true," Vivi agreed. "We have no other choice."

"Forgive us," Dalton apologized again. "Forgive this land for not having more doctors."

"Don't say that," Vivi told him. "This isn't something that you need to be apologizing for Dalton."

"LET'S HURRY!" Dalton resolved, he tugged on the reins and the two rams picked up speed as they continued to race towards Cocoaweed and Dr. Kureha.

Little did they know, the person they were looking for was traveling on a nearby path heading in the opposite direction.

Dr. Kureha sat in her sleigh which was loaded up her pay from her services in Cocoaweed. Chopper the reindeer was up front pulling the sleigh quickly through the deep snow. Dr. Kureha stared ahead, but ordered Chopper to stop when they spotted something... odd.

"AAAAAAHHH!" Zoro gasped as he trudged through the deep snow in only a pair of pants. He had his arms clasped tightly across his bare chest as he tried to withstand the harsh cold. "Damn it! I got carried away and swam for too long! Where am I now? Where's the ship? This is just _great_, I have no way of telling where I am with all this snow everywhere!"

Zoro was hopelessly lost on a strange, snow-covered island, but then he looked to his right and spotted an old woman in a sleigh with a blue-nosed reindeer harnessed on the front.

"Ah! I'm saved!" Zoro exclaimed as he walked passed the pink-hatted reindeer and approached the old woman in the sleigh. "Hey! Old lady! Sorry to bother you, but do you think you could drop me off at a village nearby or something?"

Now that he was standing beside the sleigh, he could better take in Dr. Kureha's appearance, he spotted her short shirt and her bare belly and stared in surprise. "Whoa! What're you doing dressed like that in this weather?" the shirtless and shoeless swordsman asked the old woman. "I've seen some weird old ladies in my day, but you, you're..."

Zoro was cut off when Dr. Kureha curled one of her fingers in a 'come closer' gesture. Not sure what she wanted, Zoro leaned in to listen to whatever the crazy old lady had to say.

"Careful how you talk to me, little boy," Dr. Kureha scolded Zoro. **POW! **She suddenly lashed out her arm and punched Zoro in the face, sending him flying backwards into a pile of snow. "At a hundred and thirty-nine years old, I'm still young and strong!"

"Let's go, Chopper," Dr. Kureha instructed her reindeer, "that boy is clearly some kind of freak." Chopper nodded and started pulling the sleigh once more, leaving Zoro once again alone out in the snowy wilderness.

"COME BACK HERE!" Zoro shouted after the old lady as the sleigh disappeared in a distance. "What the hell was her problem? Dumb old hag!" **SWOOOOO! **The wind blew and Zoro quickly clutched his arms around himself to keep warm.

"COLD!" Zoro groaned, "I'll freeze to death before long! I guess for now I'll do some strength training and get myself warmed up a bit."

**-x-**

**WHUMP!** One of the giant rabbits leapt up into the air and soared over head.

"LOOK OUT!" Sanji cried out in warning. Luffy, Ricky, and Sanji each leapt in a different direction and dodged the incoming bear-sized rabbit as it landed in the snow. **SKOOOSH!**

"Seriously, how can it move like that?" Sanji wondered. "Is it a gorilla?"

"No, they're polar bears," Luffy corrected.

"Damn it, they're rabbits!" Ricky snapped.

"How did you go from gorilla to rabbit?" Luffy asked.

"Do you not see the big floppy ears and whiskers?" Ricky questioned in exasperation. "It's a giant freaking rabbit."

"There's too many of them for us to fight," Sanji reasoned, "Especially with you two worrying about Miss. Nami and Miss. Valentine."

"We're gonna have to find a way around them," Ricky decided. "It'd take too long for you to fight all of them so we can get passed."

"Let's get going," Sanji resolved as he, Luffy, and Ricky stared at the herd of giant bear-sized rabbits. "We have to make it to the castle where the doctor lives, and quickly."

"Stupid rabbits," Ricky muttered.

The lead rabbit twitched.

"They're coming," Luffy observed.

"I know," Sanji agreed, he stepped around Ricky and stood in front of him and Luffy protectively. "Listen, I don't want either of you to fight these guys, alright?"

"Why not?" Luffy asked.

"Because, Miss. Nami and Miss. Valentine will feel every move you make," Sanji explained. "They're too sick to be able to handle something like that, it'd be too much. They could die."

"Okay, I won't fight them," Luffy agreed.

"RRRAAAAAHHH!" one of the rabbits suddenly roared and charged forward.

"BUT WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?" Luffy shouted as the rabbit came flying at him.

"DODGE!" Ricky shouted as he ducked away from the charging rabbit.

"Just dodge, dodge and run," Sanji ordered.

"RRAAAHHH!" the rest of the rabbits charged and attacked the three pirates, all three of them could do nothing but dodge.

"But don't retreat!" Sanji added.

**SWISH! **"THAT'S A LITTLE DIFFICULT!" Luffy shouted as he dodged the swiping claw of a lapin.

"JUST DODGE!" Sanji shouted, he swung his leg around and kicked a lapin, "FLANCHET SHOOT!" **THWAK!** The monster rabbit went flying backwards and landed in a heap in the snow.

"Damn this snow," Sanji complained, "I can't get my footing to land a solid kick."

"Great," Ricky muttered as he used his speed to dodge attacks from the monster rabbits. "I finally learn how you fight and it's in a situation where you're less than effective."

"YOU COULD'VE ASKED!" Sanji shouted.

"DODGING!" Luffy yelped as he continued to dodge vicious attacks from the lapins.

The lapins saw the lapin that Sanji had kicked. **Twitch! **All of their ears twitched at the same time before the entire herd of monster rabbits leapt up into the air and flew at the three pirates, **SHWOO!**

"They're attacking all at once," Ricky called out. "Luffy, head for the forest to our right, we can't afford to retreat."

"I'll cover you," Sanji offered as he hung back while Luffy and Ricky ran for the trees to their side. **BOOM! BOOOM! BOOM!** The lapins slammed to the ground all around Sanji and behind Ricky and Luffy. "For bunnies these guys are tough."

"There's a cliff," Luffy pointed out, as he spotted a high ledge ahead of them. He called back to Sanji, "SANJI, THE CLIFF! WE'LL GO UP FROM HERE!"

"Go on," Sanji encouraged them as he chased behind them.

**WHOOOM! **A lapin leapt off of the cliff and lunged at Ricky and Luffy, "GRRAAAH!"

**WHOMP! **"Thanks for the lift!" Luffy thanked the rabbit as he jumped up and used the rabbit as a springboard and leapt off of it onto the ledge. **WHOMP! **Ricky followed right behind him and landed on the ledge seconds later. **WHOMP!** Sanji leapt off of the lapin just as it was reaching the ground and landed on the ledge behind them.

The three pirates spared a glance at the herd of rabbits that was now gathered at the bottom of the cliff. "NYA!" Luffy taunted the rabbits and stuck out his tongue.

"RRRAAAAAHHH!" The lapins came flying up over the edge of the cliff, sending Luffy, Ricky, and Sanji fleeing for their lives and Nami and Ms. Valentine's safely.

"Did you really have to taunt them?" Sanji complained.

"I'm sorry!" Luffy apologized.

"HEAD FOR THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN!" Sanji shouted as they kept running. At least now they were running _towards_ the mountain.

**-x-**

"MAHAHAHA!" Wapol's laughter rang out along the shores of the waterway in Drum Kingdom. "WE'VE ARRIVED AT LAST! AFTER ALL THIS TIME I'VE RETURNED TO DRUM KINGDOM! I'M FINALLY HOME!"

**FWUMP! **One of the civilian guards fell to the ground and laid dead at the feet of Kuromarimo and Chess."Hah, were they trying to pretend to be a real military?" Chess wondered as he held one of the civilian soldiers by the throat.

"Bunch of idiots and amateurs," Kuromarimo scoffed, "What were they thinking shooting at us like that?"

Wapol as on the back of a furry white hippo named Robson and stared up at the Drum Rockies off in a distance. "Oh my dear Drum Island!" Wapol called out, "Your towering majesty has grown even more beautiful in my absence!" Wapol turned to his archer, "Chess, is the castle alright?"

"Yes," answered Chess as he peered through some binoculars, "it looks just as good as when we left it. It's perfect!"

"MAAHAAHAA!" Wapol laughed, "What are we waiting for? Let's go home boys! I'm done being a pirate, I'm going to be King again! ONWARD ROBSON!" Wapol's uniformed men marched off but his furry white hippo stayed where it was. **WHAP! **Wapol slapped his steed and shouted at it, "ROBSON MOVE! WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING HERE?"

"Moo..." said the hippo.

"WAPOL, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!" one of Wapol's men called out as he ran up to the King and his unmoving hippo.

"WHAT THE MATTER NOW?" Wapol demanded.

"THE PIRATES!" the soldier exclaimed as he turned and pointed to the Going Merry which was anchored nearby. "The ones from the other day, their ship's over there!"

"WHAT? NOT THEM!" Wapol shouted. "WHAT'RE THE STRAW HAT PIRATES DOING IN MY COUNTRY! HOW DARE THEY COME HERE AFTER PRETENDING TO NOT EVEN KNOW ABOUT IT!" "_LEEEEAAAAVVVVEEE!" Luffy shouted and Wapol was__ sent flying off of the ship over the sea. _"DOES HE NOT EVEN CARE? I HAD A VERY PAINFUL RECOVERY!"

"YOU!" Wapol shouted as he pointed to the soldier, "GO AND KILL THOSE PIRATES NOW! I DEMAND IT!"

"Um... actually... the ship is empty sir," the soldier explained. "We don't know where they went!"

"DO YOU WANT TO BE EXECUTED!" Wapol bellowed, the soldier shrieked in terror.

"Our apologies Wapol," Chess apologized. "Please forgive him."

"This man I just a useless subordinate," said Kuromarimo.

"Chess, Kuromarimo," Wapol called out the names of the former Chief-of-Staff and Magistrate.

"We took the liberty of inspecting the footprints that led away from the ship," Chess informed him. "We have some information."

"Indeed," Kuromarimo continued, "It looks as if the footprints were heading toward Big Horn."

"Very good," Wapol complimented his men with an evil smile, "That was absolutely brilliant. In that case, we're heading on to Big Horn! We'll stop there to fire a salute to the restoration of Drum Kingdom!"

Off in a distance, Mr. 5 and Ms. Goldenweek hid in some trees and watched Wapol and his men. "It's a good thing we got off while we did," Mr. 5 remarked. "While most of those men are weaklings, I doubt the two of us could take out all of them."

Ms. Goldenweek simple nodded, then noticed movement, "Mr. 5..."

Mr. 5 looked where Ms. Goldenweek was looking and saw that one of the civilian soldiers had managed to get back up after his beating and was now trekking away from the scene of the battle. "Hmph, they missed one," Mr. 5 grunted, "for a King's army, they're really sloppy."

**-x-**

Dalton, Usopp, and Vivi had finally arrived in Cocoaweed and were trying to get some information.

"What are you telling us?" questioned Usopp. "You mean the witch left this town just moments ago? You've gotta be kidding me!"

"She left after she made my sickness all better," Tamachibi told Vivi as he sat on a couch and motioned to his bandaged legs. "

"..." Vivi silently cast a glance at Dalton.

"If you're looking for the doctor, she's already left," Stool informed them.

"We have to find her," said Dalton. "Can you tell us where she was headed when she left here?"

"I think I know," one of the customers called out. "I heard from somebody else that she was headed for Gyasta."

"Gyasta?" Dalton repeated.

"So where's that?" Usopp asked.

"If we were going to Gyasta from Big Horn we'd go in the opposite direction that we went to come here," Dalton told him.

"OH GREAT!" Usopp shouted. "WE ALREADY PASSED HER?"

"Ice skating is very popular there," Dalton added unnecessarily.

"WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?" Usopp yelled. "WHO CARES ABOUT THAT?"

Usopp's loud shouts could be heard from out in the street, a blood-covered man was limping down the road towards the loud voices. It was the soldier who'd escaped Wapol's men.

"Calm down Usopp," Vivi scolded the marksman, "we need to get going to that town. At this point we really don't have any time to lose."

"Yeah, you're right," Usopp begrudgingly admitted.

"Huff... huff... DALTON!" the injured civilian soldier shouted as he staggered through the door. "I found you at last!"

"Yes guard," Dalton replied, "but I thought you were standing watch today."

"Ugghhh..." the man groaned and collapsed, but Dalton quickly ran across the room and caught him before he hit the ground.

"WHAT'S THE MATTER?" Dalton asked in alarm. "I can tell that you've been badly injured. Tell me what went wrong!"

"Every watchman except for me... they've all been killed Dalton..." the man gasped. "This thing... this submarine... it came out of nowhere... and attacked us... They killed every one of the watchmen... we couldn't stop them..."

"Who are they?" Dalton demanded, "I don't understand! Please explain this!"

"PLEASE DALTON!" the injured guard shouted, "YOU HAVE TO HELP US! WE AREN'T STRONG ENOUGH TO FIGHT THEM! YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!"

"What's wrong?" Usopp asked, speaking for everyone in the room.

"It was them..." Dalton realized.

"IT WAS WAPOL!" the guard exclaimed. "Wapol and his men! They came back!"

The civilians in Stool's restaurant all panicked and buzzed with questions, knowing what he had to do, Dalton stood up and ran out of the restaurant with his weapon in his hand. He ignored Usopp calling after him as he hopped on a horse and raced off toward Big Horn to confront Wapol.

"_I'M GOING TO SETTLE THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL!" _Dalton growled in his mind, black hair started growing out of his arms and spread to the back of his hands. _"In the end... I don't really know if it__ can be called justice..." _Dalton's black hair grew outward and covered his face, which grew longer and turned into a snout with a black nose. _"I may be just as guilty as you are..." _Horns grew out of Dalton's head, and hooves formed on his hands and feet. _"... BUT YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WILL BE PUNISHED!" _**SKISH! **Dalton leapt off of the horse's back and landed in the snow on all fours. Dalton was no longer the bull-like man who led the island's civilian militia, he had just transformed into a black-furred bison. Dalton's green clothing still seemed to fit and his weapon was still strapped to his back as the bison he had turned into raced through the snow at top-speed and left the horse behind. _"JUST YOU WAIT... I'M COMING FOR YOU WAPOL!"_

**-x-**

**A Man Named Dalton**

**-x-**

"They coming?" Luffy asked as he and Ricky trekked through the snow with Sanji covering them from behind.

Sanji stared behind them and didn't see any of the gorilla-sized white rabbits. "No, I doesn't look like it," Sanji answered.

"Alright, I guess we lost 'em," Luffy commented as he looked back at Sanji.

"Um... not quite," Ricky replied as he stared in front of them. Luffy and Sanji looked where Ricky was looking and saw the herd of lapins up ahead of them.

"THEY DON'T GIVE UP!" Luffy shouted.

**PLOP! PLOP! PLOP! **All at once the rabbits started hopping up and down.

"Why're they jumping up and down?" Luffy wondered as the rabbits continued to hop. "Maybe they're grouchy because they're hungry."

Ricky was the first to realize it, his left eye which was covered by the tinted black lens of his sunglasses widened in shock. "Shit," he cursed.

Sanji figured it out next and his visible right eye widened in shock and he dropped his cigarette out of shock. "Wait a minute... THEY CAN'T BE!" Sanji exclaimed.

**-x-**

"IT'S WAPOL!" someone shouted in Cocoaweed, "WAPOL AND HIS MEN HAVE COME BACK TO THE ISLAND!" A bunch of men stood wielding weapons in the middle of the town.

"Dalton headed off to Big Horn to meet them," a civilian soldier on a horse called out.

"ANYONE WHO CAN FIGHT, GRAB A WEAPON AND HEAD TO BIG HORN!" a civilian soldier called out.

"EVERYONE ARM YOURSELVES, WE'RE GOING TO PROTECT OUT COUNTRY!" another civilian roared. He raised his sword up over his head, as did all the other men that were standing in the street. "MARCH TO BIG HORN!" The men charged off to defend the kingdom from their king.

**-x-**

"Vivi, are you sure we're heading the right direction to get to this Gyasta town where the witch is?" Usopp asked as he and Vivi road in the ram-pulled sleigh towards Gyasta.

"Well now that you mention it, I"m not exactly sure where we're going," Vivi confessed as she stared at the map she was holding.

"Well we're in pretty bad shape if you're not sure," Usopp commented as he sat beside her and held the reins. "If Luffy, Ricky, and Sanji mange to make it to the castle and the doctor isn't there, they might just turn around a leave! We have to make it to the place, find the doctor, and tell her to go back up the mountain. Nami is running out of time pretty quickly."

"Yes, I realized that, Usopp," Vivi told him.

"Well if you realize that, then do something about it," Usopp insisted. "You're a princess, right?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" questioned Vivi. "I can't snap my fingers and make it happen. I'm a Princess, not a witch!"

"So what," Usopp retorted.

"Oh fine, why don't you go ahead and take a look at the map," Vivi suggested as she held the map in front of Usopp's face.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Usopp protested. "What am I supposed to do with that? There's snow covering everything!"

"So then you don't know either," Vivi pointed out.

"Yup, I don't know anything either," Usopp admitted with a big smile.

"And you're proud of that fact?" questioned Vivi. "At any rate, if we keep to this rout we should see a sign for this Gyasta place somewhere along it. Keep your eyes opened."

"Sure thing," Usopp agreed, "just leave it to me! I'll watch for signs of the sign! There's no way I'll miss it!"

Vivi and Usopp kept going and never noticed the snow falling off of a sign that they had just passed. **Skoosh! **The snow fell and landed on more snow, revealing the word Gyasta and an arrow pointing in the opposite direction that the sleigh was heading. They'd missed it.

**-x-**

**KEUNCH! CHOMP! CHOMP! GULP! **Wapol and his men had made it to Big Horn, where the Tin Tyrant decided to have a snack. Houses were left with huge gaping holes in them as the selfish King used his Munch Munch Fruit powers to devour the civilian's homes.

"Aaah, that was delicious!" Wapol sighed before he stood on Robson's back and addressed everyone. "Listen closely, citizens! Everything in this country can be made into my snack if I want it to be! BECAUSE I AM A GREAT MAN! Do you know why I am great? Kuromarimo, explain!"

"Of course," Kuromarimo agreed, "You are the greatest man in the country because you are the King your highness."

"That's right, exactly right," Wapol replied, "So if I wanna eat a house, I expect it to be served to my liking!"

"Yes sir!" Wapol's men chorused.

Kuromarimo came forward and bowed to Wapol. "Wapol sir, I have some information for you," the former magistrate announced. "I have received a report that some of the Straw Hat brats very inconsiderately set out for Drum Castle after they arrived on the island your higness."

"WHAT?" Wapol shouted as he remembered the rubber brat and his crew that had caused him so much trouble. "WHY?"

"It appears that they're taking a pair of sick women up the mountain to see a doctor," Kuromarimo explained.

"Really? That was a dumb idea!" Wapol remarked. "No one lives there now, especially not a doctor. MAA HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Um... well... I..." Kuromarimo stammered as he attempted to correct the King. "I actually heard that Doctor Kureha, also very inconsiderately, is currently living in Drum Castle. She's a crazy old hag."

Wapol's mind flashed to the image of the old witch living in his castle.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" The King demanded. 'THAT WOMAN IS LIVING IN MY CASTLE? HOW DARE SHE MOCK ME IN SUCH A WAY! KICK HER OUT! I'LL EAT HER UP ALONG WITH STRAW HAT! THAT'LL SHOW 'EM!" Wapol addressed his men, "MEN, WE'RE GOING BACK TO THE CASTLE!"

"YES SIR!" Wapol's men agreed.

"**I don't think so!" **came a new voice. Dalton charged passed a partially eaten building and Wapol's men and slashed the King across the chest with his large bladed weapon. **SHWUK!**

Everyone stared in awe as Wapol fell to the ground and rolled around screaming in pain. "AAAAH HE CUT ME! AAARRGGHH I'M GONNA DIE!"

"I came to see you dead, so that really suits me just fine," Dalton retorted as he stood over Wapol as the King howled in pain. He was back in his human form and no longer looked like a bison.

"DALTON, YOU BASTARD!" Chess growled, he glared at the 'traitor' as drew his bow and fitted some arrows into it. "It's a shame that you're still alive!"

"You just ended your own King!" Kuromarimo snapped as he got in a fighting stance, his hands were covered in a black ball of hair much like the black afro on his head.

"He shouldn't be difficult to fix," Dalton replied, "after all, we live in a medically advanced nation with almost two dozen well qualified doctors to service his every need."

"That's right," Kuromarimo agreed before he called out, "TWENTY MD'S EMERGENCY MEDICAL UNIT, HEAL HIM!"

"Start operation..." "Start operation..." "Start operation..." a group of twenty men wearing pink scrubs, dark sunglasses, gloves, and face masks, chorused as they approached the injured King.

"Scalpel!" "Needle!" "Thread!" "Metal plate!" "Hammer!" **TONK! TONK! TONK! **The Twenty MD's worked quickly and sewed Wapol's wound closed and then hammered on a metal plate to act as a bandage for the Munch Munch Man.

"WOW!" Wapol exclaimed a few seconds later as he sat up, completely unharmed, "I was sure I was gonna die for a minute there!"

"This is a perfect example of our situation," Dalton commented. "You receive all the medical attention that you could possibly need while your citizens have to suffer without a doctor! IT'S WRONG!"

"It's wrong?" Wapol repeated. "Show some respect! I am still your King, Dalton!"

"He's right," Kuromarimo commented, "You'll shut your mouth if you know what's good for ya."

"The three of us, including you, were in the highest position among Wapol's men," Chess reminded Dalton. "We were his loyal servants, or have you forgotten?"

"I haven't forgotten," Dalton growled as he clenched his fist. "It's true that while you were making our people suffer all I could do was stand there as one of Wapol's men and watch as your ruined our country. I have to accept responsibility for that. So Wapol, let's leave this country together. We can't stay in the land we betrayed any longer."

"NO DALTON WAIT!" a civilian called out. "YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!"

"He's right!" another agreed, "You're the only one in the government who tried to protect us! You're the only one who fought for us while he was destroying the kingdom! You stood up for us!"

And even now, Dalton was still standing up for them. Wapol was standing in front of Chess, Kuromarimo, and his entire army of soldiers. Dalton stood across from them fighting alone.

"BAH!" Wapol shouted. "You should have died Dalton. You were the Captain of Security on the island. I don't know how you survived in this country without any doctors."

"Our country is internationally acknowledged for its development in medicine," Dalton stated. "That is nothing more than a cheap charade. No one could guess that there are actually only twenty doctors who were shut up doing research in the King's own lab. And that all the other doctors have been exiled from the country, leaving the citizens to suffer."

"Yes, anyone who gets sick or injured must come and beg for their lives if they want help," Wapol smugly replied, "and if I feel like it, maybe I'll lend them the services of the Twenty MD's. If they want to stay alive and healthy, all they have to do is obey me, THEIR KING! This way, no one will dare challenge me rule! And that is the perfect way to govern a country!"

"THIS ISN'T REAL GOVERNING WAPOL!" Dalton shouted. "AND YOU AREN'T A REAL KING!"

"Hmph," Wapol grunted, "Well you certainly speak your mind Dalton."

"NOW KILL HIM!" Wapol ordered his men, "I WANT YOU TO SHOOT YOUR FORMER CAPTAIN!"

"As usual, you don't understand a thing I'm saying," Dalton remarked. "RAAAAAHHHH!" Dalton let out a loud yell as black fur grew all over his body and then a pair of horns sprouted out of his head. Dalton remained on two legs as his features became bison-like and beastly. "I served your father, and he was a good man and a fair ruler! I hoped you might come to resemble him one day, but I see now that that was a lot of wishful thinking!"

"AAAAAHHH!" One of Wapol's soldier screamed in alarm as he stared at his former Captain, "He's using the powers of the Ox Ox Fruit! He's in his bison form!"

Dalton was now half man, half bison. With the exception of the lower half of his face, his entire body was covered in short black fur. He had the snout, ears, and horns of a bison but had the stature and muscular physique of an extremely muscular human.

"Don't look down, just fire!" one of Wapol's men advised as they fired at Dalton, **BAM! BAM! BAM!**

**SKISH! SKISH! SKISH! **With amazing agility Dalton dodged the rounds that were fired at him and charged at the men.

"We can't hit 'im! He just dodges!" one of the men exclaimed.

"No mercy..." Dalton said in an animal-like growl, "even to my ex-soldiers!" **SKISH! **Dalton drew his large weapon and leapt up into the air over the heads of the men shooting at him, "FIDDLE BAM!" Dalton let out a bull-like snort and charged at the men and swung his large blade, **SWISH! SWISH! **Dalton ended up in a crouch behind the group of unmoving soldiers, **TMP! **He drove the end of his weapon down into the ground and all of the soldiers collapsed to the ground, **THUD!**

"Amazing, he's so powerful!" a civilian cheered. "So this is the kind of power the Zoan-type Devil Fruit will give?"

"ENOUGH!" Dalton snarled. "I've had it with you pathetic so-called rulers! There can be no hope for a country when it's King and his men are the first to abandon the people during a time of crisis!"

"Let's see how well you do fighting against the two of us," Kuromarimo challenged Dalton as he and Chess stood ready to fight.

"Just give up," Chess taunted with a smug grin.

"**DALTON!" **came a loud shout as a mob of men wielding weapons came charging onto the scene, they'd finally arrived from Cocoaweed. "Dalton wait, we've come to help you! Please let us fight with you! We're going to protect our country!"

"Remember, I've known you a long time," Chess reminded Dalton as he drew three arrows and fitted them into his bow, "And I know you well. I know what your weaknesses are!" Chess aimed his bow, but it wasn't at Dalton, it was at the mob of men running up behind him.

"NO, DON'T!" Dalton shouted.

**WHING! **Chess let go of the bow string and sent all three arrows flying passed Dalton towards the civilians. The men kept running, not seeing the attack coming for them.

**SKISH! **Dalton moved fast and was suddenly standing in front of the civilians, they all stopped and stared in shock as the three arrows embedded into the Bison-man's chest and came out through his back. **SHA-SHA-SHUNK!**

"DALTON, NO!" one of the men cried out as the bison-man dropped down to his knees. "Why did you shield us?"

"_They _are your weakness, kind Dalton," Chess taunted.

Dalton's only weakness was loving his country and its people too much. He'd sacrificed himself to shield the citizens because, unlike the King, he believed that the people made up a country, not the ruler.

"Quite the fitting death, huh boys?" Wapol boasted as Dalton fell to the ground and laid motionless. **THUD! **The three arrows had gone in through his chest and were coming out his back, that was a fatal wound. "MAA HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

**RRRMMMMBBB! RRRRMMMMBBB! **Wapol's laughter was cut off when a loud rumbled broke out from a distance. "What's that? An earthquake?" Wapol wondered. It felt like the entire island was shaking.

**-x-**

"Those damn rabbits!" Sanji cursed, "Great they've done it now! This isn't good!"

"Run!" Ricky snapped as he grabbed Luffy's arm and took off running, pulling Luffy along with him.

"What's going on?" Luffy asked. "Where are we going?"

"Anywhere! Anywhere but here!" Sanji exclaimed as he ran after Luffy and Ricky. "THERE'S ABOUT TO BE AN AVALANCHE!"

Luffy, Ricky, and Sanji were so high up and so close to the Drum Rockies now that the distant rumbling that could be heard around the island was almost deafening to them.** THOOOOOM!** Due the giant rabbits all jumping up and down together a huge wave of snow came loose and began rolling down the mountain. It kept gaining momentum and kept getting bigger and bigger as move snow joined it. The Straw Hats ran frantically away from the killer wave of white that the Lapins had unleashed upon them as well as the rest of the island.

**-x-**

Next chapter, Luffy, Ricky, and Sanji find themselves battling killer rabbits while caught in the middle of an avalanche.

'Till Next Time...

Peace!


	20. Chapter 20

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own One Piece or any of its characters. This is a fan-made work of fiction, aptly named FanFiction.

**Avalanche:**

**-x-**

"This doesn't look very good," Usopp commented. He and Vivi were still in the sleigh looking for Dr. Kureha, but now, not only were they lost, but the sleigh wasn't moving. The snow was so deep that the rams pulling the sleigh couldn't go any further. "We won't be able to any further in this deep snow!"

"It seems like we've gone partially up the mountain," Vivi observed.

**RRRMMMMBBB! RRRMMMMMBBB! **A loud rumbling broke out startling the two as well as the two rams.

"What's this? Why is the ground shaking?" Vivi wondered. She suddenly stared up at the shaking Drum Rockies in alarm, "AAAHH! OH NO, USOPP! IS THIS WHAT I THINK IT IS?"

"A-a-a-avalanche!" Usopp stammered in terror.

**-x-**

**RMMMBBB! RMMMB!** The assembled people down in Big Horn heard the loud rumbling coming from up the mountain. "LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" someone shouted.

"THERE'S NO STOPPING IT!" someone else screamed. "IT'LL BURY US ALIVE!" Snow was coming crashing down from the mountain, it was going to bury and crush everything. "**AVALANCHE!"**

**-x-**

"Damn those rabbits!" Sanji grumbled as he, Luffy, and Ricky sprinted down the mountain away from the rushing snow. "The next time I see them I'll grill them!"

"What do we do?" Luffy asked.

"How should I know?" Sanji replied, "All I know is, Miss. Nami and Miss. Valentine come first! We have to protect them with our lives!"

"But how do we protect them?" Luffy inquired.

"We avoid getting buried in the snow," Ricky suggested as they continued running.

"There, that ledge!" Sanji pointed out. A tall rocky ledge was off to the side, if they got up to the top maybe the snow wouldn't reach the top and would just rush passed it.

"Got it," Ricky agreed, he changed direction and sprinted towards the ledge with Luffy and Sanji chasing after him. Now they were practically running _towards _the snow. They made it to the ledge and climbed all the way up to the top.

"We made it!" Luffy exclaimed.

**HRROOOOOM! **The avalanche kept coming, it ran over everything in its path. **KRAK! KRAK! **Large trees were uprooted and we dragged along with the rushing snow. The wave of snow reached the ledge, but it wasn't high enough and the snow raced all the way up it towards the Straw Hats. **FWWOOOOSH!**

"Damn it," Ricky cursed, "We're not high enough!"

**FWOOOOOM! **The snow reached the top of the ledge and sent all three of the Straw Hats flying up into the air.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" Luffy screamed out loud as they flew over the rushing snow. "WE'LL BE BURIED ALIVE!"

"WAAAAHHHH!" Sanji shrieked as he fell into the wave of white and started getting buried as he was pulled along with it.

"Luffy, that tree!" Ricky pointed out, as he motioned to an uprooted tree that was sliding on its side on top of the snow. "Land on that three!"

"SANJI GRAB A HOLD!" Luffy yelled as he shot his rubber arm out at the cook, **SHOOOM! Whap! **Sanji grabbed Luffy's hand and then Luffy yanked his arm back pulling Sanji along with it, **VREEEEN! Whup! **Sanji landed safely on the tree that Luffy and Ricky were riding on.

"Thanks for that Luffy," Sanji thanked the Captain.

"Yeah, sure," Luffy replied.

"At least on this we can avoid getting buried in the snow," Ricky commented.

"But what now?" Luffy asked. "Even if we don't sink in the snow, we're just gonna keep flying down this mountain unless we do something about it!"

"No way!" Sanji snapped. "I'M NEVER GONNA LET THAT HAPPEN! We've come all this way and we were almost at the base of the mountain! A little further and we would've reached the doctor! We've gotta come up with a way to stop all this right now!"

"And how exactly are we supposed to stop a huge avalanche?" Ricky inquired.

"It's all because of those damn bunnies!" Sanji raged. "Next time I see them I'm gonna turn them into a big bowl of stew!"

"Ooh, rabbit stew?" Luffy repeated. "That sounds good!"

"Here's your chance," Ricky remarked, "We've got company!"

**DOOM! DOOM! **A group of lapins came racing down the mountain after them. They were all riding big tree trunks like they were snowboards. Due to their larger size and greater weight, they had gained more momentum and speed and had managed to catch up with the pirates.

"NO WAY!" Luffy exclaimed when he saw the gorilla-rabbits.

"GRRRRRAAHHHH!" one of the lapins growled as it lunged at the pirates on the tree.

"Lean right!" Ricky called out, **SWISH!** Luffy, Ricky, and Sanji all leaned to the right, causing the tree they were on to veer to the side, enabling them to avoid the swiping claws of the lapin.

"GRRAAAHH!" But another came after the first one and swiped at the Straw Hats.

"Lean left!" Ricky ordered. **SWISH!** The pirates leaned the other way and now the tree veered to the left so they could avoid the lapin. The Straw Hats continued going down the mountain in a zigzag as they desperately attempted to avoid the swiping claws of the killer rabbits.

"WHAT DO WE DO?" Luffy shouted.

"Dodge!" Ricky snapped.

They continued to race down the mountain on the tree, but the lapins kept after them. "WHAT IS THEIR PROBLEM?" Sanji wondered. "Seriously!" **SWISH! **The cook, who was behind Ricky and Luffy on the tree, had to duck his head to avoid the claws of another lapin.

"Oh no..." Ricky muttered, he was in front on the tree and despite his lack of depth perception was the first to notice something up in front of them.

"Luffy, Sanji, LOOK OUT!" He shouted.

Luffy and Sanji looked where Ricky was looking and saw another rocky ledge poking out of the snow that was rushing passed it. But this one had broken trees growing out of it, if they kept up their current course they'd slam right into it.

"AAAAHHH! A ROCK!" Luffy screamed. "WE'RE GONNA CRASH!"

"Damn it, we can't turn to avoid it!" Ricky realized as he glanced at the giant rabbits that were all around them, "There's too many rabbits!"

"We can't crash into that thing!" Sanji resolved. "You two have Miss. Nami and Miss. Valentine on your backs! You two have to keep them safe!"

"Then what do we do?" Ricky asked as they got closer and closer to the dangerous rock.

**SHOO! SHOO! **Two lapins leapt off of their tree trunks and flew at the Straw Hats.

"AAAAAAHHHH!" Luffy shouted, "WE'RE GONNA CRASH!

Sanji thought fast and grabbed Luffy from behind, and then threw him off the tree, **WISH! **"Land on your stomach!" Sanji advised as he grabbed Ricky and threw him off the tree after Luffy, **WHOOSH! **Sanji stood on the tree and stared at the Captain and First Mate, "A lady requires a gentle touch."

"SAAANJIIIII!" Luffy yelled as the cook kept going and crashed into the rock, **KRAASH!**

"Arrgghhh!" Sanji grunted in pain as he slammed back-first into one of the broken trees and went flying up into the air. **WHAM! **Sanji slammed into two of the lapins and all three of them went crashing down onto the rushing sea of snow and immediately started getting buried.

**SHOOM! **Luffy stretched his arm out and grabbed onto one of the broken trees, he hung down from the ledge as the snow continued to rush passed it. Luffy looked up and saw Ricky float gracefully downward until he landed lightly on the top of the ledge where the snow hadn't come up to. **TMP!**

"Thanks," he said to the blonde on his back. She'd used her powers to lower their weight and slow their decent.

"Umhm," Ms. Valentine mumbled.

"_It worked…"_ Sanji thought to himself when he saw that Nami and Ms. Valentine were both safe.

"SANJI, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" Luffy hollered at him as Ricky pulled him up onto the top of the ledge. "NEXT TIME YOU TRY SOMETHING LIKE THAT... WARN ME!" **WOING! **Luffy stretched his arm out and he grabbed onto Sanji's hand, **Whap! VREEEEEN! **Luffy retracted his hand, but let out a scream when all that came back was Sanji's blue glove, "GAAAAAHHH! SANJI!"

The middle of an avalanche is no place to be chivalrous," Ricky muttered.

"SAAAAAANJIIIIIIII!" Luffy screamed out at the sea of white snow, the cook had disappeared underneath it.

**-x-**

"Twenty five thousand six hundred thirty-one," a shirtless and shoeless Zoro counted as he attempted to warm himself up by doing pushups on one arm. "Twenty-five thousands six hundred thirty-two! Twenty-five thousand six hundred thirty-three!"

**RMMMB!RMMMBB!**

"Eh? What's that?" Zoro wondered, he stop counting to glance around him. "It's so damn noisy!" It was at that moment that Zoro saw what was making all the noise. THE AVALANCHE WAS COMING RIGHT FOR HIM!

**RMMMMB!RMMMMBB!**

"TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED THIRTY-FOUR!" Zoro screamed right before he was buried in the rushing snow.

**-x-**

**THWOOOOM!** The snow kept going down the mountain and was seen and heard by everyone on that side of the island. In Big Horn the people were panicking. "TI'S COMING! IT'S NOT STOPPING!" someone screamed, the avalanche had been a really big one and had nearly reached the bottom of the mountainous island, it was almost at the village. "THE WHOLE VILLAGE WILL BE SWALLOWED UP! GET OUT OF HERE!"

Wapol hoisted himself onto the back of his furry hippo and shouted out at Chess and Kuromarimo, "WE'RE GOING! Chess, Kuromarimo, GET ON!" Wapol's two officers got onto the hippo behind the King.

"ROBSON! SERIOUS MODE!" Wapol ordered his steed.

**SNORT! **Robson rose up into the air and revealed the true size of his legs. Normally, a White Walky Hippo walks in an almost crouch and is close to the ground. But in serious mode, the legs are fully extended keeping it up high out of deep snow.

"GO!" Wapol commanded Robson.

"King Wapol!" one of the twenty MD's called out, as the twenty pink-clad doctors gathered around the hippo, "Please! You have to let us ride too!"

"GET AWAY FROM THERE!" Wapol shouted at the men that had recently saved his life. "YOU CAN ALL FIND YOUR OWN WAY OUT!"

**THOOOOOM! **Big Horn shook at the avalanche finally reached it, everyone ran away from the rushed wall of snow, but Wapol's long-legged hippo managed to break away from the crowd of villagers, soldiers, and doctors to get the selfish King and his two henchmen away from the snow.

"ROBSON HURRY!" Wapol yelled. "IT'S CLOSING IN ON US!"

**-x-**

**HUFF! HUFF! HUFF! **Usopp panted as he and Vivi ran after the two rams that had been pulling their sled. The avalanche was closing in behind them. "We'll be alright, we'll be alright, we'll be alright..." Usopp chanted out loud, it sounded like he was trying to convince himself. "Don't worry Vivi, even if we get buried by this, I'll dig you out and save you!"

"Luffy and the others headed up in that direction right?" Vivi asked out loud as she glanced over her shoulder at the mountain the avalanche had come from. "Do you think that the avalanche could have already gotten to them?"

**-x-**

"AAAAAAHHHH! WE'VE GOTTA GO FASTER!" Kuromarimo screamed as Robson raced out of Big Horn with the avalanche on his tail.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Wapol, Chess, Kuromarimo, and even Robson screamed as the wave of snow caught up with them and sent the hippo flying up into the air. The snow came crashing down on top of them and buried them completely, **FWWOOOOOSH!**

**-x-**

The avalanche finally settled and the island was quiet once again. A new blanket of deep white snow covered everything. Luffy and Ricky sat together on top of the ledge and stared out at the sea of snow.

They'd taken Nami and Ms. Valentine off of their backs and Ricky now that the two of them bundled up together inside of his coat and was keeping them warm using their combined body heat.

"Look after them," Luffy instructed as he slipped out of his red winter coat and then removed his straw hat. "I'll go find Sanji." Luffy handed his precious hat to his brother, "I'll be right back." Luffy stood up and walked to the edge of the ledge, then dove off into the sea of snow.

Ricky put Luffy's hat on top of his cowboy hat then reached out and grabbed the abandoned coat. Ricky wrapped Nami and Ms. Valentine in Luffy's coat then closed his own coat around them again. Nami burrowed back into Ricky's chest, seeking warmth while Ms. Valentine opened her blue eyes and stared around her in confusion at the situation she found herself in.

"Hang in there," Ricky whispered to her. "We'll get you up the mountain."

Ms. Valentine stared up at him, after everything that had happened on Little Garden, she was surprised at everything the pirates she'd attempt to kill were going through to get her medical attention. Granted, she knew that one of their own was in the same situation as her, but if their situations were reversed she would've never gone this far out of her way to help an enemy. She would've left them on Little Garden to die... and most likely wouldn't have made it passed the giant goldfish. But now, here she was, in search of a doctor on a strange island, bundled up in an enemy's coat. Ms. Valentine had never expected enemy pirates to act like this, pirates were supposed to be savages, not noble warriors that risked life and limb to save other people. She was glad she had met them.

"Thank you," Ms. Valentine murmured before she closed her eyes and rested her head against Ricky's chest beside Nami.

Ricky glanced at the mountain that he knew the witch's castle was on top if. It was still a long way away. As he waited for Luffy to return with Sanji, it started to snow again.

**-x-**

**PLOOOSH! **Outside of Big Horn a big circle of snow was sucked into the ground and a pair of swelled up metal lips popped out. Wapol pulled himself out of the hole he was in and spat out whatever was in his mouth, **PTOOI!** Chess, Kuromarimo, and Robson came flying out of Wapol's mouth and landed in a heap in the snow. **THU****D!**

"Oh, it was you guys in there," Wapol remarked. "No wonder it had such a disgusting taste. I WON'T LET 'EM GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

"Who are you talking about?" Kuromarimo asked.

"Them! I'm talking about them of course!" Wapol replied. "You told me earlier that some of the Straw Hats headed up the mountain toward my castle, isn't that right? THEN THIS HAPPENED! They have a grudge against us, they're still mad about what happened. So they climbed up there and started an avalanche!"

"So... they were the ones who caused it?" Chess wondered.

"That's right," Wapol answered. "Let's go boys! We'll see if those stupid sea-loving sailors know anything about fighting in the snow!"

**-x-**

**SHWWOOO! **Further up the mountain, a cold wind blew by as a small lapin tugged at the paw of a much large lapin that was buried in the snow. The big lapin was completely buried and no matter how hard the little lapin tugged, it couldn't pull out the bigger rabbit. The little lapin dug at the snow, trying to uncover more of the bigger buried lapin, but all it got for its troubles was sore paws.

"Greeehh!" the little lapin cried out in desperation. There was nothing it could do to save the bigger lapin. The little lapin continued its futile attempts at digging up the bigger lapin, but stopped when it heard someone approaching.

**Krunch! Krunch! **Luffy and Ricky walked side-by-side through the snow. Luffy had Sanji, who was injured and unconscious on his back while Ricky was carrying the two smaller women together on his back. Nami was bundled up in Ricky's coat while Ms. Valentine was wrapped in Luffy's, leaving the Captain and First Mate of the Straw Hat pirates in a vest and a t-shirt respectively.

"Grrr..." the lapin growled as it stared at the two pirates and stood in front of the paw of the bigger lapin protectively. The two pirates kept walking until they were standing right in front of the little lapin that was trying to block a paw that was bigger than it was.

"Help the little thing, would ya?" Ricky requested.

"EEEH!" the little lapin yelped as Luffy reached out towards it. It covered its head and waited for the worst to come. **KROOOOOSH! **The little lapin looked up in surprise when a clump of snow landed on its head. It turned and saw that pirate with the straw hat had yanked the bigger lapin up out of the snow.

"Waaah!" the little lapin cried in surprise. The human had done what it could not, and had saved the bigger lapin's life. The little lapin hugged the bigger lapin while Luffy and Ricky trudged off up the mountain.

"We'll get you there, don't worry," Luffy assured Nami, Ms. Valentine, and Sanji too as he stared up at the mountain that loomed in front of them. "Just stay alive... all of you."

"Sanji should be fine," Ricky reassured him. "He's tough. I doubt slamming into a rock and getting buried in an avalanche is gonna kill him. And if Nami and Ms. Valentine can hold on this long, they can hold on another couple hours until we get to the top."

**KLOMP! KLOMP! KLOMP! **The two pirates were oblivious to the long-legged hippo that was racing up the mountain behind them with Wapol, Chess, and Kuromarimo on its back.

"Look there!" Kuromarimo called out.

"Those brats are up ahead, Wapol sir!" Chess reported.

"FOUND YOU!" Wapol shouted, getting Luffy and Ricky's attention.

"Friends of yours?" Ricky asked as he and Luffy glanced behind them at the furry hippo.

"Not quite," Luffy answered. "That's the guy who tried to eat our ship... I think..."

"NOW I'LL MAKE YOU PAY, YOU DAMN STRAW HAT!" Wapol bellowed.

"This is _not_ what we needed right now," Ricky complained.

**-x-**

**The Summit:**

**-x-**

Robson the White Walky raced around Luffy and Ricky and blocked their path. Luffy and Ricky stared silently up at the trio on the hippo.

"I've had enough of you Straw Hats!" Wapol complained. "I'm getting rid of you for good this time!"

"Look, this isn't a good time for us," Ricky stated. "Could you come back later and try to get rid of us then?"

"I don't care if it's a good time for you!" Wapol snapped, "I'M THE KING! I'm gonna chew you up into little pieces and spit you out!"

"Move it," Luffy growled.

"Move?" Wapol repeated. "Why would I wanna do that? I have no intention of making it easy for you and those half-dead friends of yours to get away from here, Straw Hat!"

Knowing that they didn't have time to deal with this, Luffy and Ricky lowered their heads and went around the big hippo that was blocking their path.

"HEY!" Wapol exclaimed in indignation. That was probably the first time someone ignored him, HE WAS THE KING!

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Chess shouted after them.

"Ha, got it!" Wapol announced. "Hey Chess, I've thought up a new law to celebrate my return! Write this down: **Anyone who ignores the King will be executed! **THOSE FIVE ARE GUILTY! Chess, Kuromarimo, I want them punished immediately! Deal with the three unconscious ones first, cause they're ignoring me the most!"

"Yes Sire!" Chess and Kuromarimo replied as they leapt off of the hippo, **SKISH!** The two of them charged after Luffy and Ricky.

"Hey look... a hiking bear!" Ricky called out as he turned and pointed at something behind Wapol. "Everyone bow, it's proper manners."

Chess and Kuromarimo quickly spun around while Wapol turned around and shouted, "THE KING BOWS TO NO ONE!"

"Not you, you idiot," Ricky grumbled as he grabbed a bowing Luffy and ran off.

"HEY! THERE'S NO HIKING BEAR!" Wapol realized. "THAT ONE DIES FOR TRYING TO FOOL THE KING!"

**SKISH! **Chess and Kuromarimo leapt up into the air, "I'll get the two on his back!" Kuromarimo decided as he held up the two fuzzy black boxing gloves that were on his hands.

"And I'll take the liar!" Chess resolved, as he fitted an arrow into his bow.

"EAT THIS!" Kuromarimo shouted, "MARIMO SURPRISE!" **CHANK! CHANK! **Spikes popped out of the black gloves on his fists and he swung them at Nami and Ms. Valentine like maces.

**TWANG! **At the same time, Chess fired an arrow at Ricky. **VWOOOM!** Ricky jumped to the side and managed to avoid both attacks.

"Luffy, we can't afford to fight them," Ricky called out.

"Then what do we do?" Luffy asked.

"Give me Sanji, and _you _fight them," Ricky suggested.

"I'll kick their asses!" Luffy vowed, he tossed Sanji to Ricky who quickly caught him and tucked the cook under his arm, then took off running. Luffy turned around and prepared to face Wapol's men.

"RUNNING AWAY WON'T SAVE YOU! COWARD!" Chess shouted as he loaded a bunch of arrows in his bow. **TWANG! **Chess fired the arrows after Ricky.

**WHACK!** Luffy swung his rubber arm around and knocked the arrows off course.

"Leave them alone!" Luffy exclaimed, "Your fight's with me!"

"It's time you learned what a battle in the snow is like," Wapol decided. "SNOW BLANKET!"

"GUM… GUM…" Luffy started to say, but he cut himself off when he realized that Wapol, Chess, Kuromarimo, and even the furry hippo had all disappeared. "RICKY, THEY DISAPPEARED! KEEP RUNNING!" Luffy shouted after the First Mate, he turned and ran after Ricky.

"This is bad…" Ricky grumbled as he ran through the snow carrying Nami and Ms. Valentine on his back and Sanji under his arm.

**CHOMP!** A large mouth suddenly appeared in the snow in front of him and snapped at him, **SKISH!** Ricky leapt backwards and up into the air to get away from it, "Luffy! I could use some help here!"

**SWOOSH! SWOOSH!** Kuromarimo and Chess suddenly appeared in midair, "THIS IS WHAT BATTLE IN SNOW COUNTRY IS LIKE!" Kuromarimo announced as he readied his mace like gloves for an attack on Ricky, "SNOW POWDER MAKE UP, THE WHITE DISGUISE!"

"Those three are so incredibly weak that just one shot should be enough," Chess said as he loaded his bow with three arrows, one for each of the people Ricky was carrying.

"**CHECKMATE!"** Kuromarimo and Chess called out together.

"DOOON'T!" Luffy shouted as he raced over, he wasn't going to get there in time.

"Hey look! Lapins!" Ricky called out as he pointed at something behind Wapol's men.

"We're not going to fall for that again!" Kuromarimo growled.

**SKISH! SKISH! **A pair of lapins leapt through the snow and then up into the air, they slashed their claws at Chess and Kuromarimo and sent the two of them crashing down to the ground. **KA-BAM! ** Ricky landed safely while Chess and Kuromarimo landed in a heap.

"Polar bears!" Luffy cheered as he closed the distance between him and Ricky.

"LAPINS?" shouted Wapol shouted in outrage and surprise.

"Did those things just protect them?" Kuromarimo wonders as he and Chess pushed themselves up off of the ground.

"Impossible!" Chess replied, "Lapins never form bonds with humans. They're nothing more than wild beasts!"

Luffy and Ricky stared in surprise, but then they noticed the little lapin holding onto the back of one of the bigger ones. It was the same lapin that Luffy had pulled out of the snow earlier.

"Grump!" the big lapin that Luffy had saved pumped his arms and grunted at him.

"Thanks a bunch! You guys saved us!" Luffy called out with a smile, he and Ricky took off running for the base of the Drum Rockies, they were getting close now.

"DON'T LET 'EM GET AWAY!" Wapol yelled as he sat on Robson behind Chess and Kuromarimo.

"Right!" Chess and Kuromarimo agreed, they darted after Luffy and Ricky but the two lapins jumped forward and blocked their path. Chess and Kuromarimo stopped and stared in surprise as more lapins appeared. Suddenly they weren't just dealing with a pair of giant rabbits, now they had an entire herd in front of them!

"What the hell are those stupid bunnies doing standing there?" Wapol demanded.

**-x-**

**SHHWWWOOOOO! **The wind picked up as Luffy and Ricky continued up the mountain. Neither of the pirates was wearing long sleeves so they shivered as the freezing wind passed over them.

"D-docter... doctor..." Luffy muttered as they trudged through the knee-deep snow, he had taken Sanji back while Ricky had kept Nami and Ms. Valentine on his back.

**SHHWWWOOOOO! **The wind blew again and the dusty cloud of snow that was in front of them cleared to reveal the base of Drum Rock right in front of them.

"We made it to the base of the mountain," Ricky pointed out as they walked up to the mountain and stared up it.

"I can't even see the top," Luffy observed. "I guess we'll have to climb it."

"You're the better climber," Ricky commented, "and with your powers you'll be able to get us up their faster. However... I'm more equipped for this situation."

"So what do we do?" Luffy asked.

"That mountain goes straight up," Ricky stated, "climbing up it in a pair of sandals will be next to impossible." Ricky reached down and pulled one of his bare feet out of his boots. "Let's switch shoes, the steel toes of my boots will help you climb, I'll ride on your back and hold onto the other three."

"Right," Luffy agreed. They switched shoes so Luffy was wearing Ricky's steel toed/soled boots while Ricky was left in Luffy's sandals. Luffy handed Sanji over to Ricky, who the First Mate tucked under his arm before he hoisted himself onto Luffy's back.

With Ricky, Nami, Sanji, and Ms. Valentine secured, Luffy prepared for the long climb. "Wait," Ricky suddenly called out, he drew _Akaikyuuketsuki _and offered it to Luffy. "Take my sword and use it to get a better handhold. If you try climbing up there with your bare hands, you fingers will be bleeding before we're a quarter of the way up.

Luffy took his brother's trusted sword and then stretched his arms up above his head and up the side of the mountain. **SHUNK! **Luffy embedded the red blade of the sword into the side of the mountain about fifteen feet above them. "GUM... GUM... ROCKET!" **VREEEN! **Luffy's rubber arms retracted and brought all five of them flying up the side of the mountain. Once Luffy's arms were fully retracted he moved his legs and drove the steel toes of Ricky's boots into the mountain for a foothold, **CHUNK! CHUNK!**

This continued for almost an hour, with Luffy stretching his way up the side of the mountain thanks to Ricky's sword and boots.

**SHHWWWOOOOOO! **A freezing cold gust of wind came down from the top of the mountain causing Luffy and Ricky to shiver. Their faces were turning pink from the lon g exposure to the freezing wind. Their exposed arms had turned purple from frost bite.

"This c-can't be g-good for them," Ricky stammered. "They might just freeze to death at this rate."

"Then wh-what d-do we d-do?" Luffy asked. "W-we've g-gotta climb the m-mountain to g-get to the d-doctor."

Ricky frowned and thought about their situation as Luffy continued stretching up the side of the mountain. They were only about a quarter of the way up. While Luffy's stretching was getting them up their a lot faster than they would normally, it was taking too long.

"I've got an idea," Ricky eventually announced.

**-x-**

Down at the bottom of the mountain, Vivi woke up and found herself half buried in snow. "What happened?" she wondered as she pulled her legs out from the snow and sat up. "The avalanche... it must have buried us..." She looked around and realized that Usopp was nowhere in sight. "USOPP!"

She spotted his nose sticking out of the nose nearby, she rushed over dug the snow off of his purple frost-bitten face. "There you are Usopp!" Vivi exclaimed. "Come on now, wake up! You've got to wake up!"

"Ughhh..." Usopp groaned.

"YOU'RE ALIVE!" Vivi cheered. "I'm going to get you out of there!" She quickly dug up the snow and uncovered more and more of the barely conscious sniper. Then she grabbed onto his nose and yanked him the rest of the way out of the snow. **SKOOOSH!**

Vivi dropped down to her knees beside Usopp and shook him, "Come on Usopp, just wake up!" she urged him as she lightly patted his face. "Snap out of it!"

"Just gimme a few more minutes here Vivi," Usopp whispered. "I was in the middle of such a lovely dream. We were in a world far away from here, sitting in a field of flowers with a beautiful river flowing next to it..."

"YOU'RE CROSSING OVER INTO THE AFTERLIFE!" Vivi shrieked as she began patting his face more urgently. "YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF THAT DREAM! NOW WAKE UP!"

"GAAAHHHHHH!" Usopp suddenly let out a scream, but then closed his eyes again. "Aaahhh, look at the Usopp Pirates all seventy-four thousand of them... they're such good brave warriors..."

"GET UP NOW! YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP!" Vivi yelled as she shook Usopp by his collar. "DO YOU HEAR ME? GRRRR!"

**WHAP! **"USOPP!" Vivi shouted as she slapped the sniper's face. **WHAP! **"USOPP!" **WHAP! **"USOPP!" Over and over again Vivi slapped Usopp's face in an attempt to wake him from his dreams of the afterlife.

A good ten minutes later, Usopp was finally awake. "Oh wow!" Usopp exclaimed. "You saved my life Vivi! I was almost a goner there for a second! I'm lucky to be alive! That was a close one, really, so close! Except that... my face feels kinda swollen..."

Vivi smiled sheepishly as she walked in front of Usopp, the sniper's face was swelled up to five times its normal size from all the times she'd slapped him. He was also sporting a black eye and a bloody nose.

"Oh, it's the cold," Vivi assured him while attempting to look innocent, "that happens. It's an unfortunate side-effect of a snowy area."

"Hmm..." Usopp murmured to himself, but Vivi quickly cut him off before he could think about it too much.

"What matters now is figuring out where we are and what to do next," Vivi resolved. She stepped on a small hill of snow, but then fell backwards when it started rising up. **KROOOSH!**

"AAAAAAAAAHHH! MONSTER!" Usopp screamed as a snow-covered figure pushed itself out of the snow. The snow fell off of the figure to reveal... Zoro?

"Whoa, that was a close one," the swordsman remarked, he was still only wearing a pair of pants. "Why do I feel like I dreamed about a field of flowers?"

Usopp and Vivi stared at Zoro in shock as he continued to grumble to himself. "Hit by an avalanche in the middle of a training session... not my idea of an ideal workout. But I guess it is kind of like swimming in snow..."

"Zoro?" Usopp called out to the swordsman.

"Oh, hey Vivi," Zoro replied when he noticed the Princess still on the ground where she'd fallen. "What's up?" He stared at the figure standing behind Vivi for a moment, it had curly black hair, a huge head, a black eye, and a long nose. Long nose... "Oh! It's you, Usopp! What are you guys doing all the way out here in the snow?"

"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE WERE GONNA ASK YOU!" Usopp and Vivi snapped at the same time.

**-x-**

**THOOM! **The body of a large bruise-covered lapin hit the ground and laid unconscious at the feet of Wapol, Chess, and Kuromarimo. "MAA HAHAHAHAHA!" Wapol laughed. "TAKE THAT YOU STUPID BUNNIES! YOU PATHETIC CREATURES GOT EXACTLY WHAT YOU DESERVED FOR GOING UP AGAINST THE KING!" The unconscious bodies of the herd of lapins were all around the trio. "Still... it annoys me that I had to expend so much of my power against a pack of over-grown rabbits!"

"There was no helping it sir," Chess pointed out. "They are the fiercest animals in Drum Kingdom."

"AND YOU'RE NEXT!" Wapol shouted up at the top of the Drum Rockies, "STRAAW HAAAT!"

**-x-**

"Wh-what's your idea?" Luffy asked as he hung on the side of Drum Rock, only about a third of the way up.

"If I t-take off m-my eye patch I c-could f-fly us all up there," Ricky explained. "I c-could keep us away from the f-freezing w-wind and we'd be able to go at a st-steadier p-pace. I c-could p-probably get us up there in h-half the time it would take y-you."

"D-do you think you can c-control it?" Luffy inquired.

"I'll have to," Ricky resolved as he glanced down at Sanji and looked over his shoulder at Nami and Ms. Valentine, "It's for their s-sake. I'll also h-have to knock y-you out so it doesn't start urging me to k-kill you out of b-boredom."

"You're st-stronger than the eye," Luffy stated. "I know you c-can handle it. Go f-for it."

With his legs still wrapped around Luffy's waist, Ricky reached up with his arm that wasn't holding Sanji and placed it on the back of Luffy's head. **WHAM!** Ricky drove Luffy face-first into the side of the mountain and knocked his brother out, then quickly reached up and grabbed hold of the handle of his sword.

Luffy's hand slipped off of the sword and his rubber upperbody hung limply. Ricky pulled all five of them up with his one arm and then used his mouth to grab hold of the handle of his sword. "_Here goes nothing," _Ricky thought to himself as he reached up and raised his sunglasses and his eye patch. The Eye of the Devil glowed when it was uncovered.

Ricky used the telekinesis to float away from the side of the mountain. **SHUNK! **His sword and Luffy's feet were pulled out from the side of the mountain as he floated there in midair holding the other four.

**SHWWWOOOO! **Ricky shivered as the wind blew down the mountain and rushed passed him. He pulled his sword out of his mouth cut his arm, which had turned purple from the cold, and sheathed it. With that taken care of, Ricky floated backwards and levitated outside of the range of the wind.

Ricky snapped his free arm downward and he went flying upward towards the top of the mountain. **WOOOSH! **Now that he had not only two eyes, but also the red eye's enhanced vision, he could make out the top of the mountain up above him. Ricky flew upward at a fast pace and in five minutes time he was halfway up the mountain.

"_**Interesting situat**__**ion you have yourself in, brat," **_the spirit of the Devil's Eye commented in Ricky's mind. _**"But your time's up."**_

"_Shut up," _Ricky replied as he continued flying upward.

"_**You're pretty high up," **_the demonic spirit observed._** "I wonder which of your four fri**__**ends here would survive the fall from this height."**_

"_You're not gonna find out," _Ricky answered.

"_**My money's on Straw Hat," **_the Eye continued as if Ricky hadn't thought. _**"He is rather durable. But I doubt he'll be in any shape to stop me from killing him**__** when I get down there."**_

"_You're not killing anyone," _Ricky insisted.

"_**And just who's going to stop me? You? You're weak. You can't fight me."**_

"_I'll fight you as long as it takes me to get to the top," _Ricky stated.

"_**You think you can stop me from gaining control?"**_

"_The first time you caught me off guard. I wasn't ready. Now, I'm prepared to fight you off until I reach the top."_

"_**It makes no difference whether you're prepared to face me or not! YOUR FRIENDS ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!"**_

"_No they won't. I'll keep you from getting control."_

"_**YOU CAN'T STOP ME, YOU PATHETIC MEAT-SACK!" **_

"_YES I CAN, YOU PARASITIC BALL OF DEMON CRAP!"_

"_**WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?"**_

"_I called you a parasitic ball of demon crap. You may think you're all powerful, but all that p__ower means nothing if you don't have a host. Without me, you're nothing but a red ball of demon shit! And without me, you'd still be stuck in the chest in that cave.__ I may be __**just **__a human... BUT YOU'RE NOTHING WITHOUT ME! AND YOU WON'T STOP ME FROM REACHI__NG THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN!"_

"_**..." **_The eye was rendered speechless as Ricky picked up speed and continued flying up the side of the mountain. Their argument had distracted the eye enough that he was already two thirds of the way up to the top.

**-x-**

Ten minutes later Ricky was almost at the top and was still in control. The Eye was still seemingly in shock from earlier and hadn't said a word.

"_Almost there," _Ricky thought to himself as he spied the peak of the mountain, he was about seven eighths of the way up. Compared to the long journey it had taken to get to this point, that was nothing. _"Just a little further. I can do this."_

**-x-**

**SKUSH! **Ricky flew up over the peak of the mountain and slammed down into the snow on the top. Ricky let go of Luffy and pulled down his eye patch. He was smiling, he'd won a major battle against the eye and he'd made it up the mountain.

Ricky stood up and with Luffy tucked under one arm, Sanji tucked under the other, and Nami and Ms. Valentine still on his back he trudged towards the castle. The magnificent white castle showcased Wapol's selfishness. It had countless towers and windows meaning it could have hundreds of rooms for the King's personal use while all the citizens were stuck in tiny one room huts down at the bottom of the mountain.

Ricky walked up to the front door, which he was surprised to see was opened, and saw a large monster looming in front of the castle. Ricky shrugged and walked up to the monster and looked it up and down, it was about eight feet tall, and had the physique of a muscular human but it was covered in brown fur and had a blue nose. It wore maroon shorts and a pink top hat with a white 'x' on the front.

"Hey buddy," Ricky greeted the monster. "I've got a bunch of sick people here. Do you think you point me in the direction of the doctor?"

The monster stared at Ricky in surprise. This human was wearing a pair of sandals and a t-shirt, his arms and feet were turning purple and his face was pink from the harsh cold. But even stranger than the human's appearance was the fact that he wasn't scared by the monster's appearance. _Everyone_ on this island was afraid of the monster. But this odd human just walked right up to it and asked for directions!

Not knowing what else to do, the monster took a deep breath, and let out a loud roar, hoping to scare the human like all the others. **"RAAAAAAHHHRR!"** But the human just stood there with the same facial expression from before. The sunglasses hid the human's eyes so the monster wasn't even certain if he had blinked.

"Wow, that was really scary," the human remarked. "But on my way up here I ran into a herd of rabbit-gorillas. They were about your size, but there were like _twenty_ of them, and they had _claws. _They caused a huge avalanche that almost killed me. Sorry buddy, you had a tough act to follow. I'm sure if I met you first I'd be intimidated."

The monster stared at the human in surprise, he was _consoling him _for not being scary! This human had survived a hoard of vicious man-eating lapins, as well as that huge avalanche from a couple hours ago, and managed to _climb_ up the side of a fifteen thousand foot mountain carrying four other people with him. How else could the human have gotten up here? Humans didn't fly. The human was more of a monster than the monster was!

"**Chopper, what's going on here?" **came the voice of Dr. Kureha. The monster leapt backwards and ducked behind the much smaller woman in an attempt to escape the monster-human.

"Are you the witch-doctor?" the human inquired. "The two on my back were infected by a bug bite from the last island. They desperately need a doctor. And the blonde guy probably has some broken bones. Do you think you could take a look at them?"

"Did you _climb _all the way up here?" Dr. Kureha asked the human in surprise. "I'd better take a look at you too."

"Them first, they're my friends," the human requested. Chopper the monster stared at the human in surprise. The monster-human climbed all the way up here and nearly got killed by an avalanche caused by a herd of lapins just to help his friends! Friendship and loyalty were things that were very foreign to the monster.

"Very well," Dr. Kureha agreed.

"Hear that Nami?" the monster-human seemingly addressed one of the unconscious females on his back. "I got you up here like I promised." **FWUMP! **With that the monster-human fell to the ground unconscious.

"This island's just crawling with weird-o's today," Dr. Kureha muttered. "Chopper, let's get them inside."

**-x-**

Next chapter is the official meeting between Ricky and Tony Tony Chopper.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	21. Chapter 21

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** Once again, I don't own One Piece, just this variation of the series.

**Ricky and Tony Tony Chopper:**

**-x-**

"Winter swimming?" Usopp repeated. He and Vivi had barely managed to survive the avalanche and had run into Zoro who had been buried under the snow after getting lost during a mid-winter swim. The swelling on Usopp's face had finally gone down and his shocked facial expression could be seen clearly as he and Vivi listened to the shirtless and shoeless swordsman's explanation about what he was doing out in the middle of nowhere buried under a blanket of snow.

"That was the idea anyway," Zoro replied. "But after swimming in the river for a while I had no idea where I was anymore. I started walking around and some strength training workouts."

"Dressed like that in cold weather?" Usopp inquired. There were pink patches all over Zoro's bare torso and arms due to the harsh cold on the winter island. "You're real stupid aren't you?"

"That isn't the point!" Zoro snapped. "Now just shut up and gimme your coat?"

"Not a chance," Usopp promptly refused. He wasn't about to give up his only protection against the harsh cold just because Zoro got lost during his idiotic training session.

"_Maybe Nami's sick from the mental exhaustion of dealing with these two," _Vivi thought to herself as she walked silently along beside Zoro and Usopp.

"Then how 'bout your shoes?" Zoro requested.

"Nope!" Usopp answered.

"Just one then!" Zoro exclaimed.

"I said no!" Usopp insisted. "You brought this on yourself."

The trio reached the crest of a snowy hill and Vivi spotted a cluster of people off in a distance. "Look at that guys," Vivi pointed out to the two bickering pirates. "There's people over there."

Two groups of people were standing on a fresh blanket of snow. One group was made up of uniformed soldiers with weapons while the other group was civilians. As they walked closer, the buildings seemed familiar to Usopp.

"Hey, those buildings seem familiar," Usopp commented.

Vivi took a good look at the half buried village and the familiar houses, "You're right Usopp," Vivi realized. "This place is Big Horn. We just came back. It looks a lot different buried in snow though."

"STAY BACK, ALL OF YOU!" a uniformed solider ordered the group of civilians as he held his sword out in front of him. "Dalton's already dead anyway."

"It'd take more than a couple of flimsy arrows to kill him!" one of the civilians objected. "You're his men, or you used to be at least, don't you care at all about what happens to Dalton?"

"Things have changed!" the lead solider retorted. "We're all King Wapol's soldiers now. Any one of you who opposes King Wapol is as good as dead!"

"Hey, what's going on here?" Zoro asked one of the civilians in the back as he, Usopp, and Vivi walked over.

"What's going on here?" the civilian repeated, he turned around and stared in surprise at how Zoro was dressed. "Wait, what's going on with you? Why are you dressed like that?"

"Dalton is buried under the snow that came down with the avalanche," another civilian explained to Usopp and Vivi.

"What? Dalton's buried under that?" questioned Vivi as she stared at the deep blanket of snow that was nearly burying the houses.

"That's right," said the other civilian. "And we can't get over there to dig him out because those guys are blocking us!"

"For the last time!" the lead soldier called out. "STAY BACK! But if you really want to dig your friend up, I guess you could try fighting us all! Hahahahaha!"

"Hey Usopp," said Zoro, as he stared at the soldiers. "I think I remember that clothing. Those are the same guys that attacked our ship while we were out in the ocean, right?"

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Usopp realized.

"Then they're the enemy," Zoro stated, "Bad guys. Not our friends. Follow me?"

"Yeah but..." Usopp replied but then he saw the determined look on Zoro's face. "Wait a second, I know that look!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" the lead soldier laughed. "You aren't so brave without Dalton around! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

**KA-WHAM! **Zoro flew in and attacked the lead soldier, he was out like a light and went down like a ton of bricks.

"NO! ZORO!" Vivi exclaimed. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"Stop you fool!" a villager called out, "Nothing good will come from attacking them!"

"AAAAAAHHH!" Zoro sighed as he pulled the lead soldiers coat closed around him. "This is so warm! I really like this thing!"

"YOU JUST WANTED HIS COAT?" Usopp shrieked as the other soldiers gathered around Zoro and looked to attack. "LOOK OUT ZORO!"

"I know you!" one of the soldiers realized as he stared at Zoro. "You were on that ship with that guy who beat up King Wapol!"

"That's right," Zoro replied as he faced the soldiers. "You're a little slow, aren't you?"

"RAAAAAAAAHHHH!" The sword and gun wielding soldiers shouted as they charged at Zoro, **SWISH! **Zoro ran through the crowd of soldiers and came safely out the other side. Three of the soldiers flexed their empty hands in confusion.

"Are you looking for something?" Zoro taunted, before he turned around and showed off the three swords that he'd taken from three of the soldiers. "Maybe these?" Zoro put one sword in his mouth and held the other two in his hands as he got in his Santōryū stance.

"GRRR... LET'S GET THAT GUY!" one of the soldiers shouted, they charged at Zoro.

"**Nez-Palm... CANNON!" **small projectile came from behind Zoro and impacted with the ground in front of the soldiers. **KA-BOOOOM! **The small snot-bomb exploded and made black cloud of smoke as Mr. 5 walked up with his hands in his pockets and then stood beside Zoro.

"We got bored," he said with casual shrug. Ms. Goldenweek was hanging back and was still dressed in Zoro's long light blue winter coat. It dragged behind her as she walked creating a trench in the snow that marked her path.

"I'm not gonna share this fight if you use those snot bombs of yours," Zoro warned Mr. 5. "That's just gross."

"Fine then," Mr. 5 agreed as he pulled up the sleeves of his coat revealing his bare arms. "This should be easy considering they're not freakishly resilient like you Straw Hats."

Zoro and Mr. 5 charged at the group of soldiers. **SLISH! SLISH! SLOSH!** Zoro slashed at the uniformed men with his three acquired swords while Mr. 5 exploded on contact. **KA-BOOOM! KA-BO****OOOM!**

"HAWK WAVE!" Zoro shouted as he charged through the crowd and slashed two of his swords, **SLISH! SLASH! **Seven soldiers went flying and crashed to the ground bloody and unconscious.

"BREEZE BREATH BOMB!" Mr. 5 simply breathed on a group of soldiers and his breath combusted. **KA-BOOOOM! **The explosion blasted the five soldiers backwards and sent them crashing down to the ground in a charred heap.

**BOOOOM! SLISH! THUD! THUD!**

When the smoke finally cleared and the last of the soldiers hit the ground, Zoro and Mr. 5 were left standing over the unmoving men.

"What a shame," Zoro taunted, "Already over?" **SHUNK!** Zoro tossed down the three swords and they imbedded in the ground beside him.

"After fighting you Straw Hats, that was just disappointing," Mr. 5 remarked. "It was barely a workout." He calmly pulled down the sleeves of his coat.

The civilians all stared at the two men in shock, they'd taken down a squad of two dozen men like it was nothing. While one seemingly had Devil Fruit Powers, the other had just hacked away using the swords he'd taken.

"_Amazing," _Vivi though to herself, it was a relief that Mr. 5 was on their side now.

"GREAT JOB GUYS!" Usopp called out. "JUST LIKE I TOLD YOU TO! YEAH!"

"Great, now we can go over there and look for Dalton!" one of the civilians realized. The villagers grabbed shovels and began to frantically dig for Dalton's body. A few of them thanked Zoro and Mr. 5 as they ran passed, Zoro brushed it off, but the Baroque Works Officer Agent seemed surprised that he was being _thanked _for blowing something up.

Usopp ran up to them,. "What's got everyone so worked up?" Zoro asked.

"I'll explain it all to you later," Usopp replied, "for now let's just give 'em a hand." Usopp ran off and joined the villagers in excavating the snow in search of Dalton.

**-x-**

Ricky woke up and found himself in a strange room in Drum Castle. He sat up and took in his surroundings, he was on a bunk-like bed, so he assumed the room had been some kind of barracks in the past. Luffy and Sanji were sleeping in another pair of beds and were covered in bandages.

Ricky got out of bed and noticed that his arms, feet, and his stomach were all wrapped in bandages. Ricky spotted his boots near Luffy's bunk and quickly slipped them on, he took his sunglasses off of a table and put them in his pocket then pulled the door opened and stared out at a snow filled castle. There were numerous floors with snow-covered landings, as well as a large column in the middle with a spiral staircase going up it.

Ricky walked down a snow-filled hallway and spotted another hallway. It was cleared of snow and looked like it led to a medical ward of some kind. He walked down the snow-less hallway and eventually his sharp ears picked up voices through one of the doors.

"**Doctorine, the anti-bodies seem to be responding," **a high-pitched voice reported.

"**Yes, as I guessed they would," **the familiar voice of the witch-doctor's replied.

**Knock! Knock! **Ricky rapped on the door and slowly pushed it opened. **KRASH! **Something broke inside and Ricky was greeted by the sight of the doctor yelling at… a raccoon? "DAMN IT CHOPPER, BE CAREFUL!"

"Chopper?" Ricky repeated, recognizing the name. He turned and stared at the raccoon, it was about the size of a child and was wearing a familiar pink top hat with a white x on the front, only now, the hat appeared to be much bigger on the brown-furred creature and a pair of antlers and deer-like ears poking out from the sides. "You're that monster from earlier. Hi."

"YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO GREET A MONSTER!" Chopper shouted.

"You _talk_?" Ricky said in surprise. "Cool." **KRASH! THA-THUD! **Chopper fell over in surprise and knocked over a chair and stack of books.

Ricky shrugged and turned to the old woman that he assumed was Dr. Kureha. "I saw two of my friends in the room I woke up in but I knew they'd be fine. Where are the other two?"

"I was just going over that with my assistant," Dr. Kureha informed him. "You got them to me just in time and my treatment is working. Chopper, did you figure out what made them sick?"

"A k-keschia," Chopper stammered, still attempting to hide from Ricky.

"That's correct," Dr. Kureha commented. "It's a poisonous tick that was supposed to have died out a hundred years ago. You're lucky that I still have my cure."

"We came from an island called Little Garden," Ricky explained, "It was a prehistoric jungle. Both of them must've gotten bitten at one point while we were there."

"Well rest assured, they'll be fine now," Dr. Kureha told him. "Your friend in the vest had a severe case of frostbite and appeared to be suffering from a case of exhaustion. I gave him the treatment and bandaged him up. He just needs some rest. Your other friend had six broken ribs and a cracked spine. I reset them and bandaged them. And finally you... you had a case of frostbite on your arms and your feet, as you probably noticed, I took care of it. Three of your ribs were healing incorrectly from an injury caused by a blunt force of some kind, I reset those for you. And you also seem to be suffering from exhaustion and a few days without sleep. If you get some rest and don't do anything strenuous, you'll be fine. Well... are you happy?"

"Ecstatic," Ricky stated calmly.

"Now... about your bill," Dr. Kureha said, "I assume you're some kind of pirate, so I'll take all the treasure on your ship as payment."

"I have a counter-offer for you," Ricky proposed. "On my way in here I noticed that the castle was filled with snow and that a lot of the doors are frozen shut. With more space, you'd be much more efficient and could make more money in the long run. I'll use some of my skills to get those doors opened, and for every door that I do, you take ten percent off of your bill. One door, it goes down to only ninety percent of my treasure. Two doors, eighty percent. Ten doors, no charge."

"Ten new rooms in exchange for free services on five people," Dr. Kureha reasoned to herself, she eventually nodded in agreement, "Alright, as long as you don't take anything that's inside the rooms. If it was in this castle before you got here, it's my property."

"Agreed," Ricky agreed as he held out his hand, Dr. Kureha nodded and shook it. "'One Eye' Ricky Treasure Hunter Extraordinaire, at your service."

"Chopper, take him to see the other two," Dr. Kureha instructed, "Then make sure he gets to work." Chopper nervously came out from under the deck and stared at Ricky, then headed for the door. Ricky turned and followed him out of the room and into the snow-filled hallway.

"Not to be rude, but what are you exactly?" Ricky inquired as he followed Chopper down the hallway. "Before you looked like some kind of yeti, now you look like a raccoon."

"I'm not a yeti or a raccoon!" Chopper snapped. "I'm a reindeer!"

"You don't look like any reindeer I've ever seen," Ricky stated. Then before his eyes, Chopper transformed from the child-size raccoon-like creature to the blue-nosed four legged reindeer that had accompanied Dr. Kureha into Cocoaweed. "You're a..."

"I know, I'm a monster!" Chopper interrupted. "I'm not a reindeer and I'm not a human. I'm just a monster."

"That wasn't what I was going to say," Ricky corrected him. "You're a Zoan."

"A what?" Chopper asked.

"A Zoan is one of the three classifications of Devil Fruit," Ricky explained. "They typically allow a person to transform into an animal." Ricky took a good look at Chopper, who was still in his reindeer form. "You however, were originally an animal that ate a Zoan-type Devil Fruit... so it worked in reverse and you to become a human."

"That's right," Chopper replied, "I ate the Human Human Fruit. I can do anything a human can. I just don't look much like one."

"Interesting," Ricky remarked.

"Aren't you... scared of me?" Chopper asked.

"Hah-ha, boy are you barking up the wrong tree," Ricky chuckled. "I'm a pirate. I've seen a lot of weird stuff. But it doesn't scare me, it intrigues me. There's nothing I like better than discovering the strange things that exist in this world. I don't think you're scary, I think you're interesting."

"You think I'm... interesting?" Chopper repeated, clearly surprised by the fact that this pirate was interested in him. "_So this is a pirate. Amazing!"_

Ricky smiled, "If you wanna hear about a really weird Devil Fruit Power, I once knew this someone who ate a Zoan Devil Fruit that allowed him to transform into a phoenix."

"What does that do?" Chopper asked, he stopped in front of a doorway.

"He could turn into a big firebird," Ricky explained. "And not only could he fly but when he transformed he was covered in these blue and orange flames and whenever he got hurt, he could just heal himself with fire."

"WOOOOOWWW!" Chopper exclaimed with stars in his eyes.

"Why did we stop here?" questioned Ricky, "are they in that room?"

"Oh, yeah," Chopper answered, pirates were just as amazing as he'd heard. This one had seen the world and had done the impossible when he climbed up the side of the mountain. On top of all that, he _didn't _think Chopper was a monster.

Chopper transformed into his raccoon-like form and pushed the door opened and led Ricky into the room that Nami and Ms. Valentine were in. The two were sleeping in a pair of beds that were across the room from each other. Ricky crossed the room and walked over to Nami's bed, he lightly placed a hand on her forehead and was pleased that it wasn't as hot as it had been over the last few days.

"Her temperature's dropped down to one hundred degrees," Chopper informed him. "Doctorine's treatment is very effective. If she gets plenty of rest and takes her medicine, she should be completely recovered in three days."

"That's the best news I've heard in a long time," Ricky commented, he smiled down at the sleeping girl. "Hear that Nami? I got you up the mountain like I promised, and you're gonna be fine. You'll be completely cured in three days."

Ricky turned to Chopper and knelt down so they were at relatively the same height, then slowly reached out and put one of his hands on the child-sized reindeer's shoulder. Chopper was unsettled by the unexpected contact and attempted to jump away, but Ricky used surprising strength to hold him where he was.

"Thank you," Ricky said as he looked Chopper in the eyes, "Over the last few days I had to watch as her condition just got worse and worse. Nothing I did was helping. You and the doctor did what I couldn't, you saved her. I don't know what I would've done if she had died. I owe you a lot, thank you." With Ricky holding him in place, Chopper was left standing there with a sheepish smile and a huge blush that somehow showed through his fur.

"I-I don't need your thanks!" Chopper chirped happily while doing a dance, "You jerk!"

Ricky smiled and stood up, "I'll assume the other one is fine too then?"

"Yeah, they'll both be fine," Chopper assured him.

"I'm gonna get to work on the doors," Ricky decided. "Wanna help me pick which one to start on?"

"Um... okay," Chopper agreed, the two of them left the room but found Dr. Kureha standing out in the hallway.

"Oh, don't mind me," said the old woman. "I was just coming to see if you hadn't scared my reindeer and to make sure you got to work."

"I will," Ricky assured her, he turned to Chopper, "Come on Chopper, pick a room that you've always wanted to see inside of. I'll start on that one."

"Oh, I know one!" Chopper announced with child-like joy. "It's got this big double-door." Dr. Kureha watched with a smile as Chopper walked off with the pirate, something told her that her assistant's life was about to change forever.

**-x-**

Ricky and Chopper stood in front of a large set of double doors, they were covered in ice and snow and were frozen shut. Ricky reached into his top right pocket and pulled out an Explosion Ball.

"What's that?" asked Chopper as he stared at the small red ball.

"It's an explosive that I'm gonna use to melt some of the ice and snow," Ricky explained.

"_Definitely not a Rumble Ball," _Chopper thought to himself.

"Watch out," said Ricky as he stepped in front of Chopper... almost _protectively_, and threw the red ball at the ground in front of the door. **KA-BOOOM! **The Explosion Ball exploded and the flames melted the snow and ice that were on the bottom half of the door. When the flames from the explosion finally went out, the only ice left on the door was at the very top. Ricky grabbed the door and tried the handle, but it appeared to be locked.

Ricky grinned and reached into his top left pocket and pulled out black wallet-like case. He removed one of his lock picks and began working the lock with his tools. **CLICK! **The lock popped opened and Ricky turned the handle, with one strong pull he broke the ice at the top of the door and pushed it opened. **CHUNK! KREEEEK!**

Ricky and Chopper walked through the opened door into the room and discovered a MASSIVE kitchen. It was filled with surprisingly advanced appliances and looked like it had enough room to feed the entire island. Since the door was sealed and locked, there was no snow in the large kitchen, that left it remarkably clean.

"Whoever lived in this castle must've loved to eat," Ricky remarked. "I'm not sure if any of the leftover food is any good but the appliances could be useful."

"Doctorine likes her drinks to be cold," Chopper told him as he pointed to a refrigerator that was twenty feet high and had a ladder next to it, "we could keep them in that."

"I guess that works," Ricky commented, "let's find another door to open." Chopper smiled and led Ricky out of the kitchen and back out into the hallway.

**-x-**

"DOCTORINE! DOCTORINE!" Chopper shouted as he came racing into the office that Dr. Kureha was currently sitting in holding a large bundle of papers. "You won't believe what we found!"

"Oh?" Dr. Kureha asked. "Did that pirate find Wapol's vault?"

"Um, actually yes," Chopper admitted, "he said there was over five hundred million berries in there! But that's not all! We also found a dungeon, a bedroom for some guy named Chess, a huge kitchen, and the Twenty MD's Lab! For some reason they kept it separate from the medical ward! But Ricky found it and unlocked the door! It's still stocked with a lot of their medical supplies and some of their research was left behind too! Look!" Chopper pulled a blue backpack off of his back and showed Dr. Kureha the large bundle of papers he had stuffed inside on top of his medical supplies.

"Remember what I told you about using research from other people," Dr. Kureha lectured her assistant.

"Use it as a guide but come to your own conclusion," Chopper recited.

"Put those somewhere that they can be of use to you," Dr. Kureha advised, "then go check on the patients." Chopper nodded and ran out of the room to do his medical duties.

Dr. Kureha gripped the handle of a scalpel and stabbed it into a workbench. **SHUNK! **"That boy had better not hurt my reindeer," she growled to herself.

**-x-**

**Awakening**

**-x-**

**TMPTMPTMP!** Nami was woken by the sound of footsteps, she opened her eyes and found herself in a bed in a strange room. She glanced around the room and saw Ms. Valentine in the bed on the other side of the room. There was a fireplace at the foot of her bed, a large bookshelf, and a deck. Nami's eye widened when she realized that _something _was compounding medicine on the desk. **TMP! **The bizarre-looking creature jumped off of the chair and Nami decided to make her presence known.

"Hello?" Nami greeted it as she sat up.

**WHAM!** Chopper jumped backwards and slammed into the chair, the chair slammed into the desk and some books fell off of it and landed on the floor.** THUD! THUD!**

The loud noise woke Ms. Valentine, who sat up and glanced curiously around the room. She spotted the small brown-furred creature with antlers, hooves, a blue nose, and a pick top hat. Her blue eyes went wide and she squealed, "CUUUUUTEEE!"

"EEEEEK!" Chopper shrieked and ran around a corner and ducked behind a wall. He peeked around it at the two wide awake women. The only problem was, Chopper was peeking backwards, most of his body was visible instead of behind the wall. Nami and Ms. Valentine both sweat-dropped.

"Um... I think you've got it backwards," Nami called out to Chopper, "the hiding thing, I mean." Chopper's eyes went wide and he corrected himself. Now he was hiding behind the wall and peeked out the correct way.

"Well that _is_ better," Nami commented, "but it's a little too late at this point. And I can still see you."

Chopper glared at her and shouted, "SHUT UP LADY!" Nami and Ms. Valentine stared in wide-eyed surprise. "And... can you tell me how your fever's doing?"

"IT'S TALKING!" Ms. Valentine shrieked.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Chopper screamed, launched backwards and slammed into something on the other side of the attached room he was hiding in. **KRASH!** Something else fell over because of the crash, **THUD! **And something glass fell and shattered, **KRESH!**

"**KEEP IT DOWN CHOPPER!"** Dr. Kureha hollered.

"Heeheehee," Dr. Kureha cackled as she walked into the room carrying an opened bottle of rum. "Your fever seems to have gone down a little bit. That's good. You happy?"

Nami and Ms. Valentine stared at the strange old woman in surprise. Dr. Kureha touched a finger to Nami's forehead. "Who are you?" Nami asked.

"Yes, it's gone down several degrees," Dr. Kureha commented as though Nami hadn't spoken. "It should be alright. I'm the only doctor around here, Dr. Kureha, but you can call me Doctorine, okay?"

"Oh, then that means we're on..." Nami realized.

"Looking for how I stay so young?" Dr. Kureha interrupted.

"No, that's not it," Nami answered while Ms. Valentine sweat-dropped.

Dr. Kureha took a swig from her rum bottle, "Anyway, yes you're in the castle on the mountain," Dr. Kureha explained. She walked over to Ms. Valentine and checked her temperature with her finger.

"In that case, there were three others with us, right?" Nami asked.

"Yes, two of them are sleeping in the next room," Dr. Kureha informed her as took a long drink of rum. "The other one is somewhere around the castle working off your payment."

"Working off the payment?" Nami repeated.

"He's helping me get some of the frozen doors opened so I can use more of the castle," Dr. Kureha explained as she sat down on the side of Ms. Valentine's bed and pulled back the sheets revealed the agent that was clad in a set of (Nami's) yellow pajamas, the doctor pulled up Ms .Valentine's shirt to reveal a purple lump halfway up her side.

Ms. Valentine squeaked in surprise as folded her arms across her chest to keep her shirt from going up too high. Nami pushed back the blankets on her own bed, revealing the light blue pajamas that she was wearing, and peeked at the bug bite that Ricky had discovered on her stomach. Like Ms. Valentine's it had gone from pink to purple and had some purple marks around it.

"That's what made you sick," Dr. Kureha told them. "You were both bitten by a bug called a Keschia. It's a poisonous tick that thrives in jungles with high heat and humidity. When it bites you it introduces a type of bacteria into your body. These bacteria ravage the body over the course of five days. It causes a high fever, severe infection, myocarditis, and arthritis. Not pleasant. Given the infection's progression in the infected area I'd guess that you've been infected for about three days now. The pain you've been feeling must have been terrible. But still, it would've eased up in two more days without any treatment at all."

"It would've gone away in two days?" Nami asked.

"Mmhmm," Dr. Kureha replied. "You wouldn't be feeling any pain what-so-ever... because you'd be dead." Nami's eyes went wide in shock.

"Thank you One-Eye," Ms. Valentine whispered, that had been a close call.

"This particular infection is known as the Five Day Disease," Dr. Kureha continued. "I had thought that Keschia had died you a hundred years ago, but your friend informed me that you came from an island with prehistoric jungles on it. You're lucky that I kept the antibiotic just in case." Nami and Ms. Valentine shared a look, both of them remembered moments on Little Garden when they hadn't been wearing much clothing. Nami's shirt had been burned off while escaping from Mr. 3's melting wax sculpture and Ms. Valentine had taken her dress off so she could wash Ms. Goldenweek's paint off of it.

"You two stay in bed," Dr. Kureha instructed as she pushed Ms. Valentine down onto her back. "Your treatment for the disease is not completely finished yet."

"Thank you so much," said Nami, Ms. Valentine nodded in agreement. "I'll be fine as long as my fever goes down. My body will take care of itself after that."

"Well aren't you an optimistic one," Dr. Kureha remarked as she walked over to Nami. "This disease normally takes a course of treatment ten days long to cure. Even with medicines as advanced as mine are, your body will still need at least three days to fully recuperate. If you don't want to risk more suffering and possible death, get some rest."

Ms. Valentine remained lying down, but her eyes went wide in alarm. The Straw Hats didn't have that long. They needed to get to Alabasta. Nami voiced those concerns, "I can't stay here that long!" She exclaimed. "I'm in a hurry to get somewhere!"

**SHWUP! **Nami suddenly found herself on her back with Dr. Kureha holding a scalpel to her neck, "When a patient leaves this castle it's because she's cured or deceased. Heeheehee! You aren't going anywhere girl!" Nami stiffened and stared up at the witch in terror, Ms. Valentine gaped in shock; that definitely wasn't professional conduct.

**-x-**

Chopper put some blood-soaked bandages in the sink. He'd just finished changing Luffy and Sanji's bandages and the two pirates were still sleeping. Chopper walked over to Luffy and stared at him, he remembered what Ricky had said earlier.

**-Flashback-**

"So... who are those other two humans that you came here with?" Chopper asked as Ricky began picking the lock on a frozen door.

"Those two are Sanji and Luffy," Ricky answered. "Sanji, the blonde guy, wants to find a Legendary Ocean called the All Blue, he joined our crew as our cook. He's a real tough guy but is a shameless flirt and a bit of pervert when it comes to women. The other one's our Captain, 'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy. I've known him almost my whole life, he wants to become the King of the Pirates. The way to do that is to find the Pirate King's treasure, the One Piece. It's my greatest dream to find that treasure, so Luffy and I agreed that we'd find the One Piece together so we could both live our dreams."

"I have a dream too!" Chopper told him.

**Click! **The lock popped opened, but Ricky didn't open the door, his attention was entirely on Chopper. "And what's that?"

"I wanna become a doctor that can cure anything," Chopper explained. "I wanna be the miracle cure!"

Ricky smiled, "That's a big dream," he remarked, "but you know... if you want to cure _everything _you can't stay on this island forever. You'll eventually have to leave so you can see the rest of the world and find cures for some of the other diseases out there."

Chopper looked down, "How old are you?" Ricky asked.

"Fifteen," Chopper answered.

Ricky grinned, "I was fifteen when I left my home village with my big brother."

"Big brother?" Chopper repeated.

"Someone older than you that looks out for you," Ricky explained, "someone who's on your side no matter what, someone who encourages you to be better."

"Don't you have to be related to be brothers?" Chopper inquired.

"Heck no," Ricky told him. "I'm Luffy's big brother and we're not related. When I met him, he was all alone with no friends, just his grandpa. But I was there for him and looked after him. He ate a Devil Fruit and people looked at him like he was some kind of freak but I made sure that he was never alone. I'll sail to the end of the Earth to help my little brother achieve his dream." **CHUNK! KREEEK!** The ice snapped off of the door as Ricky pushed it opened.

"Who the heck is _'Chess'_?" Ricky wondered.

**-End Flashback-**

"_You're like me," _Chopper thought as he stared at Luffy. "_You ate a Devil __Fruit too, but you had a big brother so you weren't alone."_

"**I'm hungry..." **Luffy suddenly mumbled. "So hungry..." Luffy opened his eyes, and spotted a small furry creature standing by his bed. "Need meat..." Drool leaked out of the corner of Luffy's mouth and Chopper jumped back in alarm.

**THUD! **Chopper slammed into Sanji's bed and the cook suddenly started muttering, "Venison Stew should be simmered in a large pot for three hours until all the meat becomes tender..." Chopper shook in terror and backed away from the now smiling cook.

"Meeeaaaat..." Luffy grumbled as he sat up.

**Whap! **Sanji reached out and grabbed Chopper's arm, he leaned over and stared down at the strange reindeer. "Venison..."

"YAAAAAHHH!" Chopper screamed, he darted away from Sanji and looked from him to Luffy, who was now drooling buckets. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH SOMEBODY HELP MEEEEEEE!"

**-x-**

In the other room, Nami and Ms. Valentine suddenly sat up in surprise as Chopper ran in with Sanji holding onto one of his arms and Luffy gnawing on the other.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Chopper screamed as he ran through the room and out the door on the other side, dragging the two pirates passed along with him.

Luffy let go of Chopper and ran back over to Nami's bed, "Nami!" he greeted her.

Sanji pranced over, "Miss. Nami! Miss. Valentine! You're alright!" he exclaimed.

"I'm getting there," Nami admitted.

"One tasty venison dinner, coming up!" Sanji announced. He and Luffy spotted Chopper trying to sneak across the room.

Chopper froze and looked behind him at the two pirates that wanted to _eat him _and took off running again. **"COME BACK!" **Sanji and Luffy hollered as they ran after Chopper and began chasing him all around the castle.

"I'm impressed, those guys are already up and moving," Dr. Kureha remarked.

"Yeah they are," Nami agreed. "Can you tell me about this talking deer?"

"Figured you'd ask about him," Dr. Kureha remarked.

**-x-**

As she spoke, Chopper was sprinting down a hallway for dear life. **(A/N: I could've made a very bad pun ****there involving 'dear/deer' but I chose not to.)**

"DON'T RUN AWAY, MEAT!" Luffy shouted.

"DON'T EAT IT YET!" Sanji scolded Luffy, "LET ME COOK IT FIRST!"

Ricky suddenly walked out from a doorway on the other end of the hallway. "And that's eight," he said to himself.

"HEEEELLLLP!" Chopper screamed in terror.

**Whap! **Ricky reached down and caught Chopper as he was going passed him then he ran at the quickly approaching Luffy and Sanji.

"YEAH! RICKY'S GOT THE DEER MEAT!" Luffy cheered. **WHAM! **He was caught off guard when his larger brother slammed shoulder-first into his stomach. Ricky spun off of Luffy and kept running down the hall while the rubber pirate fell to the ground.

Sanji was momentarily shocked by the First Mate's attack on the Captain but he quickly spun around and chased him. "ONE EYE, DON'T BE STINGY!" Sanji berated him. "THAT'S FOR EVERYONE!"

Sanji caught up with Ricky and then dropped down and slid legs-first looking to clip the one-eyed pirate's legs. **SKISH!** Ricky jumped up over Sanji causing the cook to go sliding under him, Sanji tried to stop but a patch ice caused him to slam hard into a wall.** BOOM!**

**TMP! **Ricky landed safely and kept running down the corridor with Chopper tucked under his arm. Luffy and Sanji pulled themselves up and sprinted after him.

"RICKY! DON'T HOG ALL THE MEAT!" Luffy shouted after him.

**-x-**

"His name is Chopper," Dr. Kureha continued to tell Nami, "he's just a reindeer with a blue nose. That's all."

"But... normal reindeer don't talk," Ms. Valentine pointed out.

"If he's different than other reindeer in some way..." Dr. Kureha continued.

"_If_ he's different?" Nami repeated.

**-x-**

"RICKY! I'M THE CAPTAIN, GIMME THAT MEAT!" Luffy ordered.

"HAND OVER THE VENISON AND NO ONE GETS HURT!" Sanji threatened him.

Ricky found himself with nowhere left to run, his back was to an ice covered door and Luffy and Sanji were blocking his only means of exit.

A sly grin broke out on Ricky's face, "You want him?" he inquired. "You got him." He suddenly threw Chopper at the two surprised pirates. "Chopper, transform!" Ricky raced after Chopper as he flew at Luffy and Sanji.

Luffy and Sanji didn't even know what hit them, one second their food was flying towards them and the next it became a huge hulking monster and clubbed them on the head. **KER-WHAM!** The captain and the cook crashed down to the ground unconscious.

Hitting Luffy and Sanji had launched Chopper back up into the air, he transformed back into his previous form and Ricky caught him as he came down. **WHAP!**

**-x-**

"If he's different it's just because he ate the Human Human Fruit," Dr. Kureha continued to explain. "He's still a reindeer, but now he has the abilities of a human, like talking and walking upright. And also he's a doctor. I taught Chopper everything I know in the field of medicine."

**-x-**

"You... protected me..." Chopper realized when Ricky finally put him down.

"Of course I did," Ricky replied. "You're a transforming reindeer with medical skills and a big dream. Eating you would be a huge waste of your potential."

**-x-**

And the arc continues. Next chapter, the Straw Hats learn more about Chopper and the Castle of Snow.

'Till Next Time...

Peace!


	22. Chapter 22

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** Once again, I don't own One Piece, just this variation of the series.

**Castle of Snow:**

**-x-**

Wapol, Kuromarimo, and Chess were once again riding on Robson and were approaching the base of Drum Rock.

"King Wapol, that Straw Hat is up there somewhere," Chess reported as he stared up at the huge mountain ahead of them.

"Good, I'm beginning to get a little hungry," Wapol replied. "I'll eat the rubber man for a little snack." An evil grin appeared on Wapol's metal-plated face as he stared up the mountain his castle was on top of. "NOW LET'S GO!"

**-x-**

"Dalton, please don't die on us here!" Vivi cried out as she shoveled snow and joined the villagers in attempting to locate Dalton.

"We'll find him in time, I'm sure of it!" Usopp insisted as he dug through the snow with his bare glove-covered hands. "We have to! Dalton, please hang in there, okay?"

"So who's Dalton?" Zoro wondered as he Mr. 5 and Ms. Goldenweek stood by and watched everyone digging.

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE!" Usopp jumped up and shouted at them. "DO SOMETHING!" At that moment a Hiking Bear walked through the village, Usopp quickly bowed to it, "And bow..."

"LIKE I WAS SAYING!" Usopp continued once the bear was gone. "Don't just stand there! GET A SHOVEL! HELP US FIND DALTON!" Usopp leapt back into the hole he'd dug in the snow and continued digging.

"What was that thing?" Zoro wondered as he stared after the Hiking Bear.

"EVERYONE!" Someone suddenly shouted, "WE FOUND DALTON OVER HERE!" A group of villagers had uncovered a trio of frost covered arrows that were now sticking out of the snow like flags. Usopp, Vivi, and the rest of the villagers ran over to see if they could help.

"Who's Dalton?" Zoro questioned again as Usopp and Vivi ran passed him.

"If I had to guess, I'd assume he's someone important to these people," Mr. 5 offered as he stood there with his hands in his pockets. He'd already done his part for these people, and using his powers to dig someone up didn't seem like a good idea. Ms. Goldenweek was beside him casually making a snowman.

"This is horrible," one of the villagers stated as he pressed his hands into Dalton's frost-covered body. "I can't feel a heartbeat."

Usopp and Vivi could only stared down at the body of the patriotic man in shock.

**-x-**

"Old lady, join my crew!" Luffy requested. He, Sanji, and Dr. Kureha were sitting at a table in Nami and Ms. Valentine's room. The two patients were resting while Ricky was somewhere in the castle opening up the last of the doors to work off their payment. "Please, we really need to have a doctor on board!"

"Luffy... you did tell me that's your name, right?" Dr. Kureha inquired in a calm tone.

"Yeah," Luffy replied.

"And did you just call me 'old lady?" Dr. Kureha questioned.

"Yeah, that's what I said," Luffy admitted.

**THWAK! **"IF I WERE YOU, I'D BE MORE CAREFUL OF WHAT I SAY!" Dr. Kureha hollered as she kicked Luffy in the face. The rubber pirate went flying and slammed into the wall up above the door to the room. He was left embedded in the wall as Dr. Kureha as back down. "I'm still well within my youthful one hundred thirties, thank you."

"Geez, you're a tough old hag," Sanji remarked.

**THWHAM!** Sanji was sent face-first into a wall courtesy of the doctor.

"Are you boys really asking me to become a pirate?" Dr. Kureha asked. **THUD!** Luffy finally fell down from above the door and hit the floor. "Don't be ridiculous, that would be a waste of my precious time. Besides, I have no interest in life on the sea."

"Ugh," Luffy groaned as he got back up. A trickle of blood was coming out of his nose. "Those are all lame excuses. It's about adventure old woman!"

"Well this one's a slow learner," Dr. Kureha commented out loud. "Didn't I just tell you to watch what you say?"

"_So these guys are pirates too," _Chopper thought to himself as he peeked around a corner and watched Doctorine give two of their patients a beating.

But once again, Chopper got the hiding-thing backwards. Most of his body was exposed while only an eye and antler were actually hidden around the corner. Luffy and Sanji's jaws dropped when they spotted the meal that Ricky had stolen from them.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Seconds later, Chopper was running through the castle screaming at the top of his lungs. Luffy and Sanji were once again chasing after him.

"WAIT FOOD!" Luffy shouted. "COME BACK HERE! SLOW DOWN!"

"GET BACK HERE!" Sanji yelled. "Just wait my darling Miss. Nami and lovely Miss. Valentine, in just a few minutes I'll cook you a delicious reindeer dish you'll never forget."

"I DON'T THINK SO!" Dr. Kureha called out as she jumped out in front of Sanji and Luffy wielding a pair of swords that she'd gotten from a suit of armor. "I'LL EAT _YOU GUY__S _BEFORE YOU CAN EAT HIM!"

"SCARY HAG!" Luffy and Sanji shrieked, they took off running after Chopper with Dr. Kureha running after them.

"AAAAHH" Luffy screamed. "SHE'S COMING! SHE'S COMING! SHE'S COMING!"

**-x-**

Nami and Ms. Valentine were left alone in their room as the screams echoed through the opened door.

"I don't care about food, I just want some peace and quiet," Nami complained.

**SHWWWOOOOO!** A cold gust of wind blew into the room causing the two bed-ridden women to shiver. "Is that... snow?" Ms. Valentine wondered as she stared out of the room at the white snow that was out in the hall.

"It shouldn't be inside the castle, it's freezing," Nami stated. She slipped out from under the covers, "I'll close the door..."

She was beaten to it when Ricky ran in with Chopper tucked under his arm. He put the reindeer down and leaned back against the now closed door.** THUD!**

"Phew, I think we lost 'em," Ricky sighed.

"Stay in bed," Chopper instructed when he noticed Nami out from under the sheets. "You still have a fever."

Ricky walked over and stood in front of Nami. "I'm glad to see that you two are alright," he commented, "but after what I went through to get you up here, you'd better not get yourself _sicker._"

Instead of heeding his warning, Nami pushed herself up to her feet and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for getting me up here," she said with a smile.

"Do I get to kiss him too?" Ms. Valentine inquired. Nami scowled at the blonde agent. "What? I thought that was how you Straw Hats thanked each other. I'm a guest on your ship, I'd be rude if I didn't follow your customs."

Nami's scowl became a full glare while Ricky gave the blonde a pointed look, "I'm your enemy, remember?"

The blonde shook her head, "Not anymore," she informed him. "You saved my life. Not only did you get me to a doctor but you got me off Little Garden. If you hadn't, I'd be dead in two days."

"Don't worry about it," Ricky replied. "Since I became a Straw Hat Pirate, saving people has become a habit." Ricky turned to Nami, "Get back in bed."

Nami sent her blonde roommate one last glare before she slipped back under the covers and into the warmth of the bed.

"How's your fever doing?" Ricky inquired as he took a seat at the abandoned table.

"It's pretty much gone now," Nami replied.

"Doctorine's medicine works quickly to reduce the fever," Chopper supplied. He had stayed silent by the door so he could watch the humans interact. "But the bacteria from the keschia will still remain inside your body for a little while longer. So just take your antibiotics shot and stay in bed."

"You'd better listen to him Nami," Ricky advised, "he _is _a doctor." Nami noticed a sly grin on his face as he looked across the room at Chopper. Nami knew him well enough now to know that the grin meant he was up to something… something with Chopper.

"So then you're the one who's been taking care of us," Nami realized as she smiled at the talking reindeer. "Thank you."

"SHUT UP! I DON'T NEED THANKS FROM HUMANS!" Chopper shouted, but the fact that he was doing a silly dance betrayed the fact that he actually liked being thanked.

"Kyahahaha," Ms. Valetine giggled.

"DON'T MOCK ME!" Chopper snapped, while Ricky sent her a glare.

The blonde raised her hands in protest, "I wasn't mocking you," she assured the reindeer. "You're adorable!"

"EEP!" Chopper squeaked as he jumped and accidentally slammed into a bookcase, **WHAM! THUD! THUD! THUD!** Books rained down on the tiny reindeer, most of them missed, but a thick green tome connected with Chopper's head.

"Ow! I need a doctor!" Chopper yelped as he held the lump that was forming on his head.

"Chopper... you _are _a doctor," Ricky reminded him.

"Oh," Chopper looked sheepish while Nami and Ms. Valentine stifled at laugh at the clumsy but still incredibly cute reindeer.

**-x-**

**Krunch! Krunch! **"This castle's really strange," Sanji remarked as he and Luffy ran down a snow-covered hallway. They'd lost the crazy witch-doctor but they also lost the deer meat. "It's freezing and full of snow."

"Huh?" questioned Luffy, they kept running until Luffy suddenly clutched his arms around himself and shivered, "IT'S COLD IN HERE!"

"YOU JUST REALIZED IT?" Sanji snapped.

Sanji stopped running and brushed some snow off of a railing. "Look at this," Sanji said as he stared around the snow-filled castle in awe. Beside him, Luffy shivered due to the recently discovered cold.

They were currently in a large chamber. The ground floor was clear except for a huge column with a spiral staircase winding up it towards the roof. The other floors ran around the circular perimeter of the large chamber and were connected by staircases on opposite ends of the floor.

Sanji noticed a door that was still covered in snow and looked frozen shut, nearby was a door with a small puddle of ice at the bottom, it seemed like the snow had only recently been melted off. "All the doors to the unused rooms are frozen shut."

Sanji and Luffy seemingly lost themselves in staring around the castle. They were caught off guard when Dr. Kureha suddenly leapt out in front of them armed to the teeth with weapons she'd gotten off of various suits of armor that lined the hallways. She had a trio of huge battle axes strapped to her back, three swords on her waist, another sword in her hand, and she was swinging a mace around over her head with her other hand.

"WWAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" A split second later, Luffy and Sanji were running down the hallway screaming at the top of their lungs.

"COME BACK HERE JUST A MOMENT _BOYS_!" Dr. Kureha taunted them as she chased after the two terrified pirates while brandishing her wide array of weapons.

**SHING! CHUNK! WHOOSH! **Luffy and Sanji put on another burst of speed and dodged frantically as Dr. Kureha began _THROWING_ her weapons at them.

"YOU SHOULD RETHINK THIS IDEA OF ASKING THE OLD HAG TO JOIN OUR CREW!" Sanji exclaimed as swords and axes whizzed past them. "I REAL DOCTOR DOESN'T CHASER HER PATIENTS AROUND A FREAKY SNOW-FILLED CASTLE TRYING TO KILL THEM!" Swords, a mace, battle axes, knives, a confused chicken... Dr. Kureha never seemed to run out of things to throw at the two pirates as they ran screaming through the halls of the castle.

**-x-**

Back in the other room, Ricky and Chopper sat at the table while Nami and Ms. Valentine laid in bed. Ricky had just finished telling Chopper about their current mission to get a princess back to her kingdom in time to prevent a war.

"So you're pirates... but you're trying to stop a war?" questioned Chopper.

"That's right," Ricky replied.

Nami sat up in bed and was surprised by how at ease Chopper seemed to be around Ricky. She had been tempted to stop Ricky from telling Chopper about the situation in Alabasta but she knew the First Mate well enough to know that he wouldn't give away that kind of information unless it was for an important cause.

"Wow, pirates are amazing," Chopper remarked once again, only this time out loud. "Do... do you have a pirate flag? With a skull on it?"

"Our ship does," Nami supplied.

"I could draw it for you if you'd like," Ricky offered. "Got any paper and something to write with?" Chopper left his seat and practically ran to the desk. He came back with a sheet of paper and a pen and gave them to Ricky. **Ssssskish! Skish! Skish! **Ricky quickly drew the Straw Hat Pirates Jolly Roger and then slid it over to Chopper.

Ricky suddenly caught Nami's eye, he tilted his head towards Chopper. Nami glanced at the reindeer who was staring transfixed at their pirate flag, then looked back at Ricky, who raised his visible eyebrow. Nami stared at him, he was trying to tell her something. Ricky cast another glance at Chopper and then silently mouthed something to her, _"Can... we... keep him?" _Nami's eyes went wide as she caught on, Ricky's mouth quirked into a sly grin. He gave her an imploring look, as if he wanted _her _to ask him.

"It's got a Straw Hat..." Chopper observed, "Like your brother's..."

"That's right," Ricky replied.

Ms. Valentine silently watched Ricky send some kind of silent message to Nami and then saw Nami's eyes widen when she understood it. She wasn't sure what they were planning but she was certain she was about to find out.

"So... you're really interested in pirates?" Nami inquired.

**WHAM! **Again, Chopper jumped backwards and hit the bookshelf, "NO WAY!" the reindeer yelled.

Ricky gave him a skeptical look while Ms. Valentine giggled at Chopper gob-smacked expression, "Kyahahahaha..."

"SHUT UP!" Chopper snapped.

Nami pushed the covers off of her and turned to face the reindeer, "Alright, I get it, calm down," she tried to calm the reindeer. "But one more thing..." Nami flashed Chopper a cute smile, "Do you wanna come with us?"

"WWAAAHHHH?" Chopper gasped.

"You can come sail with us out on the ocean," Nami continued, "as Nakama." Ricky gave Nami a prideful smile, whether it was because she was attempting to charm the reindeer as planned or that she had used one of his favorite words had yet to be determined. "If you did, that would really help me out a lot. If we had a doctor on the ship I wouldn't have to stay here for three more days, right? I think you'd have a really good time if you came."

"THAT'S CRAZY! YOU REALIZE I'M A REINDEER, RIGHT?" Chopper shouted. "I DON'T BELONG ON A SHIP WITH A BUNCH OF HUMANS!" Ricky and Nami both frowned.

"Just look at me," Chopper said. "I'm a reindeer but I walk on two legs and I talk and everything."

"So what if you can talk?" Ricky retorted, "I can talk too, it's nothing to brag about." Chopper stared wide-eyed at Ricky. That was what _he _said when Chopper revealed to _him _that he could talk.

"S-still!" Chopper stammered, "Animals aren't supposed to be able to do that stuff. I don't belong with you humans!"

"I know..." Nami agreed, "but if you're trying to scare me off, it isn't working."

"But I've got a blue nose," Chopper pointed out.

"I think your nose is cute," Ms .Valentine remarked.

"SHUT UP JERK!" Chopper hollered... while he did a happy dance.

"Kyahahhahaha!" Now that she was used to seeing how Chopper reacted to certain comments, Ms. Valentine simply laughed at the funny reindeer.

"No... he's right," Ricky suddenly cut in, "He _doesn't _belong with us." Nami and Ms. Valentine both stared at him with shocked expressions. Recruiting Chopper had been _his _idea.

Ricky turned to Chopper, who had tears in his eyes. "I couldn't care less if you're an animal that can talk," he said. "The only requirement for joining our crew is that you have to be a dreamer. You have to have a big dream that you'll do anything to accomplish."

"But I _do _have a dream," Chopper reminded him. "I told you!"

"Yeah you did," Ricky admitted. "But you're letting the fact that you're a reindeer stop you from pursuing it. Our sniper Usopp is one of the biggest cowards you're likely to meet but at least he's brave enough to fight for his dream." Ricky gave Chopper a hard look, "I thought you were really special but now I find myself... disappointed."

Chopper took a deep breath, either to cry or to shout something, but before he could, Luffy and Sanji came skidding into the room. "THERE YOU ARE, MEAT!" Luffy bellowed, he and Sanji ran at Chopper, who screamed and ran out of the room with the two pirates on his tail.

Ricky stared after them and was caught off guard when Nami lunged off of her bed and pounced on him. **WHOMP! **Ricky was knocked out of his chair and ended up flat on his back with Nami once again strangling him. "HOW COULD YOU?" she demanded. Ms. Valentine was tempted to join her in strangling the red-haired pirate, but figured that the orange-haired girl had things well in hand.

"CHOPPER LOOKS UP TO YOU!" Nami shouted. "HOW COULD YOU HURT HIM LIKE THAT?"

"Because..." Ricky wheezed out, "now he'll either fold... or rise up... and prove me wrong." Nami stopped strangling him and stared down at him in surprise. "Believe me, the last thing I want to do is hurt him. But he needs to have strength of will and the courage to face adversity. Without that, he'll never survive the journey we're on."

Nami pushed herself up and sat back as she stared down at Ricky. On her bed, Ms. Valentine was staring at the one-eyed pirate in astonishment.

**THUD! **The door slammed shut, and Ricky and Nami suddenly noticed Dr. Kureha standing there. "Am I interrupting something?" she inquired. Ricky and Nami took note of their situation, him flat on his back, her straddling his crotch. Ricky scrambled out from under her while Nami sprang back into bed. Nami wanted to turn and stare out the frost-covered window to hide her blush, but she didn't when she noticed that _Ricky _was sporting a faint blush too. Nami grinned.

Dr. Kureha sat down in the other chair, "I'm disappointed in you two, I turn my back for a minute, and you try to seduce my reindeer without my permission?"

"I'm sorry," Nami apologized, then she flashed the doctor a cheeky grin. "Do I need your permission to seduce him?"

"Heeheehee," Dr. Kureha cackled, "That all depends. If you were trying to get him to join you miscreants on the floor like blondie over there looked tempted to, you need my permission."

Ricky and Nami both glanced at Ms. Valentine, who blushed. "It's not... I wasn't... I didn't..." the agent stammered, before she eventually grabbed her blanket and hid underneath it.

"However," Dr. Kureha continued, "If you want to take him away from here, go ahead. But I must warn you, it won't be as easy as you think. Chopper has a scar on his heart, a deep one that even my medicine can't cure. From the moment he was born, everyone, including his parents, turned their backs on him... all because he was born with a blue nose. He was forced to walk at the back of the herd, separated from the rest of the reindeer, even though he was just a helpless newborn. Then one day, he ate a Devil Fruit and he became even more of an outcast that he was before. The other reindeer forced him out of the herd. His blue nose already made him different but now he wasn't like the ordinary reindeer at all."

"Still he was lonely and wanted friends," said Dr. Kureha, "so he went down to a village, walking on two legs as humans do. But even walking on two legs, he didn't look anything like the humans. He scared them and they called him a monster and shot at him. He couldn't understand why they reacted with such fear and anger. He'd gone to the village seeking friends but they called him a monster and drove him away. He was no longer a reindeer and he wasn't a human either. He was something in between. He lived alone after that. Caught between two worlds that wouldn't accept him." Dr. Kureha glanced from Ricky to Nami. "Now that you've heard his story, do you really think you can heal the scar on his heart?"

Poor Chopper was ostracized and seen as a freak no matter what form he was in. His blue nose set him apart from the other reindeer and his yeti-like appearance made the humans see him as a monster. He was all alone in a world where no one accepted him. A muffled sniffling could be heard coming from under Ms. Valentine's blanket.

Nami glanced at Ricky, the determined glint in his eye told her that Chopper wasn't going to be lonely for much longer. "He's welcome on our crew, but only if he wants to join," Ricky announced. "And if he does, I can promise you that we'll be the best friends he'll ever have."

"You can hold him to that," Nami told Dr. Kureha while she smiled at Ricky. "When that guy makes a promise he always comes through. The last thing he promised was to get me up to your castle or to die trying. I think you can tell how that turned out."

Dr. Kureha smiled, from the condition the one-eyed pirate had arrived in, he'd nearly succeeded on _both _accounts.

"Uub! Uub! You guys are so sweet!" Ms. Valentine sobbed from under her blanket.

**-x-**

"Luffy, check out that door at the front entrance," Sanji pointed out as he and Luffy walked across the ground floor of Drum Castle. "It's wide open."

"Ugghh, no wonder it's so cold in here," Luffy realized as the two of them walked over to a wide opened door. Wind was blowing through it and it was probably the reason for all the snow that was inside.

"Anyway, let's close it," Sanji suggested. "With it opened like that there's not much difference between inside and outside of the castle."

"**HEY!" **Chopper suddenly shouted from behind the second floor railing. "STOP IT! DON'T TOUCH THAT DOOR! GET AWAY!"

Luffy and Sanji looked back at the their runaway meal, but shrugged off what the reindeer has shouted at them. "Never mind him, Luffy," Sanji resolved. "Let's close it or we're gonna freeze to death."

"That's a good point," Luffy agreed, the two of them walked to the opened doorway intent on closing the door.

"STOP!" Chopper hollered. "DIDN'T YOU GUYS HEAR WHAT I SAID? **GET BACK!**" With the last shout, Chopper transformed into his massive eight-foot tall human form. **PLOOOMP! ** As he grew in size, Chopper ripped the railing off of the ledge and threw it at Luffy and Sanji.

**KRASH! **Luffy jumped out of the way in dodge the incoming railing. "WHAT IS WITH THIS GUY?" he exclaimed. "What the hell is he so angry about?" Chopper growled at the Straw Hat Pirate from up on the second floor.

"Hey, come over here a second," Sanji called out to Luffy. He stood casually in front of the opened door while lighting a new cigarette. Luffy peeked around the door and walked over to where Sanji was standing. "Look up there."

Luffy looked up and finally saw what all the commotion was about. **Chirp! Chirp! Chirp! **Up on top of the door was a nest filled with five baby snow birds.

"It's a bunch of baby snow birds," Sanji explained. "If we close the door, they'd fall."

"So that's the reason they're leaving it opened," Luffy realized. With the crisis averted, Chopper transformed back into his child-sized form and walked off.

Luffy and Sanji continued to stare up at the snowbirds until a new gust of wind reminded them of the temperature. "UGGGHHH! IT'S FREEZING!" the two pirates groaned as they ran back into the castle.

"Hold up a sec," Luffy suddenly said, he stopped hunching over and looked like he had just remembered something. "That weird reindeer guy, wasn't he speaking earlier?"

"Now that you mention it, I remember him walking on two legs too," Sanji replied.

"HE'S A MONSTER!" Luffy and Sanji shouted together.

Chopper wiped his eyes with his small arm as he went through an opened door and walked down the hallway to the medical ward away from the two pirates.

"Let's get this straight," Luffy said, "He walks upright, and talks."

"But not human!" Sanji added.

"Has fur," Luffy recalled.

"He's little..." Sanji supplied.

"And becomes big," Luffy continued for him.

"Clearly a monster!" They both exclaimed together.

Chopper wiped the tears out of his eyes as he continued down the hallway. Here was another group that would never accept him. Yet another group of people that saw him as a monster. Chopper walked off, convinced that he was destined to be alone.

But if Chopper had stuck around, he would've heard the rest of the conversation. "WHAT A COOL GUY!" Luffy exclaimed. "I bet he's really interesting! Sanji, LET'S RECRUIT HIM!"

**-x-**

**Quack Doctor:**

**-x-**

"MONSTER! JOIN OUR CREW!" Luffy shouted as he and Sanji ran through Drum Castle, once again searching for Chopper. Only this time they wanted to recruit him instead of eating him.

Ricky walked out from a medical ward hallway, "What are you two doing?" he asked.

"I'm gonna ask the monster to join our crew!" Luffy exclaimed. "He can TRANSFORM!"

"Tell him you'll be his friend first," Ricky advised. "And would you _please _wait for him to agree to it rather than just badgering him into it?"

"NO PROMISES!" Luffy shouted as he ran around Ricky and continued his search.

Ricky turned his attention to Sanji, "Leave the recruiting attempts to Luffy," Ricky told him. "I managed to thaw out the door to the castle's kitchen. Do you think you could whip up something for everyone? Preferably no venison."

"Show me to the kitchen," Sanji said as he put his hands in his pockets. "I've got some work to do."

**-x-**

"Day three, subject's bacteria count down by seventy percent," Chopper noted as he used a microscope to analyze a slide of the keshia bacteria that he and Dr. Kureha had taken from Nami.

**KREK! **The door suddenly opened and Luffy barged in, startling Chopper. "YAAH!" the reindeer yelped. The crate he was standing in tipped backwards and he accidentally send a batch of vials flying up into the air. The reindeer jumped off of the crate and stood on one leg as he caught the vials in his hands, on his foot, and on his antlers. **WHUP! WHUP!**

"WHOOOA! AMAZING!" Luffy exclaimed as he watched Chopper attempt to balance everything. "You _are _cool, monster! But what happens if I do this..." Luffy crept in and then began tickling the helpless reindeer's exposed sides.

"TEEHEEHEE!" Chopper laughed and fought to keep his balance as Luffy continued his tickle torture. "What do you think you're doing? TEEHEEHEEHEE!"

"SHISHISHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed out loud as he watched the interesting monster keep all the glass vials from breaking.

"SHUT UP! GET OUT OF HERE!" Chopper yelled at Luffy.

"Come on, let's you and me be friends," Luffy offered with a big smile. "Please? I really, really, really do like you, you know."

"You... like me?" Chopper repeated in surprise.

"I think you'd make a great pirate," Luffy told him.

Chopper put the vials back on the work bench and was left holding a single large beaker filled with a purple liquid as he backed away from Luffy, "Did you slip and hit your head on the ice or something?" the reindeer asked. "I don't wanna be a pirate or your friend!"

"Come on, little guy, you've gotta say you'll be my friend!" Luffy urged him. "My crew will love you!" Chopper took off running, wanting to escape from the clearly delusional pirate. "HEEY, WAAIT!"

"WHY WOULD I WANNA BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?" Chopper demanded. "ARE YOU MAKING FUN OF ME?"

Chopper ran from Luffy, but tripped as he started down a flight of snow-covered steps. The beaker went flying as he went tumbling down them and ended up upside down with his pink top hat holding him up. **WHIP! ** Chopper worked his legs and managed to catch the beaker as it came down and kept it from breaking.

"SHISHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed from the top of the steps. "I THINK YOU'RE THE FUNNIEST GUY I KNOW! Oh yeah, we're gonna be great friends!"

**-x-**

"So are you going to recruit Chopper or not?" Nami asked as she sat up in bed. Ricky was still seated at the table and Ms. Valentine had finally emerged from under her blankets.

"I've got Luffy on it," Ricky replied. "If all else fails, he'll harass the little guy until he caves."

Just then Sanji walked in carrying a large plate in each hand. He handed one off to Ms. Valentine then offered the other to Nami. "I've prepared an extra-nutritious and fortifying meal just for you," Sanji announced as he stood in front of Nami. "Now we can get a healthy smile back on your beautiful faces."

"Thank you, Sanji," Nami replied.

"Of course, you're still as heart-breakingly gorgeous in spite of your painful ordeal," the cook added.

"Hey you!" Dr. Kureha called out as she stood in the doorway to the adjoining room. "I don't recall you asking permission to use _my _kitchen!"

"Madam, I made a dish for you as well," Sanji informed Dr. Kureha. "It's supposed to make you look years—" **THWAK! **Sanji was cut off when Dr. Kureha kicked him in the face and sent the cook and the dish flying into the wall. **KRASH!**

"I'm not a madam!" the one hundred thirty-nine year old doctor scolded the cook as his body hit the ground. "I'm a swinging single still in the prime of youth. Don't forget it."

"Not a day over a hundred thirty-nine," Nami chimed in.

"See, I knew you two would get along," Ricky pointed out. "You've both got the violent witch thing in common."

Dr. Kureha glared at the one-eyed pirate. "Aren't you supposed to be working on the doors?" she asked.

"I finished," Ricky stated. "All ten. Now your services are free of charge."

"Hmph, very well," Dr. Kureha grunted.

"**DOCTORINE!" **Chopper shouted as he came running into the room with Luffy chasing after him. "SAVE ME FROM THIS LUNATIC!"

"HOLD ON, COME BACK!" Luffy hollered as they ran across the room. **CHUNK! **Chopper jumped through a door into a supply closet while Luffy ended up slamming into it and fell to the ground. **WHAM!**

"Well it's a step up from trying to eat him," Ms. Valentine remarked as she ate the dish that Sanji had prepared for her.

"WAAAHHH!" Chopper screamed as he bolted out of the closet. Luffy got up and chased after him.

"Luffy, what are you doing?" questioned Nami as Luffy chased Chopper around Dr. Kureha.

"This guy's gonna join us and be our friend!" Luffy announced.

"Really?" Nami asked as a smile spread across her face. "Great!"

"I DIDN'T SAY I WAS GONNA DO THAT!" Chopper protested.

"Sure you did!" Luffy said.

"NO I DIDN'T!" Chopper insisted.

"Luffy... when you recruit someone... _they _decide if they want to join or not," Ricky lectured his brother, "You have to decide whether or not to let them."

"Hear that monster?" Luffy inquired. "I decided to let you join my crew! Now we can be friends!"

"In one ear and out the other," Ricky grumbled.

"WWWAAAAAAAHHH!" Chopper screamed and ran out of the room with Luffy still chasing him.

"Friend huh?" questioned Dr. Kureha as she watched the duo run off. "If he only knew what 'friend' means to someone who's been through what Chopper has. Poor guy."

Ricky, Nami, Sanji – who had gotten back up – and Ms. Valentine all stared at Dr. Kureha. "Well don't leave us hanging, are you gonna tell the story or not?" Ricky prompted.

"Don't rush me brat," Dr. Kureha scolded him. "When Chopper was out there on his own. There was only one human that he ever really opened up to. That man's name was Dr. Hiriluk, He was a crazy quack, but he named Chopper and treated him like a son..."

**-Chopper's Origin Flashback pt 1-**

Seven years ago on Drum Island, three of Wapol's soldiers ran through a town. "HEY! YOU!" one soldier called out. "STOP!" The three soldiers stopped and stared around them, but the person they were chasing was nowhere in sight. "He disappeared! That crazy quack! We've got to get him, those are King Wapol's orders! MOVE OUT!" The three soldiers ran off.

A man carrying a briefcase with a jolly roger on it hid around the corner from the soldiers. The skull and crossbones on the briefcase was normal with the exception of the cherry blossoms what it was decorated with. The man held a hand over his mouth and coughed, **Koff! Koff! **When he pulled his hand away, it was coated in blood. "Damn..." the man grumbled.

**-x-**

In a house nearby, a sick man was confined to his bed. A fire was roaring in the fireplace and his wife and daughter looked in with concern. "You can't go on like this," the man's wife told him, "we have to call a doctor,"

"We can't..." the man groaned, there was a purple tint to his face and he looked weak. Whatever he was sick with was serious. "There are no doctors left to call except for the Twenty MD's who belong to King Wapol."

"If we have to beg Wapol on our knees for help, then that's what we have to do," the man's wife reasoned, "I'll go get them."

"**You don't need Wapol's tyranny, **_**I'll **_**examine him!" **a man called out. **BOOM! **Smoke billowed into the room from the fireplace and when it cleared, Dr. Hiriluk was standing in front of it. He wore a pair snow boots, purple spotted pants that were too short on his legs, a long black coat, and a green button-up shirt under it. In his hand was a briefcase with a jolly roger decorated with cherry blossoms, and on his head was a black top hat. He had a beard and weird gray hair, it stuck out in two bunches at the sides of his head and went out passed his shoulders, and another about the same length that came out of the back of his head, finally there was a fourth clump of hair on the top of his head, but it was hidden by his black top hat.

"You came down the chimney!" the wife exclaimed.

"Of course!" Hiriluk cheerfully replied. "I'll do anything for a patient!"

"HIRILUK!" the sick man exclaimed, he quickly sat up and waved off the quack. "I"M FINE! It's just a cold! Besides, the last batch of patients you treated ended up getting a whole lot worse."

"Now, there's no need to be shy with your doctor," Hiriluk scolded the man. "I've developed a new all-purpose drug yesterday. You're a lucky man, now shut up." Hiriluk opened his briefcase and started pulling things out from it. His 'patient' flinched when the quack put a gun down on the bedside table.

Hiriluk saw the man's reaction to the gun and tried to console him, "Oh, that's not the kind of gun you think it is. It's a tranquilizer gun for patients with severe pain."

"I'm going to get the soldiers!" the wife called out as she ran for the door.

'PLEASE! JUST GO!" the sick man begged as Hiriluk pulled out a syringe filled with a green syrum, "If you want money, I'll be glad to pay!"

"I don't take money from sick people!" Hiriluk scoffed. "I just wanna help you!" Hiriluk leaned in to administer his shot.

"DON'T DO IT! PLEASE!" the man whined. "I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE, STOP!" **SLIK! **Despite the man's pleas and struggle, Hiriluk administered his shot.

"..." It was silent, then the man's face turned green and he started gagging. **KRASH! **Before Hiriluk could stop him, the sick man leapt out the window and started hopping away like a frog.

"Huh... I've gotta admit, I wasn't excepting that," Hiriluk admitted as he started after his patient. "I must've made a mistake with the ingredients somehow. I guess I shouldn't have used frog extract."

"SORRY THERE! MY MISTAKE!" Hiriluk called out after his runaway patient. The man had the heart of a doctor, he'd do anything for his patients and he tried really hard. He just failed when it came to actual medical knowledge. Most of Hiriluk's patients turned out similar to this last one, which was why most villagers ran away and hid their sick when they saw him coming.

"**HIRILUK, ARE YOU IN THERE?" **came the shout of a soldier. "HOLD IT!" **SKISH!** Hiriluk leapt out of the window and once again ran away from the soldiers. For Hiriluk the Quack this was a regular occurrence.

Hiriluk made it to the bridge outside the town, a familiar figure was sitting on the railing drinking a bottle of rum. It was Dr. Kureha, seven years ago she looked almost exactly the same as she did in th present. The only difference was that her long gray hair was in a pair of braids.

"Are you happy now, quack?" Dr. Kureha asked as Hiriluk walked over. "The doctor hunt has reached it's final stage. I hear you and I are the only ones left in the country. Wapol has his hunters desperately looking for us everywhere. And even if they weren't, you'd already be a pariah in this country, since you're the worst quack of them all."

Other than the Twenty MD's, Hiriluk and Dr. Kureha were the only 'doctors' left in Drum Kingdom. The two couldn't be more different. The one did everything he could for his patients and cared about the people, but he lacked medical knowledge. The other had all the medical skills but only used them when she saw fit.

"Hmph, I'm not gonna get caught in that fool doctor hunt," Hiriluk grunted. "And one day I'll end up saving this country with medical science."

"Yeah right," Dr. Kureha retorted. "I think you mean _destroy _this country."

"**THERE THEY ARE, ON THE BRIDGE!"** one of Wapol's soldiers called out in a distance. The two doctors took off running, Dr. Kureha leapt over the railing and ran one way, while Hiriluk ran the rest of the way across the bridge and ran in another direction. Once again, the last semblance of resistance against King Wapol's doctor hunt had escaped.

**-x-**

**SHWOOOO!** Hiriluk made his way through the deep snow and fought against the harsh winds as he trekked through the snowy wilderness of Drum Kingdom.

"Those tin soldiers aren't gonna capture me," Hiriluk grumbled to himself as he kept his top hat pinned to the top of his head so it wouldn't get blown away. "I'm gonna go on, helping the sick and the injured." Hiriluk stopped in his tracks when he spotted _something _lying unmoving at the base of a tree.

Hiriluk went closer to investigate and found Chopper in his 'human' form lying in a patch of snow that had been died red from his blood. Eight-year-old Chopper had gone into the villager earlier in search of friends, but had ended up getting shot. Now he was barely conscious and was practically freezing to death.

"Looks like you've been shot," Hiriluk observed as he stood next to Chopper. "We need to stop the bleeding right away or your dead." Chopper looked over his shoulder and glared at Hiriluk as he put down his briefcase and opened it. "Don't worry, I'll save you."

"_IT'S A YETI! SHOOT IT!" _the villager had shouted when Chopper wandered into town. They'd shot at him and driven him away because of the way he looked.

"Actually, you're pretty lucky," Hiriluk told Chopper. "I just created an ointment three days ago that even works on broken bones." Hiriluk stared down at his 'patient', "Just what are you anyway? You don't look like a human being. You must be that yeti everyone was talking about in the village." Hiriluk removed his tranquilizer gun from the briefcase, but only to get it out of the way, however, Chopper saw it as a threat and attacked.

"RRAAAAAHHHH!" Chopper roared and sent Hiriluk flying up into the air, then slammed him down into the snow, **WHA-WHAM! **"RAAAAAHHHHH!" Chopper walked off and left Hiriluk lying on his back in the snow.

"How dare you..." Hiriluk growled as he sat up and stared after Chopper. "Who do you think you're dealing with, creature?" Hiriluk staggered back up to his feet and called out after Chopper, "HEY! WAIT!" Chopper didn't trust humans, and with good reason, humans were the reason he was soaked with blood at the moment. But in a desperate attempt to gain Chopper's trust and to show that he wasn't going to shoot him, Hiriluk threw off his clothes and stood naked in the snow as he shouted after Chopper, "I'D NEVER SHOOT YOU!" Chopper stared at the naked human in surprise. "MY NAME IS HIRILUK! DR. HIRILUK! AND I WANNA HELP YOU!" Before he could make sense of the strange human, Chopper's blood loss caught up to him and he passed out right there in the snow. **FWUMP! **Hiriluk quickly ran over to tend to his patient.

**-x-**

Hours later, in a cave-like house that had been carved into the side of one of the Drum Rockies. Chopper woke up in his 'racoon' form and found himself covered in bandages and in a stranger's bed. His maroon shorts and Hiriluk's clothes were hanging on a line on one side of room. There was a large bookcase, and a work bench filled with vials and other scientific equipment. In a chair in the far corner of the room was Hiriluk himself, he was wrapped in a red blanket, he was sleeping and occasionally let out a sneeze. He'd probably caught a cold from his exposure to the freezing cold.

**Rumble! Grumble! **Chopper blushed as his stomach rumbled, but then he noticed a loaf of bread and a glass of milk on the bedside table. Chopper got out of bed and ate the bread, as he ate tears leaking out of his eyes and ran down his face.

Chopper cried, because for the first time in his life, someone had shown him kindness. His herd had rejected him since he was little and the humans thought he was a monster and shot at him. This strange old quack didn't care about his appearance and helped him because he needed help.

**-End Chopper's Origin Flashback pt 1-**

"That was the first time Chopper met Hiriluk," Dr. Kureha concluded back in Drum Castle.

"I don't suppose there's a way to get Chopper to trust you that _doesn't_ involve getting naked," Ricky inquired. "I'd prefer not to get frostbite on _every _part of my body."

"Heeheehee," Dr. Kureha cackled, "You don't exactly have much more to lose. When you got up here you already had frostbite everywhere else. It might be worth a try."

Nami and Ms. Valentine flushed at the prospect while Sanji glared at Ricky, "One-Eye, keep your clothes on," he ordered.

Ricky shrugged, "Luffy's handling it anyway," he reasoned before he turned his attention back to Dr. Kureha. "What else happened between Chopper and Hiriluk?"

"He taught Chopper everything he knew," Dr. Kureha explained. "And since he didn't have much medical knowledge that he could pass on, he taught Chopper something else... Hiriluk taught that little reindeer how to dream."

**-x-**

Chopper's story continues next chapter where you learn about the meaning behind skulls and cherry blossoms.

'Till Next Time...

Peace!


	23. Chapter 23

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** Once again, I don't own One Piece, just this variation of the series.

**Skulls and Cherry Blossoms:**

**-Chopper's Origin Flashback pt 2-**

"Wait, you can talk?" Dr. Hiriluk asked. Three days had passed, Chopper was still staying with the old quack and he had finally revealed that he could talk. "Then why have you kept silent?"

"I thought you'd hate me if I talked," Chopper answered. "When I talked to humans the other day... they shot at me. You see... people think I'm a freak for that."

"So what if you can talk?" Hiriluk retorted, "I can talk too, it's nothing to brag about." Chopper stared at the man in surprise. Suddenly, the beaker that Hiriluk had been tending too started bubbling up and smoke starting coming out the top.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Hiriluk screamed. "RUN CHOPPER!"

**KA-BOOOOM! **Hiriluk's concoction exploded and Chopper and Hiriluk were sent flying through the door and landed hard in the snow at the bottom of the mountain.

"Aww, I thought for sure that would work," Hiriluk complained, he turned to his companion, "hey Chopper, are you okay?"

Chopper sat up in time to get hit on the head by a flying piece of rock, **KONK! **Chopper fell backwards and ended up on his back in the snow again.

Hiriluk stared at the reindeer, "Eh? Well at least you're head was bandaged to begin with, right?" Hiriluk offered. "Hah hah hah!" **KONK! **Another piece of rock hit the quack on the head and knocked him on his back.

"Hey, did you call me 'Chopper'?" Chopper inquired.

"That's your new name," Hiriluk told him. "Tony Tony Chopper. You're a Tonakai Reindeer and those antlers of yours look strong enough to chop down a tree. Cool name, huh? Anyway, that's what I'm gonna call you. Hah hah hah!"

"Chopper..." Choppe repeated, he smiled and then laughed along with Hiriluk, "Teeheehee!"

**-x-**

"Listen up Chopper," Hiriluk instructed later that day as he and Chopper walked towards a town, "always pay close attention to your patient's symptoms and give them proper treatment. That's the way to save a person's life." Hiriluk and Chopper stood at the top of hill and looked down at the village. "Let's go! There are sick people who need my help!"

"GET YOU OF HERE YOU CRAZY QUACK!" someone shouted about an hour later, Hiriluk and Chopper ran screaming out of the 'patient's' house and frantically dodged the things being thrown at them.

"I thought lizard eyeballs would work!" Hiriluk protested as he and Chopper fled for their lives. The day went on in the same way.

"DON'T EVER COME BACK!"

"GET LOST!"

Hiriluk and Chopper got a lot of exercise while running away that day. "IT'S WAPOL'S GUARDS!" Hiriluk shouted as he looked behind him and noticed that there were now uniformed men after him. "Chopper, it's time to use the decoy plan!"

"The _what_ plan?" Chopper inquired as he ran along beside Hiriluk in his reindeer form.

"GOOD LUCK PAL!" **THWAK! **Hiriluk ran in front of Chopper, then kicked him, the reindeer went flying backwards into the group of soldiers while Hiriluk ran away.

**-x-**

"YOU ALMOST GOT ME KILLED, YOU MANIAC!" Chopper shouted when he had finally made it back to the cave. He and Hiriluk were in the middle of a comedic dust-ball brawl.

"SO WHAT!" Hiriluk snapped. "YOU ALREADY CHEATED DEATH ONCE, YOU CLUMSY BLUE-NOSED CARIBOU!"

"THAT'S REINDEER! AND DON'T CALL ME BLUE-NOSED!"

The dust-ball brawl continued with Chopper or Hiriluk stopping to take a momentary break, before jumping back into the fray with their opponent who for some reason hadn't stopped fighting. Eventually, Hiriluk was left slumped in a chair while Chopper laid on the ground.

"Doctor..." Chopper called out as he and Hiriluk fought to catch their breath. "That's the first time I've ever fought... with anyone."

"Hah hah hah!" Hiriluk laughed, "I can believe that. You have to have an opponent to fight." He got up and walked over to his work bench. "I guess this is a first for you too..." Hiriluk picked up a pink top hat with a white 'x' on the front and tossed it to Chopper.

Chopper stared at the pink hat in surprise. "Huh?"

"That's for you," Hiriluk told him. "A gift. As a memento of our making up."

"Gift?" Chopper repeated, "Making up?" Chopper sat up and put the hat on his head like Hiriluk wore his. Chopper's antlers poked a hole in the sides of the hat and stuck out along with his ears.

"You know Chopper, it sometimes feels as though things may be pretty rough," Hiriluk commented while he tinkered with some vials on his work bench. Chopper walked over so he could listen better.

"But try not to hold a grudge against us humans, okay?" Hiriluk requested, "This country is sick right now. The people and the king both suffer from a terrible sickness of the heart. Conventional wisdom says there is no way to cure a sick country, but that's wrong." Hiriluk turned around and smiled at Chopper, "Once my invention has been perfected this country will be as good as saved!"

Chopper stared at the bubbling beaker that Hiriluk was holding as he continued, "You see, there used to be a Master Thief who lived in a country in the far west. He had a serious heart condition. He went to the greatest doctors he could find to receive treatment but no one was able to cure him. They told him he was going to die. Frustrated and depressed, he passed by a certain mountain, there he saw something he had never seen before... BLOSSOMS! HE SAW CHERRY BLOSSOMS ALL OVER THE MOUNTAIN-SIDE!"

Hiriluk was now sporting a huge smile, "And then he went to see another doctor and got the shock of his life! He was told "you're perfectly healthy!" He was cured! It was a miracle! But it also makes sense medically speaking! A powerful emotion had triggered a change in the man's body, his emotional state affected his physical state. He'd been told his disease was incurable, yet he'd been cured!"

"And if that's true," Hiriluk continued, "then there's no disease in this world that can't be cured! Let them laugh at me! My medical skills will save his country yet!"

Hiriluk turned and motioned to a large black pirate flag that hung on his wall, it was the same design on his briefcase, a smiling skull and crossbones with FOUR cherry blossoms fluttering around it. "And that's why I raise the skull and crossbones, as a challenge to all the diseases of the world! This symbolizes my belief: THAT NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE! I _will _save this country with my doctor skills! By raising this flag, I vow to fight just like the pirates do!"

"Doctor... what are pirates?" Chopper asked Hiriluk.

"Pirates?" Hiriluk repeated, "They're dashing swashbucklers of the sea! With great strength, and the eye sight of eagles! Their voices echo like rolling thunder!"

Hiriluk took Chopper out to cliff and they stared off at the sea together. "It's great to be a pirate," Hiriluk told Chopper, who was holding onto the back of the man's head for better view of the sea. "The most amazing people sail the seas! Chopper, some day you've got to go to sea, if you do, you'll realize just how small your problems really are. The island you were born on is like this compare to the whole world," Hiriluk held out his hand with two fingers less than an inch apart.

"Really?" asked Chopper as he stared over Hiriluk's head at his fingers.

"No, it's smaller," Hiriluk corrected himself, he closed the distance between his fingers so there was none. "Like this, really, it's just a speck! Hah hah hah hah! Chopper, your destiny lies beyond that shining sea."

**-End Chopper's Flashback pt 2-**

"The good times passed in the twinkling of an eye," Dr. Kureha continued as Ricky, Nami, Sanji, and Ms. Valentine continued to listen to the witch's version of Chopper's story. "And then... it finally came time to say farewell. As it always does in the end..."

**-Chopper's Flashback pt 3-**

"It's taken a year, but your treatment is finally complete," Hiriluk told nine-year-old Chopper six years ago. "Your injuries are healed Chopper."

"Yeah, thank you doctor!" Chopper replied with a smile.

"Well then, take care," Hiriluk said dismissively. Chopper was taken by surprise when his father figure pushed him out of his cave house. "On your way! Have a nice life! I'm busy with my research!" **THUD!** The door slammed shut and Chopper was left standing on the ledge staring at the closed door in shock. "HIT THE BRICKS! I'M NO LONGER UNDER ANY OBLIGATION TO CARE FOR YOU!"

"DOCTOR! I SWEAR! I WON'T CAUSE YOU ANY TROUBLE IF YOU JUST LET ME STAY WITH YOU!" Chopper cried as he started pounding on the closed door, **THUNK! THUNK! **"I'll rub your shoulders every day! I'll make you tea and clean the house! Please let me stay!"

On the other side of the door, tears welled up in Hiriluk's eyes as he remembered the passed year with the reindeer that was still pounding on the other side of the door.

**THUNK! THUNK! **"I don't have any friends! I don't have anywhere to go! Doctor, PLEASE! CAN YOU HEAR ME? DOCTOR!" **THUNK! THUNK! THOOOOOM! **The pounding on the door stopped and was replaced by an even louder sound.

"Chopper..." Hiriluk pulled the door opened and saw Chopper down on the ground, the reindeer had jumped off of the landing and had slammed head-first into the ground hundreds of feet below.

"I hurt my head!" Chopper called up to Hiriluk as he stood up and held the bloody wound. "I... fell. I'm injured!"

**BANG!** A gun fired and a bullet whizzed passed Chopper's face. A thin gash opened on Chopper's cheek and blood dripped out of it. "Why... doctor?" Chopper meekly asked.

**BANG! BANG! BANG!** Hirluk fired his shotgun over and over again at the reindeer, missing every time. "GO!" Hiriluk hollered. "GO TO SEA IF YOU LIKE! GO ANYWHERE YOU LIKE! JUST DON'T COME BACK!"

"WAAAAAAAHHHH!" Chopper ran off crying.

With Chopper gone, Hiriluk dropped his shotgun and openly cried, "BWAAA HAAA HAAA! FORGIVE ME CHOPPER!"

**-x-**

**Snow Tale**

**-x-**

"I'm dying," Hiriluk stated as he stared at his blood-covered hand.

"Heeheehee," Dr. Kureha cackled, Hiriluk had come to her seeing medical attention. They were currently in Dr. Kureha's home, which was inside a hollowed out tree. "Yes, you are."

"Tell me the truth," Hiriluk requested, "how many days do I have left?"

"Excuse me, this isn't charity ward," Dr. Kureha told him. "You don't have the money to pay my fee."

**Clik! **Hiriluk held out his gun and pointed it at Dr. Kureha's back. "TELL ME!" he ordered.

**THWAK! **A few seconds later, Hiriluk had a lump on his head and Dr. Kureha was holding the gun. "You can't kill a person with a tranquilizer gun, ya know," Dr. Kureha lectured him as she tossed the gun at him. "All right, I'll tell you... ten days from now, you'll die. Now you know." Dr. Kureha was seemingly oblivious as Chopper lowered himself down so he could see and listen through the window behind her.

"Ten, that'll be enough," Hiriluk resolved. "In two days my research will be done. Now completed after failing for thirty years, I _will _make cherry blossoms bloom in this country."

"You mean you've wasted thirty years researching freaking cherry blossoms?" questioned Dr. Kureha. "That's what your big project has been? The same cherry blossoms you think saved your life back when you were a master thief?"

"That's right," Hiriluk replied.

"..." Chopper stared through the window in surprise._ Hiriluk_ had been the thief in the story he'd told Chopper about the miracle cherry blossoms.

"Damn, you idiot," Dr. Kureha scolded him. "This is a winter island where it's cold year round. No cherry blossom will ever bloom here."

"NO!" Hiriluk objected. "I was nothing but a worthless criminal on the very brink of death, but those flowers saved my life and transformed my existence! Every human being in the world can be saved! And I'm going to prove it right here in Drum, the land where I was born!"

"You do realize what you're saying has no basis on medical science," Dr. Kureha pointed out, "or any other field of science. And if you _do _get them to bloom, there's no medicinal use!"

**KREK! **The door was pulled opened and Dr. Kureha stared in surprise as Hiriluk walked out into the cold snow outside. "Hmph," Dr. Kureha grunted.

"_Chopper," _Hiriluk thought to himself as he fought through the freezing winds, _"you and I are alike. So before I die, I'll at least teach you that nothing is impossible in this world, and that you can do anything if you try. I'll show you the miraculous cherry blossoms!"_

**-End Chopper's Flashback pt 3-**

"HEY! LET ME OUT OF HERE!" Luffy shouted as he held the bars of a dungeon cell that Chopper had managed to trap him in. "WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?"

"Now you can't pester me!" Chopper told him as he leaned back against the wall on the other side of the hall and held the key to the cell door.

"I just want you to join us," Luffy replied.

"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I MEAN BY 'PESTERING'!" Chopper snapped.

"Come on! It's fun to be a pirate!" Luffy called out.

"SHUT UP!" Chopper shouted, "Now you stay right there! You were injured too ya know! So just settle down!" Chopper turned to walk away but he suddenly realized that he was missing something.

Chopper stiffened as he stared at his empty hoof, **KREEEEK! **Luffy's cell door swung opened and the rubber pirate emerged. "SHISHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed as he held up the key he'd taken from Chopper with the help of his rubber powers.

"GET AWAY FROM MEEEE!" Chopper shrieked as Luffy chased him down yet another hallway in Drum Castle.

"COME BACK!" Luffy hollered.

"_What's with this guy?" _Chopper wondered. _"And how did he steal the key?"_

**SKIIIIISH! **Chopper's blue nose twitched and he suddenly skidded to a stop, Luffy went running passed him, and slammed into a wall, **KRASH!**

Chopper looked up and his nose twitched again, "That scent... Wapol!"

MAAAA HAAHAAAHAAAHAAA!" Wapol laughed as Robson climbed up the side of Drum Rock. Chopper sensitive blue nose could smell him even when he was only half way up the mountain.

**-x-**

Dr. Kureha sat in her chair and continued to tell the other Straw Hats and Ms. Valentine's story.

"When he found out that Hiriluk only had ten days left to live..." Dr. Kureha continued, "Chopper got very upset, as you might imagine. It was only natural. But then he decided to take action, the only way he knew how."

**-Chopper's Flashback pt 4-**

**TMP! TMP! TMP! **Chopper ran through the snow back to Hiriluk's cave hideout.

"_I'm... dying..." _Hiriluk's voice echoed in his head. _"I promise you! I will make cherry __blossoms bloom!"_ **THUD! **Chopper was caught up in his thoughts and ran right into a tree._ "This symbolizes my belief: THAT NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE! I'll fight just like the pirates do!"_ Choppers mind wandered and he remembered hearing something in a town while he was on rounds with Hiriluk.

**-Flashback within the Flashback-**

"Tell me, why have so many guards been missing lately?" Dalton, the Captain of Drum Island's Security asked a band of Wapol's men.

"Well, that Twenty MD's have them out picking mushrooms," one of the guards explained, Chopper peeked over the railing he'd been walking behind to listen.

"Mushrooms?" Dalton repeated.

"Yes sir," the lead guard answered, "The doctors think there's some kind of mushroom that can cure anything. So they've got the other guards out looking for it."

"_Mushroom?" _Chopper thought to himself. **YOINK!** Hiriluk grabbed him and pulled him down behind the railing.

"You idiot,"Hiriluk scolded him. "They'll spot us!"

"Doctor... did you hear what the said?" Chopper asked.

**-End Flashback within the Flashback-**

In Hiriluk's cave-house, Chopper was rapidly going through the quack's shelf of books. Now he had a plan. He was going to find the mushroom that could cure anything and give it to Hiriluk so he wouldn't die. The room was left a mess, but Chopper eventually found what he was looking for in a purple book and snapped it closed. He slipped the book into a blue backpack and set off in search of the mushroom.

"_I'D NEVER SHOOT YOU!" Hiriluk shouted as he stood naked out in the snow in a desperate attempt to get Chopper to trust him._

_**BANG! BANG! BANG!**__ Hirluk fired his shotgun over and over again at the reindeer, missing every time. "GO!" Hiriluk hollered. "GO TO SEA IF YOU LIKE! GO ANYWHERE YOU LIKE! JUST DON'T COME B__ACK!"_

Hiriluk had shot at him, but only because he was very desperate and knew he was going to die soon. He didn't want Chopper to stick around when he had less than two weeks left to live. He wanted to spare Chopper the heartbreak of dying on him.

Chopper was now determined, Hiriluk's worries were all going to be for nothing! He was going to find the mushroom and cure him!

**-x-**

Hiriluk finally returned to his home and found most of his books on a pile in the floor.

"_I did a terrible thing to y__ou," _Hiriluk thought to himself as he quickly got to work on his experiment to make cherry blossoms bloom on a winter island. _"But at least you'll see my cherry blossoms. They'll __be my last great work."_

Hiriluk added three vials of liquid to a simmering beaker of green liquid while he stared at his notes. **FZZZZZZ! **The beaker bubbled pink and smoke came out the top, then it exploded, **KA-BOOOOM!**

Hiriluk once again had to flee his house to avoid an explosion, but he quickly went back and continued, he had a deadline to make.

"Okay, ONE MORE TIME!" Hiriluk decided as he added another ingredient to his concoction. **KA-BOOOOOM! **Once again, it exploded. It's said that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is a sign of insanity, but Hiriluk was just insane enough to make this work so he just kept on trying.

**-x-**

Chopper continued on his adventure through Drum Island in search of the mushroom, he stopped to bow to a hiking bear, he leapt across a deep ravine in his reindeer form, he stopped to drink from a stream of running water. He must've walked halfway across the island when he came upon a familiar herd of reindeer.

This was his herd, the same herd that had scorned him because of his blue nose, and then kicked him out when he'd eaten the Human Human Fruit. Chopper transformed into his reindeer form and walked silently through the herd of reindeer. Now he had someone to care about, someone that cared about him. He didn't care about the herd of reindeer that saw him as a freak, he only cared about his precious person.

**-x-**

"HUFF! HUFF!" Hiriluk panted as he laid in the snow after another failed attempt. "Damn it! I'm running out of time! I've gotta hurry!""

**-x-**

Chopper kept walking and had almost made it out of the herd, he walked passed a familiar reindeer with a scar on its head. Chopper remembered this reindeer as the alpha, this was the reindeer that had kicked him out of the herd. Chopper lowered his head and ignored the alpha reindeer, back when he was just a reindeer with a blue nose, Chopper would've done anything to get the alpha reindeer's approval, but now he couldn't care less, he had someone else he cared about more.

**THWAM!** The alpha reindeer charged at Chopper and slammed into him antlers-first. The smaller blue-nosed reindeer was sent tumbling through the snow and landed hard on his side.

**VREEEEEN! **The alpha reindeer growled as he stood at the head of the herd and glared at Chopper, then charged at the blue-nosed reindeer when he started to get up. **KLOMP! KLOMP!**

Chopper saw a skull and cherry blossoms and surged back up to his feet, he met the alpha reindeer's attack head on,** THWAM!**

**KRUSH!** Chopper fell into the snow while the alpha reindeer reeled back with a gash on his scarred forehead. Blood was running down the reindeer's face as he charged at Chopper and rammed into him, sending the blue-nosed reindeer flying, **WHAM!** **KUSH!** Chopper ended up down in the snow again.

**-x-**

"Nothing is impossible for the man who raises the pirate flag!" Dr. Hiriluk exclaimed as he continued his work. "I'LL KEEP ON FIGHTING! JUST LIKE THE PIRATES!"

**-x-**

Chopper staggered back up, he was coated in blood from the fight, but he wasn't going to give up, even if his opponent was stronger and full grown, Chopper was going to keep on fighting, just like a pirate.

"RRAAAAAAAHHH!" Chopper roared as he raced to meet the alpha reindeer, he wouldn't give up, especially when Hiriluk was counting on him.

**-x-**

"I've found it!" Chopper exclaimed some time later as he stared through a telescope at a mushroom he recognized from the book. "The Amiudake Mushroom! That's it!" Chopper's brown fur was still stained with blood as he stared at the mushroom he was after.

"But... how do I get across?" Chopper looked down and saw that he was at the ends of a cliff, the mushroom was on top of another cliff that was across an extremely deep ravine. He couldn't jump across this one. Chopper's goal was so close, but at the same time, so far away.

**SNORT! **Chopper stiffened then turned around and faced the blood-covered alpha reindeer. The other reindeer from the herd was standing behind it. The damn thing just didn't give up.

**-x-**

A week later, Hiriluk was in his home, still unsuccessful in his experiment. **KOFF! KOFF!** The man coughed as he slumped against his work bench. "DAMN IT!" he cursed. "I'm close... I'm so very close!"

**Knock... Knock...** There was a timid knock on the door, Hiriluk turned in time to see it swing opened. **KREEEEK! **Hiriluk stared in surprise as Chopper limped into the room, one of his legs was limp and bent awkwardly, it might've been broken. "Doctor... I'm sorry," Chopper apologized. "I lost one of your precious books..."

"Good lord, what happened to you?" Hiriluk asked as he stared at his son. Chopper was covered in blood and had numerous injuries on his left side, his leg looked broken, his left antler _was _broken, his left eye was swollen shut, there were purple bruises all over the left side of his face. Chopper's pink hat looked ruffled but there was no mistaking the smile on the reindeer's face as he held out a mushroom.

"Mushroom," Chopper answered as he held up the Amiudake Mushroom that had taken a week to get. "Medicine..."

"Is that... for me?" Hiriluk asked. "An Amiudake Mushroom?" Hiriluk stood up and walked over to Chopper.

"Please live, please doctor," Chopper pleaded. "I wanna help people like you. Please teach me to be a doctor." Hiriluk fought back tears as he knelt in front of Chopper.

"I'll fight and I won't give up!" the reindeer vowed, "just like pirates."

"Chopper... I..." Hiriluk stammered.

"Do you think a reindeer can?" questioned Chopper.

Hiriluk reached out and hugged his son to him. "Of course!" He told him. "You'll be a wonderful doctor. You've got the most important qualification... a kind heart."

**-x-**

"CHESS! KUROMARIMO!" Wapol called out as he sat on his throne in his castle. "Is hunting the doctors proceeding according to my plan?"

"Um... yes, nearly all the doctors have been exiled sir," Chess reported as he and Kuromarimo bowed before King Wapol. Dalton stood leaning against a wall behind them.

"Nearly all?" Wapol repeated.

"There are two that elude us sir," Kuromarimo supplied. "That old crone Dr. Kureha, and that crazy quack Hiriluk."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Wapol roared, but then his anger faded. "I just had a great idea!" Chess and Kuromarimo looked up and awaited Wapol's orders, "Send a notice to the people... tell them that the Twenty MD's... have all fallen gravely ill."

Dalton glared at Wapol, "I don't like it," he voiced his opinion. "Why stoop so low just to catch a quack?"

"NO ONE ASKED FOR YOUR OPINION DALTON!" Wapol snapped. "THIS IS A MATTER OF GOVERNANCE! Hiriluk's no doctor, he's a criminal! HE MUST BE EXECUTED! NOW CARRY OUT THE COMMAND OF YOUR KING!"

**-x-**

"The mushroom soup, is it good?" Chopper asked, Hiriluk had tended to his injuries and now Chopper was covered in bandages.

"BLAH!" Hiriluk spat. "THIS REEKS! No living creature could eat this soup!"

"Sorry," Chopper apologized as he stared down at his feet, after all he'd gone through to get that mushroom, it was horrible.

"Don't worry about it," Hiriluk reassured him. "Good medicine never tastes good, ya know! That just means it's working!" Hiriluk smiled, "Thanks for the soup, Chopper! Hah! Hah! Hah!"

Chopper smiled, happy that he had helped his precious person, but something suddenly caught his attention. "Doctor look!" Chopper exclaimed as he stared at Hiriluk's round beaker, it was filled with pink, and DIDN'T explode! "I've never seen it do that before!"

"I've done it!" Hiriluk gasped as he stared at the pink-filled beaker, he got up and walked over to it, "I've finally done it! This is it! This reaction... I've been waiting thirty years for this!"

Hiriluk spun around and faced Chopper, "I'VE DONE IT CHOPPER!" he announced. "MY RESEARCH IS A SUCCESS! I WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG! SEE THAT!"

Hiriluk ran out the door and stood on the ledge overlooking the snowy wilderness, "YEAAAHHH!" he cheered. "I CAN DO IT! I CAN MAKE CHERRY BLOSSOMS BLOOM ON THIS WINTER ISLAND!" Chopper smiled, happy that the doctor's research had finally paid off.

**-x-**

Ten minutes later, Chopper was in bed and Hiriluk was standing at the opened door with his briefcase in his hand. "I'm going out," he told Chopper, "but you stay put and rest. See ya later!" **THUD! **The door closed behind him.

Chopper grinned to himself, _"Doctor was happy! Wow! I cured a human's disease!" _"Teeheehee!" Chopper laughed, happy that his first medical pursuit and worked.

**KREEEK! **The door opened again and Hiriluk stood there beaming at Chopper, "Chopper, you're going to become a great doctor!" he assured him. "I'll make sure of it!" **THUD!** The door closed again and Hiriluk left, for good this time.

**-x-**

"You realize this entire country is a madhouse right now," Hiriluk told Dr. Kureha as he stood inside her tree-house.

"Yeah, I've noticed," Dr. Kureha replied as she sat on her bed which was designed to sit up like a doctor's bed. "Have you heard about the Twenty MD's falling ill? What a crock! Just ignore it and it'll die down. What brings you here today?"

"I have a favor to ask," Hiriluk stated.

"I refuse," Dr. Kureha answered almost before he finished asking.

"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT IT IS YET!" Hiriluk snapped.

"So what is this dust supposed to be?" Dr. Kureha asked as she stared at a fine pink powder that she'd poured out of a small sack Hiriluk had given her.

"That dust is thirty years of my life," Hiriluk explained. "It's the discovery I've been searching for. It'll cure this country's sickness!"

"You just wasted thirty years of your life, nicely done," Dr. Kureha congratulated him. "Anyway... why are you showing it to me?"

"I wasn't able to make enough dust," Hiriluk explained. "There was no time. I want you to make cherry blossoms bloom for me."

"Nonsense, why should I waste my—" Dr. Kureha attempted to refuse.

"I'm not finished," Hiriluk interrupted as he stood right in front of the one hundred thirty-four year old doctor. "I want you to teach Chopper about medicine. He wants to be a doctor more than anything."

"Are you mad?" questioned Dr. Kureha. "Why would I—"

"He may be a reindeer and a freak," Hiriluk cut her off again as he dropped to his knees and out-right begged her. "But I know he'll make a great doctor! He's a good person with a kind heart! He risked his life to make medicine for me! Please! Help him become a doctor!"

"YOU'VE SURE GOT A LOT OF NERVE YOU QUACK!" Dr. Kureha shouted at him. "Why should I take care of your half-baked research and your weird pet? You know me, I'm not the type of person to get sentimental because someone has a short time to live! NOW GET OUT OF MY TREE!"

**WHUMP!** Hiriluk was literally kicked out of Dr. Kureha's house and landed on his back in the snow. Dr. Kureha tossed his briefcase out after him and shut the door. **THUD!**

"Yeah, I know," Hiriluk admitted now that Dr. Kureha couldn't hear him. "We've known each other a long time. Hah hah hah!" Hiriluk stopped laughing and smiled at the closed door. **"Goodbye."**

**-x-**

**Carrying on His Will:**

**-x-**

"This doesn't seem like you Hiriluk," Dr. Kureha commented as she sat on her doctor bed and stared at the sack of pink dust in her hand. "It's not like you to give up so easily."

"_I'm almost out of time," Hiriluk told her._

"NO! HE COULDN'T MEAN..." Dr. Kureha gasped.

**-x-**

The civilians were all in a panic and were confronting King Wapol's guards.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"

"THE TWENTY MD'S ARE ILL?"

"WHO'LL TREAT THE COUNTRY'S SICK PEOPLE?"

"AT LEAST GIVE US MEDICINE!"

"It's no good talking to us!" one of Wapol's guards exclaimed as he and a bunch of other guards stood in a lift that carted people up a rope way to Drum Castle. "We're just telling you..."

"**EVERYBODY GET OUT OF MY WAY!" **came a loud shout from Hiriluk. Everyone turned and went wide-eyed when they saw the quack sprinting towards then, he was hugging his briefcase to his chest and was holding two bombs with lit fuses in his hands. **KA-BOOOOOM!** Hiriluk threw the bombs and blew Wapol's soldiers out of the way.

**Koff! Koff! **"That guy's insane!" one of Wapol's guards grunted as he stood in the smoke from the explosion. **KLIK! **The nozzle of a gun suddenly poked the soldier in the face.

"Take me up the rope way to the castle!" Hiriluk ordered his new hostage. He was going to save the Twenty MD's... and was falling right into Wapol's trap.

**-x-**

**WHAM! **Hiriluk's door burst opened and Dr. Kureha stood in the doorway. Chopper dove out of bed, "WHERE'S THAT DAMN FOOL HIRILUK?" Dr. Kureha demanded as Chopper limped for cover. "For crying out loud! You don't have to hide, I know all about you! Now where'd that quack run off to? Damn it, talk! I know you can!"

"D-doctor got better so he went into town," Chopper stammered as he 'peeked' around the other side of Hiriluk's work bench. "That's all."

"Better?" Dr. Kureha repeated as she walked over to Chopper. "He can't get better. His condition can't be cured by any treatment known to modern medical science."

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Chopper argued, he held up the remaining half of the Amiudake Mushroom, "Look at this, he's all better now! I gave him this to eat!"

Dr. Kureha saw the mushroom and gasped, '"It can't be..."

"This is a miracle cure," Chopper explained, "so he's fine now. He said he felt like he was full of energy. Doctor said he was going to teach me to be a..." **POW! **Dr. Kureha lashed out her fist and punched Chopper in the face, the reindeer was sent flying across the room, Dr. Kureha's sunglasses landed on the ground next to him, revealing her angry expression.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" Chopper demanded. **Whap! **Dr. Kureha grabbed him and pulled him up, then socked him in the face again, **POW!** Chopper slammed into the bookcase and went crashing down to the ground, **THUD!**

"YOU STUPID FOOL!" Dr. Kureha hollered at him. "Don't you know... that mushroom..." Kureha trailed off, she wasn't seething any more, she was _crying, _"**it's poison. **Once you eat it, you're dead in half a day." Dr. Kureha dropped to her knees and sobbed, "That's why that idiot came to me..."

Chopper sat up and stared in surprise, "That can't be true!" he exclaimed. "I checked in one of doctor's books! It can defeat all diseases..." Chopper pointed to Hiriluk's skull and crossbones hanging on the wall, "There was a skull next to the picture of the Amiudake Mushroom! And doctor said he got better! THERE'S NO WAY HE'LL DIE! YOU'RE LYING TO ME!"

**-x-**

Hiriluk's hijacked cart was racing up the rope way to Wapol's castle, "STOP DAWDLING!" Hiriluk shouted at the guard that was peddling the cart. "HURRY IT UP! I HAVEN'T GOT ANY TIME LEFT TO WASTE!"

**-x-**

"He was touched by the kindness in your heart," Dr. Kureha explained, "that skull in that book means poison, understand."

"LIAR!" Chopper objected.

"No, remember it!" Dr. Kureha ordered. "There's no known medicine in this world that can work for all diseases. That's why doctors exist."

"But I..." Chopper started to say.

"Listen!" Dr. Kureha interrupted. "You can't save people with just kindness! If you really want to save them, you need medical skills and the training to use them! Without that, you can't save anyone!"

"WWWAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Chopper broke down and cried. HE'D JUST _KILLED_ HIRILUK!

"You poor fool," Dr. Kureha muttered as she picked up her sunglasses and put them back on. Chopper's cries were carried by the winter wind and could be heard all across Drum Island.

**-x-**

"King Wapol, Hiriluk is heading towards the castle," one of Wapol's guards reported as he knelt in front of the King's throne.

"IT WORKED!" Wapol exclaimed. "MAAA HAHAHAHAHA! THAT FOOL!"

"_Is he serious?" _Dalton thought to himself as he stood next to Wapol's throne. _"Why? What for?"_

**-x-**

Dr. Kureha grabbed a bottle of rum off of Hiriluk's work bench, "He'll never return to this house," she somberly told Chopper. "I guess he chose the castle to be his tomb."

**-x-**

"I DEMAND THAT YOU TAKE ME TO THE PATIENT!" Hiriluk shouted as he stood at the top of Drum Rock. "I'VE COME TO SAVE THE TWENTY MD'S!" Hiriluk suddenly realized that the twenty men were that he had come to treat were all standing out in front of the castle, all perfectly healthy. "WHAT?"

"MAAA HAHAHAHAHA!" Wapol laughed as he sat on top of Robson, he wasn't alone, he had nearly a hundred of his men as well as Dalton waiting outside the castle for the quack. "YOU IDIOT! Don't you get it yet? IT WAS A TRAP! The Twenty MD's are fine, as you can see! MAAA HAHAHAHA! The only life in danger here is yours, Hiriluk! MAAAA HAHAHAHAHA!"

"_Why did he come here?" _Dalton wondered. Hiriluk just stared wide-eyed at Wapol and his men.

**-x-**

**KLOMP! KLOMP! KLOMP! **Chopper raced through the snow as fast as his four reindeer legs could take him, he had to see Hiriluk, he had to do _something_.

**-x-**

"GUARDS! READY!" Wapol ordered. **CLA-CLICK! **Wapol's men all loaded and aimed their guns.

"So that was it," Hiriluk remarked. "Good, then none of them are sick." Dalton stared at the crazy quack in surprise. He _knew _it was a trap, but he came anyway. Tears leaked out of Hiriluk's eyes as he knelt down in the snow, "I was afraid... this was a national crisis! But no, luckily it was just a trick!" The Twenty MD's stared at Hiriluk in surprise. The man was _relieved_ that it was just a trap for him, he'd willingly walked into the trap just to make sure he could save his country.

"HAAA!" Wapol laughed, "Even if the Twenty MD's _were _sick, I wouldn't want someone like you! IGNORE HIS BABBLING! EXECUTE HIM!"

"Save your bullets!" Hiriluk replied as he held up his hand and made himself comfortable in the snow. "You don't have what it takes to kill someone like me."

"Huh?" was Wapol's intelligent reply.

"When does a man die?" Hiriluk asked rhetorically.

**-x-**

Chopper raced into town and jumped onto a rope leading up to a castle, the reindeer quickly ran up it towards the top of Drum Rock.

**-x-**

Hiriluk continued his speech, "When a bullet from a pistol pierces his heart? No. When he's attacked by an incurable disease? No. When he eats a soup of deadly poisonous mushroom? NO! A man dies when people forget him." Dalton fought back tears as Hiriluk casually poured something from his briefcase into a vial. "Even if I should disappear right now, my dream will come true. And when it does, the citizen's sickness of the heart will be cured as well." Hiriluk looked up from his concoction, "You're crying... why Dalton?"

The Captain of Drum Island's Security had tears streaking down his face, "Is that... true for our country?" Dalton asked.

Hiriluk smiled, "Yeah, if the will to do it is passed on," he replied.

"COME ON DALTON!" Wapol shouted, "WHY ARE YOU CRYING? MAA HAHAHAHA!"

"Very shortly a monster will be coming," Hiriluk informed Dalton, "he's my son. Please, don't hurt him." Blood leaked out of Hiriluk's mouth and he had purple rings around his eyes, his time was nearly over. _"__Don't worry Chopper,"_ Hiriluk thought to his son, who was nearly at the top of the rope. _"Your mushroom won't kill me."_

"I'VE HAD A MARVELOUS LIFE!" Hiriluk shouted as he held his glass up over his head, he tilted his head back and downed his mixed concoction.

At the same time, Dr. Kureha drank from the bottle of rum down in Hiriluk's cave, _"Good bye, __Quack,__"_ she thought somberly.

"THANK YOU CHOPPER!" Hiriluk yelled, then he did what he did best, **KA-BOOOOOOM! **The explosion shook the island and the huge cloud of black smoke covered the entire peak of Drum Rock and could be seen all around the island. Chopper's poisonous mushroom hadn't killed Hiriluk, he'd gone out with a bang. And since Chopper, Kureha, and Dalton still fondly remembered him, he'd never truly be gone.

Hiriluk's black top hat blew away and landed on the ground in front of Chopper as he stood at the top of Drum Rock. Chopper stared at the hat, memories of his father flooded his mind. Dalton stared at the spot where Hiriluk had once sat in shock.

"MAAAAA HAHAHAHAHA!" Wapol laughed. "HE BLEW HIMSELF UP! WHAT AN IDIOT!"

Chopper glared angrily at the bastard who dared mock Hiriluk's memory, "RRAAAAAAAHHHH!" Chopper let out a loud roar, his eyes glowed red and his bandages tore as he transformed into his monstrous eight-foot tall Human Form. Overcome with rage, Chopper charged across the clearing at Wapol and his men.

"WHAT IS THAT THING?" one of the guards shrieked.

"IT'S A MONSTER!" another screamed. "SHOOT HIM!"

"STOP!" Dalton commanded as he ran out and met Chopper head on. Dalton had transformed into his human-bison hybrid form, and managed to overpower Chopper's monstrous strength with strength of his own. **WHAM!** Dalton shoved Chopper backwards and slammed the monster reindeer down onto his back in the snow.

"Leave! Leave here at once!" Dalton instructed Chopper. "If you can't even defeat me, you can't possibly defeat them! I apologize for those who had the nerve to laugh at Hiriluk's death, but without enough strength you'd only die in vain." Chopper's anger faded when he realized that the man he was fighting was crying. He was truly sorry for what had happened and was trying to protect Chopper as Hiriluk had instructed.

"You have to live!" Dalton urged Chopper, "Live for the sake of this country! Please!"

Dalton released Chopper and watched as he walked back down the rope he'd come up, safe from harm.

"YOU LET HIM GET AWAY!" Wapol shouted.

"JUST SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Dalton snapped. "The only man who cared enough to try and cure this sick country just blew himself up! Even while everyone else just gave up in despair, this kind doctor tried to save us all and died for it!"

"SO WHAT IF SOMEONE LIKE THAT DIES?" Wapol retorted.

"I've seen the path this country is on," Dalton said as he turned to face the King. "It's the path of destruction! As long as we stay here it can't be rebuilt! Even if medical care progresses, even if medical research goes on, THERE IS NO MEDICINE THAT CAN CURE STUPIDITY!"

"That's the thanks I get for being lenient with you," Wapol growled, "You're a fool as well! ALL YOU'VE DONE IS MAKE ME ANGRY!"

**-x-**

"PLEASE! Please teach me how to be a doctor!" Chopper begged Dr. Kureha, she stood on the ledge of Hiriluk's house and stared down at the crying reindeer as he waved Hiriluk's jolly roger over his head. Hiriluk's black top hat was on a branch behind him. "You've got to teach me to be a doctor! You've got to! _I'LL _BECOME THE MIRACLE CURE! I'LL BECOME A DOCTOR WHO CAN CURE ANYTHING! You'll see, I'll even cure a country! I'll do anything you ask me, but I've got to become a doctor... BECAUSE I KNOW THERE'S NO DISEASE, NO ILLNESS IN THIS WORLD THAT CAN'T BE CURED!"

"Call me... doctorine," Dr. Kureha instructed.

**-x-**

**KLANK! **A metal door with bars was slammed shut and Dalton was left lying on his side in a cell for speaking out against Wapol's rule. _"I won't die," _Dalton silently vowed. _"I'll carry on his will."_

He remained in that cell for five years, until one day the kingdom was attacked by the Blackbeard Pirates. Wapol and his men fled like rats from a sinking ship without even attempting to fight the pirates. When they finally left, the villagers freed Dalton from his cell, the rope-ways were all removed and Dalton worked with the citizens to rebuild their country after all the tragedies that had befallen it.

During that time, Chopper studied medicine under Dr. Kureha. With the King and his men gone, Chopper and Dr. Kureha took it upon themselves to relocate to the abandoned castle.

**-End Chopper Origin Flashback-**

"So since then, Chopper's been studying medicine under you," Nami concluded as she sat in her bed, back in the room in Drum Castle. Ricky and Sanji were sitting silently at the table and Ms. Valentine was wiping tears out of her eyes.

"Yeah, I taught him everything I know," Dr. Kureha replied. "He's been a good student."

"Well we've got to take him now," Ricky resolved. "A doctor with Hiriluk's heart and your medical expertise is bound to be the greatest doctor in the world."

"Only the best for our crew," Nami chirped.

**-x-**

"It's him!" Luffy realized as he stared out one of the front windows of Drum Castle. "IT'S THE GUY WITH THE ANNOYING MOUTH!"

"MAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Wapol laughed as he stood on top of Drum Rock with Chess, Kuromarimo, and Robson all behind him and looked upon his old castle. "AT LAST! I'VE RETURNED! NOW WE SHALL RESTORE DRUM KINGDOM!"

**-x-**

**WHAM! **Chopper came charging into the room, "DOCTORINE! DOCTORINE!" he shouted. "THERE'S TROUBLE! WAPOL IS BACK!"

Ricky stood up, "Well that's convenient," he remarked, he turned and glanced at Sanji, "Shall we?"

**-x-**

Chopper's origin is over and now it's time for the action. Next chapter starts the battle to defend Drum Kingdom.

'Till Next Time...

Peace!


	24. Chapter 24

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** Once again, I don't own One Piece, just this variation of the series.

**Battle to Defend Drum Kingdom:**

**-x-**

"MAAAA HAHAHAHA!" Wapol laughed as he, Chess, Kuromarimo, and Robson stood out in front of Drum Castle. "I HAVE RETURNED AT LAST! WE SHALL RESTORE DRUM KINGDOM! MAAA HAHAHAHAHA!"

"King Wapol!" Chess called out, "Look, on top of the castle!"

Wapol looked up and saw a black flag flying from the tallest tower. A black flag with a smiling skull and four pink cherry blossoms. It was Hiriluk's pirate flag.

"WHY IS THAT STRANGE FLAG FLYING?" Wapol demanded. "IT'S AN OUTRAGE! WHERE'S THE FLAG OF DRUM KINGDOM?"

"Heeheehee," Dr. Kureha cackled as she and Chopper – in his reindeer form – came walking out the front door of Drum Castle. "That old thing? I burned it!"

"Well Kureha, the last survivor of our doctor hunt, GET OUT OF MY CASTLE!" Wapol hollered.

"This castle is no longer yours Wapol!" Dr. Kureha snapped. "LEAVE! Not just here, the country too! Drum Kingdom has already died out, moron!"

"What's that..." Wapol growled.

"**WAIT!" **Luffy shouted as he came running out of the Drum Castle, still only wearing his red vest and shorts, "THIS GUY IS MINE!"

Luffy ran at Wapol with his arm out behind him, "GUM... GUM... BULLET!" **POW! **Luffy slammed his fist into Wapol's face and sent the former king flying.

"AAAAAHHH! WAPOL!" Chess and Kuromarimo shrieked as their king went flying over their heads.

Dr. Kureha and Chopper stared in shock as Wapol crashed to the ground and would've fallen off the peak of Drum Rock if Chess and Kuromarimo hadn't caught him at the last second.

"That... was close," Chess panted as he and Kuromarimo each held one of Wapol's legs as he dangled upside down from the top of Drum Rock. Blood was trickling out of the former king's nose thanks to Luffy's punch.

"I'm really sick of you guys, you know that?" Luffy asked as he stood out in front of Drum Castle while Chess and Kuromarimo pulled Wapol back up. "What's your problem? You were getting in our way even before we got to this island."

"Ugh, not these guys again," Sanji groaned as he and Ricky came walking out the front door and stood beside Chopper and Dr. Kureha, they'd stopped to get coats. Sanji was wearing his short black coat while Ricky was wearing his long one.

Sanji distinctly remembered Wapol eating a large chunk of the Going Merry with his Munch Munch Fruit Powers. Ricky recalled the former king and his men blocking their path to Drum Rock and attacking him while he was holding Nami, Ms. Valentine, and Sanji.

"Last time I ran into you I was worried about protecting my Nakama," Luffy stated. "Now, I DON'T HAVE TO HOLD BACK ANY MORE! SHISHISHI!"

"HOW DARE YOU!" Kuromarimo shouted. "DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ATTACKED? This is no lowly commoner! This is Wapol, the King and absolute ruler of Drum Kingdom!"

"That's right, show some respect!" Chess scolded them. "He's this country's monarch! How dare you do such a thing to his most excellent of excellencies! For shame!"

**WHUP!** Luffy reached up and stretched the sides of his mouth then made a face at Wapol and his men, "WHO CARES! HE TICKED ME OFF AGAIN!"

"You know them, boy?" Dr. Kureha inquired.

"I sure do!" Luffy exclaimed. "He's that annoying big-mouthed pirate! He tried to eat my ship! And then he attacked me and my friends! This guy's got it coming to him!"

"The fact that he's this country's corrupt ruler is only an added benefit of beating him," Ricky supplied.

"Before you kick his ass... aren't you cold in that?" Sanji inquired as he eyed Luffy's vest.

"HEY! Did you say he was the King?" Luffy asked Ricky. "I thought he was a pirate!"

"TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH!" Sanji snapped.

"Hmph," Kuromarimo grunted, "so you're disrespectful _and _you have wax in your ears! Wapol _is _the King of Drum Kingdom, Straw Hat! When he met you before he was temporarily a pirate for his own reasons. But no longer!"

"King Wapol's pirate days are now behind him!" Chess continued. "And so, he's returned to reclaim both his castle and his country."

"BRRRR! IT'S FREEZING OUT HERE!" Luffy suddenly realized, Ricky sweat-dropped.

"You really are an idiot!" Sanji scolded him.

"Yeah, it's fifty below zero!" Chopper added.

"I think they're ignoring us!" Chess remarked.

"GRRRRR!" Wapol growled as he hopped back up to his feet.

"You're awake sir!" Kuromarimo observed.

"Straw Hat... you've got some nerve..." Wapol stated. "Just wait... I'M GOING TO BITE YOU INTO PIECES!"

"Um… sorry," Sanji apologized, "but you'll have to hang on for just a minute, he had to go get a coat."

"IS THIS A JOKE?" Wapol roared in outrage.

"In the meantime, you'll just have to make due with us," Ricky informed him.

"Ricky... your brother..." Chopper called out to the one-eyed pirate. "He can stretch himself. How?"

"I told you, he ate a Devil Fruit when he was a kid," Ricky answered. "Now he's a rubber man."

"What the heck is that?" Chopper asked.

Ricky grinned, "Kind of a monster." Chopper just blinked in surprise.

"Well, looks like we're up against that old hag, a reindeer, and a couple of the Straw Hats," Wapol observed. "Not that much of a challenge. This will be over with quickly, and once we've eliminated them, there won't be anyone else foolhardy enough to defy me!"

"Of course my King," Chess agreed. "Today will be remembered as the day you restored Drum Kingdom to its former glory."

"I'LL START WITH YOU DR. KUREHA!" Wapol decided as Dr. Kureha, Chopper, Sanji, and Ricky stood in the opened doorway of Drum Castle. "You've committed a major offense by moving into my castle, and even a greater one by flying that strange flag!"

"It's not yours!" Dr. Kureha replied. "Not any more. It's Hiriluk's grave. I wasn't interested in this run down place, what with all the bad things you did here, but we can use it to do some good and the reindeer insisted on flying the doctor's flag."

Chopper recalled all his fond memories of Hiriluk, his vow to fight like pirates and never give up and his belief that anything was possible. Hiriluk's dream was to save the sick country, he had willingly gone into Wapol's trap as a testament of his desire to save the kingdom.

"_Doctor... he fought to save his country... by raising that flag," _Chopper thought to himself. Chopper fondly remembered the year he'd spent with the old man that had treated him like a son. Then how he'd gone to see Wapol and blew himself up. But as Hiriluk had said, a person never truly dies unless he's forgotten, as long as a single person still remembered him, he would live on in the memories. _"This castle is where doctor died. He gave his life trying to save this country. This place is his grave and a symbol of what he believed in."_

"MAAAA HAHAHAHA!" Wapol laughed, "I'd almost forgotten that fool! MAHAHAHAHAHA!" Wapol stopped laughing and glared at Dr. Kureha. "How dare you desecrate my castle by flying the flag of that stupid doctor! I COMMAND THAT IT BE BURNED IMMEDIATELY!"

"Kick his ass Chopper," Ricky encouraged the angry reindeer.

"I'll never let you touch that flag! Or get inside this castle!" Chopper growled, he started to change shape and transformed into his eight-foot tall human form. "Never!"

"Look sir!" Chess exclaimed, "he's that..."

"You're right," Kuromarimo realized, "It is him! He's that doctor's monster! The one Dalton stopped!"

"That flag there," said Chopper, "It's a symbol of his faith. I won't let you take it down! Not now... NOT EVER!"

"MAAA HAHAHAHA!" Wapol laughed, "we're gonna take it and _all of you _down! _And _we're going into the castle! Show them no mercy boys!" Chess and Kuromarimo stepped passed Wapol and prepared for battle.

"Old lady, are you going to fight too?" Sanji inquired.

"Old lady?" Dr. Kureha repeated, **WHOMP! **Sanji was left nursing a large lump on his head. "If they're more than you can handle, junior, I'll step in."

"Thanks a lot," Sanji grumbled.

"Those two, easy," Ricky replied, "When Luffy gets back he'll take out the loud mouth."

"Don't you worry sir," said Kuromarimo, "We'll get them out of your hair... and speaking of hair... ELECTRIC MARIMO!" **WHUP! **Kuromarimo threw a large black ball of _hair_ at their opponents.

"Doctorine!" Chopper exclaimed when he realized the ball was heading for Dr. Kureha.

**SHWUP!** Always one to defend a lady, Sanji held his leg out and blocked Dr. Kureha. The hairball struck his leg and stuck to it.

"Hey afro man," Sanji called out, "Didn't your mother ever tell you it's not right to strike a lady? Especially not a hot young one."

"Heeheehee," Dr. Kureha cackled, "Now that's more like it blondie!"

Kuromarimo grinned when Sanji suddenly realized THE HAIRBALL WASN'T COMING OFF! The black ball of hair clung to his leg and no matter how hard he kicked it the ball wouldn't come off.

"DAMN!" Sanji cursed, "WHY WON'T THIS STUPID THING COME OFF? WHAT'S MAKING IT STICK TO ME, STATIC ELECTRICITY OR SOMETHING?"

"Exactly! Hahahahaha!" Kuromarimo laughed.

"The dry air that usually accompanies cold means it's unusually effective," Ricky pointed out. "You should try to dodge those for now on."

"I'LL START BY GETTING THIS ONE _OFF_!" Sanji exclaimed as he continued to kick his leg.

**-x-**

"BRRRR! COLD! COLD! COLD!" Luffy complained as he ran through the snow-filled castle and eventually found himself in Nami and Ms. Valentine's room. He called out to the two sleeping women, "I need a coat really quick, any coat will do!"

"What's going on outside?" Ms. Valentine asked. "We heard a lot of noise."

"It's freezing out there," Luffy replied, "you seen any coats around?"

"She didn't ask that," Nami corrected Luffy, "what we wanna know is what's happening out there?"

"Oh, it's just a fight," Luffy answered as he went over to a trunk and searched through it for a coat.

"Do you guys need help?" Ms. Valentine inquired.

"Nah, stay in bed," Luffy told her.

"If you need a coat you can borrow mine," Nami offered.

"But it's a girl's coat!" Luffy protested.

"Well you did say 'any coat will do'," Nami reminded him.

"Oh yeah," Luffy agreed, he ran over to Nami's yellow, orange, and white plaid coat and pulled it on. "Well, as long as it keeps me warm." Luffy ran out of the room and pulled the door closed behind him.

"I wonder what all the fuss was about," Nami said to herself as she laid back down.

"Uh... shouldn't we...do something?" questioned Ms. Valentine.

"Those three can handle anything," Nami reasoned. "We're still sick, if we went out there we'd just get in their way."

**-x-**

"ALRIGHT BIG MOUTH!" Luffy shouted as he ran through Drum Castle towards the exit, "NOW I CAN FINALLY KICK YOUR BUTT!"

**-x-**

Outside, Sanji was still trying unsuccessfully to get the black hairball off of his leg. "I SWEAR I'M GONNA SMACK THAT HAIRBALL GUY SILLY WHEN I FINALLY GET THIS NASTY THING OFF ME!"

"Hahahahaha!" Kuromarimo laughed, "Well in that case..." Kuromarimo pulled a small hairball out of his afro, he squeezed it and it suddenly grew to the side of this fist, "ELECTRIC MARIMO!" **WHUP! WHUP! **Kuromarimo threw that hairball and another one at Sanji, one stuck to his arm, the other stuck to his stomach.

"UGGGHHH!" Sanji groaned, his struggles doubled but all he'd managed to do was move the hairball on his stomach to his arm. The hairballs weren't coming off. "Ricky! Reindeer! Get this stuff off me!"

"I'm not touching that," Ricky refused.

"I'm coming," Chopper agreed as he went over to Sanji and attempted to get the clingy hairballs off of him. But when he got close, Sanji pressed his arm into Chopper's fur and the hairball on his arm stuck to Chopper. "EW! YOU KEEP THEM!"

Ricky sweat-dropped while Dr. Kureha scolded them, "Will you two please stop goofing around?"

"HAH!" Kuromarimo chuckled, "there's a reason I don't keep my hair conditioned..."

"And a very good one at that," Chess added, "Their dryness makes them extremely flammable." Chess fitted an arrow into his bow and the tip lit up and burst into flame, **FWOOSH!**

"OH NO!" Sanji exclaimed. "he's gonna burn these things!"

"Here," said Chopper as he stuck the hairball that was stuck on him back on Sanji's arm, then took off running.

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Sanji demanded.

"DECOY PLAN!" Chopper called back to him.

"Decoy Plan?" Sanji repeated, "WAIT, _I'M_ THE DECOY?"

"Hey archer, there's something I've been meaning to say to you," Ricky stated as he calmly stood next to Sanji.

"CHECKMATE!" Chess exclaimed as he fired his flaming arrow at Sanji, **WOING!**

**WHAP!** Ricky reached out and caught the shaft of the flaming arrow with apparent ease and kept it from lighting the hairballs on Sanji on fire.

"AH!" Chess and Kuromarimo gasped in surprise, the one-eyed pirate had stopped their finishing attack like it was a toy.

"Your shots are really slow," Ricky concluded as he turned and chucked the burning arrow at Kuromarimo. **WHUP! **The afro man was caught off guard when the arrow flew and landed in his afro. His _extremely flammable _afro.

**FWWOOOOOSH! **"AAAAAAHHHH!" Kuromarimo screamed as his hair burst into flames, he ran around in circles then dove head-first into the snow. **FSSSSSSS!** Steam rose up as the cold snow put out the hot fire.

**SKUUSH! **Ricky dug his foot into the ground, then spun around and kicked a wave of snow onto Sanji.

"WHAT THE HELL!" the cook shrieked.

"Now it's wet, there's less static cling," Ricky explained, "you should be able to get it off."

While Ricky dealt with Kuromarimo and Sanji, Chopper charged at Chess.** WOOOSH!** Chopper swung one of his huge arms around and looked to send the archer flying.

"MOVE!" Wapol shouted as he shoved Chess out of the way, opened his big mouth, and chomped down on Chopper, **CHOMP!**

"OH NO!" Sanji exclaimed.

"CHOPPER!" Dr. Kureha shouted. **Munch! Munch!** Chopper had reverted back into his child-sized form, his legs were sticking out of Wapol's mouth and were kicking frantically as Wapol chewed him.

"Ricky! Get on my leg!" Sanji ordered as he held his leg out. **Skish!** Ricky shrugged and jumped onto the outstretched leg. "Hold on!" **WOOOSH! **Sanji whipped his leg around and sent Ricky flying towards Wapol. "ARMEE DE L'AIR! POWER SHOOT!" **THWAK!**

Ricky maneuvered himself as he moved through the air at a high speed and made it so he was going legs-first, Ricky started spinning around as he went, making him looking like a black and red blur, "Spinning... MISSILE KICK!" **THWHAM! **Ricky slammed legs-first into Wapol's stomach, Chopper was shot out of his mouth as he went flying backwards.

**WHAP! **Ricky caught Chopper as he was coming down and then landed hard on his back, **THUD!**

Chess and Kuromarimo stared in surprise as Wapol went flying backwards at a high speed and slammed into Robson, **WHAM!** The furry white hippo was sent flying off of Drum Rock and disappeared into the sky, **Twinkle!**

"Heh," Dr. Kureha chuckled.

"Not too shabby," Sanji remarked.

"Aah! Nice a warm!" Luffy commented as he stood next to Sanji as if he'd been there all along.

"HEY WAIT!" Sanji shouted, "Isn't that Miss. Nami's coat you're wearing Luffy?"

"Uh-huh," Luffy replied with a nod. "Whoa! Big mouth's still alive but his hippo's heading to the moon!"

"Uh... thanks," said Chopper as Ricky got back up and placed him down on the ground. "You guys were amazing!"

"Like I told you before," Ricky reminded Chopper, "eating you would be a huge waste of your potential."

"TAKE THAT COAT OFF RIGHT NOW, YOU JERK!" Sanji snapped as he shook Luffy.

"Wapol, are you alright?" Kuromarimo asked. His afro was now damp and droopy from the snow and the fire and now looked like a bowl haircut.

"We underestimated them," Chess realized. "They're stronger than we thought."

"Then it's time to... bring out the... big guns..." Wapol groaned, "AND MY BIGGER APPETITE! I'll show them, THE TRUE POWER OF THE MUNCH MUNCH FRUIT!"

"Very good sir," said Chess as Wapol sat up, there was blood coming out of his nose from when Luffy had punched him, and there was now blood dripping out of his mouth from when Ricky and kicked him.

"THAT'S RIGHT!" Wapol hollered. "I'LL SHOW THEM THE MUNCH MUNCH FACTORY!"

**-x-**

**Frauds:**

**-x-**

"Oh, he stood up," Luffy observed as he, Sanji, Chopper, and Ricky stood in the doorway and watched Wapol and his men.

"But how?" Sanji wondered. "We hit him pretty hard."

"Maybe he's... tough?" Luffy offered.

"I doubt it," Ricky replied, "he's got layers of metal plating on this stomach, it must've softened the blow a little. But if he's gonna get back up, we'll just have to keep knocking him down."

"Hmph," Dr. Kureha grunted, she was hanging back and saw that the three Straw Hats and her reindeer had the matter well in hand.

"Chess!" Wapol called out, "Tell me what I ate today in the exact order that I ate it!"

Chess reached into his coat and pulled out a log book, then began reading from it, "Well sir," the archer began, "you started by eating two cannons on the ship, one sauteed in butter, and the other raw. Then it was a cannonball and gunpowder salad, followed by the main course of a toasted cottage."

"And you thought I ate a lot," Luffy remarked.

"You do," Sanji said, "but this guy's a bigger pig than even you."

"And he eats a lot weirder stuff," Ricky added.

"You see Straw Hats," Wapol started to explain, "whatever I eat becomes a part of my body thanks to the Munch Munch Fruit." Wapol suddenly started growing.

"What's happening?" Chopper asked.

"Looks like he's going to show us his Devil Fruit Powers," Ricky reasoned. "This guy looks like an even bigger monster than you."

**PLOOP!** A chimney popped out of Wapol's head, **CHUNK! CHUNK!** Two cannons replaced his arms. **SHOOOM! **He grew to be one-story tall and a window and a door appeared on his stomach. "MUNCH... MUNCH... SHOCK! MODE: WAPOL HOUSE!"

"A house?" Sanji repeated in surprise.

"AWESOME!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Now if you'll excuse me!" Wapol called out, "I have to eat! BEHOLD THE MUNCH MUNCH FACTORY!" **CHOMP!** The Straw Hats, Dr. Kureha, and Chopper watched in surprise as Wapol opened his mouth... AND ATE CHESS AND KUROMARIMO!

"No way..." Sanji gasped, "He's... he's eating his own men!"

"CANNIBAL!" Luffy shouted as Wapol finished off his men and swallowed them.

**FFFFSSSSHHHH! **Steam shot out of the chimney on Wapol's head and the nozzle of the two cannons on his arms. Wapol danced around on the spot, but eventually stopped.

"Feast your eyes... ON THE MIRACULOUS FUSION!" Wapol shouted.

**KREEEK!** The door on Wapol's stomach was pushed opened and a figure called out from inside in both Chess _and _Kuromarimo's voice. **"Allow me to introduce myself: I am the mightiest warrior of Drum Kingdom! CHESSMARIMO!"**

The figure was standing on Chess's legs, and Chess's arms were stick out at the sides. His head had a bow tied under it that kept Kuromarimo's golden coat on his shoulders. But on top of Chess's head, was Kuromarimo's head, his arms, complete with black hairball gloves, were sticking out above Chess's and he was wearing Chess's light blue and green jester-style hat. Wapol's two henchman had been combined together into a single body which came up to the middle of the door on Wapol's stomach.

"Are they serious?" Sanji wondered. "They're just riding piggyback."

"THAT'S SO COOL!" Luffy gushed.

"NO IT'S NOT!" Sanji scolded him. "IT'S STUPID!"

"Oh no!" Ricky groaned.

"What, don't tell me you're scared of that?" questioned Sanji.

"No," Ricky replied, "There's two of them and five of us now, it hardly seems fair."

"You're right," Sanji agreed, "I figured before that you and I could take out the two henchmen while Luffy and the reindeer fought the metal guy, but now we'll all have to double up if we want to get in on the action."

"Don't let your guard down," Dr. Kureha advised. "They might look silly but don't be fooled, they're tough, so tough that the citizens couldn't stand against them. That's how these thugs were able to exile all the doctors."

"Article One of Drum Kingdom's Constitution states: 'Those who don't do as the King wishes will be put to death'," Wapol announced. "That's the number one law of this country. You refused my wishes and broke that law. Now you are all going to be punished for your crimes."

Ricky's fists clenched as he glared at Wapol, he looked angrier than he had in a long time.

"But first I'm going to deal with the matter of that quack's flag soiling my regal castle!" Wapol continued. "IT'S TIME I TOOK THAT THING DOWN!" Wapol aimed one of his cannon-arms and fired at Hiriluk's flag, **BOOOOM!**

Wapol's blast struck Hiriluk's flag, the pole broke and the flag tipped over and fell to the side. Chopper gasped and Ricky gritted his teeth and seemed to get even angrier

"A pirate flag!" Luffy looked and seemingly noticed Hiriluk's flag for the first time. "Hey reindeer... that flag..."

Chopper was lost in his thoughts and was on the brink of tears as he stared up at the flag. _"Nothing is impossible for the man who raises the pirate flag!" Hiriluk exclaimed as he stood next to his flag in Chopper's memory._

"HOW DARE YOU ATTACK DOCTORS FLAG!" Chopper shouted as he charged at Wapol.

"Wait Chopper, I'll cover you," Ricky called after him as he chased behind the reindeer.

Chessmarimo moved to intercept Chopper, but the tiny reindeer-human hybrid ran right under the fusion fighter's legs.

Chopper transformed into his huge human form and jumped up to grab Wapol's shoulder so he was in the king's ugly face. "DOCTOR TRIED TO... HE TRIED TO SAVE EVEN YOU!" Chopper shouted as he held onto Wapol's shoulder with one hand and pulled his other arm back, looking to slug the former king in the face.

"_Tr__y not to hold a grudge against us humans, okay?" Hiriluk requested in Chopper's memories."This country is sick right now. The people and the king both suffer from a terrible sickness of the heart." _Remembering Hiriluk's words caused Chopper to hesitate.

"JAVELIN KICK!" Ricky shouted as he shot his foot out at Chess's chin, **WHAP!** Both sets of arms reached out and caught Ricky's foot then swung it to the side.

"**You'll have to try harder than that!" **Chessmarimo taunted.

"Then how's this?" Ricky asked as he spun around and slammed his foot into Chess's face, "Spinning... WHIP KICK!" **THWAK!** The fusion fighter was knocked on his side.

"_But this is Wapol, doctor," _Chopper thought to himself, _"someone as bad as him isn't worth saving, is he?" _What would Hiriluk have done? Hiriluk would've tried to save Wapol. Just like he tried to save the kingdom.

"I... I won't hurt you," Chopper resolved, "As long as you just... leave this country forever!"

"CHOPPER, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Dr. Kureha shouted. "EVEN IF HE DOES PROMISE THAT, YOU CAN'T TRUST A WORD HE SAYS!"

"But... doctor said..." Chopper reasoned as he turned to look at Dr. Kureha.

"Hmph," Wapol grunted,** CHUNK!** He opened his mouth and his tongue turned into a cannon.

"CHOPPER NO!" Ricky yelled, **SKISH!** In a flash he leapt up into the air, grabbed Chopper, and threw him off of Wapol. He spun around again and face Wapol and his tongue-cannon with his arms crossed across his chest and clenched his muscles. **BOOOOOM!** The blast struck him in the chest and he went flying backwards.

**SHUSH!** A cloud of smoke hid Ricky from view as he fell to the ground next to Chopper.

"RICKY!" Chopper exclaimed.

The smoke cleared to reveal Ricky, crouching on one knee will his arms still crossed in front of his chest, HE WAS COMPLETELY UNHARMED! Compared to the shots he'd taken over the years from Luffy, Ace, Jozu, and Whitebeard, Wapol's wimpy cannon blast was nothing. Ricky stood back up and patted his chest, a cannon blast was nothing compared to a punch from the strongest pirate in the world.

"WHAT?" Wapol shouted in surprise.

"You... saved me..." Chopper stammered as he stared at Ricky in surprise.

"Chopper, self-centered pricks like that will never change," Ricky stated. "All that matters to them is getting what they want. It doesn't matter who they hurt or what they have to do to get it. Trying to save someone like him is a lost cause."

"HEY! BIG MOUTH!" Luffy shouted, everyone looked up and saw him standing on top of Drum Castle. He had tied the post of Hiriluk's flag back onto the broken part using one of the sleeves of Nami's coat. He stood on top of the turret with the flag waving behind him.

"STRAW HAT!" Wapol yelled.

"You're a bunch of frauds!" Luffy called down from the top of the castle. The wind carried his voice so everyone could hear him perfectly. "You pretended to be pirates but you weren't willing to risk your lives! YOU DON'T KNOW THE MEANING OF THIS FLAG!"

**-x-**

Next chapter, Luffy proves that the pirate flag is unbreakable and Chopper gets ready to rumble.

'Till Next Time...

Peace!


	25. Chapter 25

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** Once again, I don't own One Piece, just this variation of the series.

**Unbreakable:**

**-x-**

"You guys weren't real pirates, you were just fake ones weren't you?" Luffy called down from the top of the castle. The wind carried his voice so everyone could hear him perfectly. "You pretended to be pirates but you weren't willing to risk your lives! YOU DON'T KNOW THE MEANING OF THIS FLAG!"

"Luffy..." said Chopper as he stared up at the pirate on top of the castle, beside him, Ricky smiled.

"The meaning of it, you say?" Wapol repeated. "MWAA HAHAHAHA! THERE IS NO MEANING TO THAT STUPID PIRATE RAG!"

"If you think that, you're dumber than you look!" Luffy retorted.

"Not that it's hard," Ricky added, still showing no ill-effects of taking a cannon blast to the stomach for Chopper.

"LISTEN!" Luffy shouted. "This flag isn't something you fly on a whim!"

"FOOL!" Wapol snapped. "I'M THE KING! I'd never raise a pirate flag except as a joke! NOW STOP RAISING THAT EYESORE! I told you, this is my kingdom, I'LL KEEP SHOOTING DOWN THAT FLAG UNTIL IT STAYS DOWN!" **BOOOOOM!** Wapol aimed one of his arm-cannons and fired at the rubber pirate on the roof of his castle.

"Crap, not again..." Sanji grumbled from where he was standing in front of the door with Dr. Kureha.

"HEY YOU! LOOK OUT!" Chopper shouted up at Luffy.

"YOU CAN'T BREAK IT!" Luffy shouted, not moving from his spot. "THE SKULL AND CROSSBONES IS A SYMBOL OF FAITH!" **KA-BOOOOOM!** The cannon blast impacted with the top of the turret and covered it in smoke.

"LUFFY!" Sanji shouted.

"That was a direct hit!" Dr. Kureha exclaimed.

"I BLASTED HIM TO PIECES!" Wapol boasted.

"He couldn't..." Chopper stated.

"Look again," Ricky advised with a sly grin.

The smoke cleared and Luffy was left standing on top of the turret holding the flag pole out beside him. Both Luffy and Hiriluk's flag had been scuffed from the explosion, but they were both still there.

Chessmarimo and Wapol gasped in shock, it had been a direct hit, but Luffy was still there waving the flag. Chopper stared up in amazement while Ricky kept grinning.

"See," Luffy said. He tore the sleeve off of his coat and used it to tied the flag pole back on. He now stood on top of the turret in his scuffed coat with Hiriluk's slightly frayed pirate flag waving behind him. You could still clearly make out the skull and cherry blossoms that declared that nothing was impossible. "IT'S UNBREAKABLE!"

"**What? Impossible!" **Chessmarimo gasped. **"He's alive!"**

"I have no idea who this pirate flag originally belonged to," Luffy admitted. "But it doesn't matter! A pirate flag is someone's pledge to risk their life! It's not something to be shot at or made fun of! IT STANDS FOR SOMETHING THAT YOU STUPID JACKASSES WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND! NOT IN A MILLION YEARS!"

Luffy's words crashed over Wapol and Chessmarimo like a wave of thunder, they both flinched at the passion and emotion behind Luffy's shouts.

"_Incredible!"_ Chopper thought to himself, he glanced beside him at the pirate who had taken a cannon-blast to the stomach for him, then looked up at the pirate who was bravely flying a flag that he admitted that he didn't know the first thing about. They originally seemed brave and carefree, like they were out on a cruise to see the world, but now they were hardened warriors standing up for what they believed in. _"So these are pirates!"_

"_This skull symbolizes that nothing is impossible!" Hiriluk exclaimed. "I will save this country with my doctor skills! I vow to fight just like the pirates do!"_

"_What are pirates?" Chopper had asked._

"_They're dashing swashbucklers!" Hiriluk had answered. "It's great to be a pirate! The most amazing people sail the seas. Chopper, someday you've got to go..."_

"HEY REINDEER!" Luffy called out to Chopper, bringing him out of his thoughts, "I'm gonna kick these guys' butts for showing your friend's flag disrespect, you in?"

"Uh... me?" Chopper repeated.

"YOU IDIOT!" Wapol shouted up at Luffy. "YOU JUST DON'T GET IT DO YOU? Since you feel so strongly about that flag, I'LL DESTROY YOU ALONG WITH IT!" **CHUNK!** Wapol once again aimed one of his cannon-arms.

"I don't think so, fat-ass!" Sanji called out as he rushed at Wapol.

**KREK!** Sanji stopped short when his recently bruised spine, suddenly cracked.

"Looks like your backbone gave out," Dr. Kureha remarked. "Your condition will continue to worsen if you keep moving." Dr. Kureha rushed forward and drove her boot down into Sanji's cracked spine, "DOCTOR STOP!" **TOMP! **Sanji was driven down into the ground and Dr. Kureha was left standing on top of him. In order to keep Sanji from further injuring himself, _she'd _further injured him.

"MAAA HAHAHAHAHA!" Wapol laughed. "If you two want to fight amongst yourselves, please by all means, do so! But I hope you'll at least watch your friend and that flag get blown to bits! STRAW HAT! SAY YOUR PRAYERS!"

"STOP IT!" Chopper roared, he charged at Wapol.

**CHUNK!** Luffy stabbed the end of the flag pole into the top of the turret and smiled down at the battle, "THAT'S THE SPIRIT!" he exclaimed. "GET HIM REINDEER-GUY!"

"RAAAAAHHHH!" Chopper snarled, he pulled back his arm and got ready to let loose, this time he wasn't going to hold back.

"**WAPOL SIR, LOOK OUT!" **Chessmarimo shouted. **KA-WH****AM! **The fusion fighter stepped in between Wapol and Chopper and blocked Chopper's punch with all four of his arms.

"Heeheehee," Dr. Kureha cackled as she stared down at Sanji, "the little furball's got more courage than a full-grown man."

Chopper stepped back and Chessmarimo laughed, **"Wahahahaha! I'm sorry freak! But there's no way I'm gonna let you lay a single paw on our King!"**

**SHOOM!** Chopper shrunk down out of his eight-foot human form into his child-sized human-reindeer hybrid form.

"**Wow, there really**** are some strange creatures in this world," **Chessmarimo remarked. **"You must be that yeti the villagers hated and feared. They tried to kill you, and chased you away right? I bet you spent your whole life all alone with no friends! You're a monster! Nobody ****likes you! People wanna kill you! But here you are, trying to save this country. THAT'S THE STUPIDEST THING I EVER HEARD!"**

"SHUT UP!" Chopper shouted. "EVEN IF I DON'T HAVE FRIENDS, I CAN STILL FIGHT FOR SOMETHING I BELIEVE IN! AND AS LONG AS DOCTOR'S FLAG FLIES... I WILL!"

"Now that hurts," Ricky said as he walked up beside Chopper. "After all we've been through, are you saying we're not friends? I don't take cannon-blasts to the gut for just anybody, you know, only my friends."

Chopper stared at Ricky in surprise, but then Luffy's voice rang out, "HEY! YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER FRIEND TOO!" Luffy held onto the flag pole and stretched himself backwards, **WOOOING! **"I'M YOUR FRIEND TOO, REINDEER!" **SHWOOOOOM! **Luffy rocketed down from the top of the castle and slammed into the snow in front of Wapol and Chessmarimo.

**SHABAM! **"WAAAHHH!" Wapol screamed as the wave of snow sent him and Chessmarimo flying backwards.

"Oh no! Straw Hat!" Chopper gasped, but the snow cloud cleared to reveal that Luffy kneeling on the ground, perfectly fine. "YOU SHOULD BE FLAT AS A PANCAKE!"

"Yeah, but I'm fine 'cause I'm a rubber man," Luffy replied.

"Rubber?" Chopper repeated.

"Do I really have to spell this out for you?" Ricky asked. "This is my younger brother. When he was seven he ate the Gum Gum Fruit. It turned his body into rubber. He's a freakish monster, like you."

"Hey reindeer, you think you can finish off that two-headed guy for me?" Luffy inquired.

Chopper glanced over at Chessmarimo, "That one over there? Piece of cake!"

"Good," said Luffy. "While you're doing that, I'll take care of big mouth."

"I guess that means I'll be sitting this one out," Ricky reasoned. "Have at it you two." He slipped his hands into his pockets and walked over to Dr. Kureha who still had her boot pressed into Sanji's spine, pinning him to the ground. Ricky casually sat down next to them and waited for the fight to resume.

"STRAW HAT!" Wapol shouted as he stood up and glared at Luffy. He was still one-story tall due to the house he'd eaten. "You dare to knock me, this country's monarch, over? You'll pay for that insult!"

"I'm taking you down!" Chopper called out to Chessmarimo.

"**Is that so?" **questioned Chessmarimo. **"You and what army? Huh, you little freak?"**

"Ugh... Freak?" Sanji groaned from the ground, "that's like the pot calling the kettle black."

**KREK!** Dr. Kureha drove her foot down harder into Sanji's spine. "If you keep moving around, you may lose the ability to walk," Dr. Kureha lectured him. "So just stay down there and shut up."

"You're one weird-ass doctor," Ricky stated. "Is Chopper gonna be alright?"

"Don't worry," said Dr. Kureha. "When push comes to shove, my little reindeer can hold his own."

'LISTEN UP!" Chopper shouted at Chessmarimo. "My name's Tony Tony Chopper, not freak! It's a name the world's greatest doctor gave me! He was a wonderful man, even if he forgave you for disrespecting his flag! I WON'T FORGIVE YOU!"

"**The only one who'll show no forgiveness is me!" **Chessmarimo taunted. **"I'll stomp you!"**

Chopper reached into his pocket and pulled out a small yellow ball that he held in his hoof and showed it off to Chessmarimo. "Rumble Ball."

**-x-**

"Dalton no!" Vivi cried out as she knelt next to Dalton. The man was frozen and had three arrows sticking out of his chest. "Dalton! Please wake up! Please Dalton, you have to!"

"Vivi," Usopp whispered as he watched the princess grow more and more distraught.

"DALTON, NO!" Vivi nearly shouted. "YOU CAN'T DIE! PLEASE!"

"**Don't worry,"** came a voice. Everyone turned to see that it was one of the Twenty MD's that had spoekn. "He's not dead."

"THE TWENTY MD'S!" someone exclaimed.

"He will be if we don't act soon," a second doctor stated, "He has severe frostbite."

"We can begin treating him immediately," a third doctor added, "if you'll let us."

"Hey what do you know, there are doctors here," Zoro realized. "That's funny, I thought I heard there weren't any in this country."

"There are a few doctors," Usopp explained. "These guys are the Twenty MD's, but they work exclusively for Wapol, so that makes them bad doctors."

"That's right, we can't trust any of you!" a villager called out. "Traitors! You expect us to leave Dalton with you? You surrendered to Wapol without a fight and turned your backs on us!"

"Wapol probably sent you here to kill Dalton!" another villager suggested.

"Please, if you want to save him, just do as I say," the first doctor spoke again, he and the other doctors took off their face masks and sunglasses, "The twenty of us are still doctors, even if we were forced against our wills to serve only Wapol. We've always worked to advance our medical research for all the patients in this country. It was all because of a certain quack who taught us to never give up." The doctor looked down at Dalton, "We can't afford to lose any more men like him. So please, let us help."

**-x-**

**Rumble:**

**-x-**

"The effects of the Rumble Ball last three minutes," Chopper announced as he held the small yellow ball in his hoof. "All the time I need to take you down!"

"**T****hree minutes?" **Chessmarimo repeated. **"Wahahahaha! You couldn't defeat me in the three **_**years**_**, let alone three minutes!"**

"Just three?" questioned Luffy. "Amazing!"

"Just three?" said Wapol. "No way!"

**FWIP!** Chopper flipped the Rumble Ball up into the air.

"Well, this should be an interesting fight," Dr. Kureha remarked as she sat on Sanji's injured back.

"Come on you old bat!" Sanji complained. "Let me up so I can help!"

"Sanji, you and I both knew going into this thing that the downside of their fusion trick was that it left only two of them," Ricky reminded the cook as he casually sat next to him and Dr. Kureha. "Luffy's the Captain so that usually gives him first dibs. Chopper lives here, so he's got a personal vendetta against these guys. It was clear from the beginning that we were gonna be the ones to sit this fight out."

"RUMBLE!" Chopper growled as he caught the Rumble Ball in his mouth and bit down on it. **CHOMP!**

**FWOOOOSH!** Chessmarimo lit up two flaming arrows, **"You're no match!" **he called out as he aimed _two _bows at Chopper, both with flaming arrows loaded into them. **"Not against this! MARIMO SNOW-MELTING ARROW!" SHOOOM! **Chessmarimo fired the two arrows at Chopper.

"Walk Point... Leg Boost!" Chopper called out as he transformed into his reindeer form.** SKISH! SKISH!** Chopper bounced to the side and dodged the two arrows and charged towards Chessmarimo.

"**Hmph,"** Chessmarimo grunted, **"just a transformation eh? I was expecting something more! All you have to show are Devil Fruit Powers? You're a Zoa****n-type, just like Dalton, so you're a reindeer-human, huh?"**

"Heavy Point... Weight Boost!" Chopper transformed into his eight-foot tall human form and raced towards his opponent. "NO! I'M A HUMAN REINDEER!"

"**Same thing!" **Chessmarimo retorted. **"And I know e****verything there is to know about the three-form transformations you Zoan-types use!" **Chessmarimo pulled out four giant mallets, **"MARIMO SURPRISE, QUATRO HAMMER!" **Both of Chessmarimo's faces grinned, **"Speaking of surprises, you've got none left to spring on**** me! I've seen all your forms now!" **The reindeer form, the hybrid form, and the human form, the three Zoan Transformations.** "You're nothing more than a power fighter like Dalton! So there's no way you can..."**

"Jumping Point... Jump Boost!" While still in his 'heavy point' form, Chopper's snout elongated into that of a regular reindeer, his previously bulky form became slimmer with only his legs remaining heavily muscled. **SHOOOOM! **Chopper leapt HIGH up into the air way over Chessmarimo's head.

"**... get the**** jump on me!"** Chessmarimoe finished his sentence, but Chopper _had _gotten the jump on him, he'd jumped clear over him!

"Geez, that guy can really jump!" Sanji remarked as he stared up at Chopper, who was nearly as high as the top of Drum Castle just from one single jump.

"He's got me beat there," Ricky admitted as he stared up at Chopper

"**WHAT THE..." **Chessmarimo sputtered, **"I don't get it! What is that form? Wasn't his human-animal form the little reindeer from earlier? What now?"**

"Guard Point... Fur Boost!" While still up in the air, Chopper curled up into a ball and transformed into a furry brown ball.

**WHOMP!** Chessmarimo slammed his hammers down into Chopper the second he came down. **BOING! BOING! **The brown fur ball bounced and rolled until it came to a stop in front of the castle.

"**ANOTHER FORM?" **Chessmarimo exclaimed.

"WHOA AWESOME!" Luffy cheered.

**PLOOP! **Chopper's hybrid legs poked out from the bottom of the fur ball and pushed it up off the ground, his hybrid head poked out from the front, he was completely unharmed!

"**NO WAY!" **Chessmarimo gasped. **"I hit you dead-on!"**

"It won't work!" Chopper replied. The huge ball of fur had absorbed the impact from the hammer and protected Chopper.

"**How is this possible?" **Chessmarimo wondered as he stared at Chopper. **"You Zoan-types have a three form limit! What the heck are you?"**

Ricky had a smile on his face and his eye was wide in surprise, something foreign to the one-eyed pirate with all he'd seen. "He's a monster," Ricky realized.

"The Rumble Ball is a special pill that enhances power of the Devil Fruit's transformation," Chopper explained. "Over five long years of research I discovered four additional transformation points. DO THE REST OF THE MATH YOURSELF, YOU JERK!"

"**A s-seven-form transformation?" **Chessmarimo stuttered. **"That's impossible! I don't believe it!"**

Luffy gasped, he looked at Chopper with stars in his eyes, "A TALKING REINDEER WHO CAN CHANGE INTO SEVEN FORMS! WOOOOO! SHISHISHISHISHI!" Luffy did a giddy dance at the thought of the seven forms the super-cool talking reindeer could do.

"Your friend, what's the matter with him?" Dr. Kureha asked.

"There's only so much happiness of meeting a transforming reindeer a guy can take," Sanji pointed out. "It's left him delirious."

"We've _got to _take him now," Ricky reasoned. "He's likely to be the best doctor in the world _and _he's a Super Zoan! And Luffy would never allow us to leave without him."

"YOU BASTARD!" Wapol shouted down at Luffy who was still laughing happily at Chopper's forms. "ARE WE GONNA FIGHT OR NOT?"

"**A SEVEN FORM TRANSFORMATION IS IMPOSSIBLE!" **Chessmarimo insisted. **"I won't be deceived by what has to be an obvious sham!"**

"It's not one," Chopper stated, still a big brown ball of fur, he bounced back towards his two-headed opponent. **BOING! BOING! **"Arm Point... Arm Boost!" Chopper shed his protective ball of fur and reappeared in what appeared to be his large human form, but it was only half the size with extremely muscular arms that were twice the size of the regular 'heavy point' arms.

**WOOOSH!** Chessmarimo swung one of his mallets around at Chopper but Chopper smashed one of his huge arms into the wooden mallet and broke it to pieces, **KRASH!**

**WOOOSH!** Chessmarimo swung his other mallet but an uppercut from Chopper smashed that mallet too, **KRUNCH!**

"Could a sham do that?" Chopper taunted. "If you thought that was something, you should see what my iron hooves can do against rocks!"

"WHOA!" Luffy cheered.

"**Not my hammers!" **Chessmarimo exclaimed. **"What nerve!" SWISH! SWISH!** **"These'll t****each you! MARIMO SUPER SURPRISE! QUATRO AXE!" **Chessmarimo now had a large double-bladed battle axe in each of his four hands. **"SNOW SPLITTING BLADE!" SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!** **SWISH! **Chessmarimoe slashed all four axes and made a huge gust of snow and air.

**SLI****K!** The gust flew passed Chopper and made a big gash on one of his incredibly muscular arms, it kept going and slammed into the front of Drum Castle, **BOOOOOOM! **Two huge holes had been made in the front of the castle, they started up above the huge door and came down to the ground, they appeared to go straight through the wall.

"Wow, that reindeer can really take a hit," Sanji remarked. Chopper had been cut on the arm by an attack that had done _that_ to a castle!

"Heeheehee!" Dr. Kureha cackled while Luffy had a look of amazement on his faces.

_"Hmm,"_ Ricky thought to himself as he surveyed the damage Chessmarimo's attack had done to the castle, _"I'd better restart my late night training with Zoro when this is over."_

"**You dodged it," **Chessmarimo realized, **"Let's see you dodge this!" **Chessmarimo charged at Chopper and swung all four of the axes at him at random. **"MULTI-DIRECTIONAL SNOW-SPLITTER!"** **SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!**** SWISH!** Chopper transformed into his tiny hybrid form to dodge the first attack, then transformed into his Jump Point and jumped over the two follow up attacks, he landed on the ground in his Walk Point reindeer form and leapt to the side to dodge another attack, then transformed back into his Jump Point and vaulted up over Chessmarimo's head.

"**YOU'RE GONNA TAKE ME DOWN, HUH?" **Chessmarimo taunted, **"YOU'RE NOT FIGHTING! YOU'RE JUST DODGING!" SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!** Chopper continued to cycle through his transformations to dodge the attacks, until eventually he leapt backwards, away from his four-armed opponent.

"Brain Point... Brain Boost!" Chopper called out as he reverted to his tiny child-sized hybrid form. "I wasn't just dodging your swings. I was looking for your weak spot." _"This'll finish you." _"SCOPE!" Chopper brought his hooves together and held them out in front of him, he stared through the circle that his hooves made at Chessmarimo.

As if he was a high-tech computer, Chopper stared through his hooves and scanned the two-headed, four-armed fusion fighter's body for a weak spot.

"A... a beam..." Luffy stammered, "he's gonna shoot a beam!" With all the transforming reindeer had done already, that seemed like a possibility to Luffy.

"NO HE WON'T!" Sanji snapped, "YOU IDIOT!"

"Hey, you shut your trap!" Luffy scolded him. "I'm telling you, it's gotta be a beam!"

"His enhanced Devil Fruit Powers allow him to alter his form," Ricky pointed out, "He's not the one with Devil Fruit Powers that allow him to shoot stuff!" Ricky cast a quick glance at Wapol, then looked back at Chopper.

"I'M TELLING YOU, IT'S GONNA BE A BEAM!" Luffy insisted.

"Then what kind of beam?" Sanji asked in exasperation.

"A GINORMOUS ONE!" Luffy exclaimed.

"_That castle's unguarded," _Wapol thought to himself, he'd been ignored by Luffy who was caught up in Chopper's transformations and his belief that the reindeer was going to fire a beam.

"**LOOKING FOR MY WEAKSPOT, HUH?" **Chessmarimo shouted as he charged at Chopper, four axes at the ready. **"WELL I'VE GOT SOME NEWS FOR YOU! I DON'T HAVE ONE****!"**

With nearly everyone's attention on Chopper, or at least Luffy and his 'beam theory', Wapol scurried passed them all through the front door of the castle. Ricky's sensitive ears twitched and he turned to see Wapol disappear through the door, he looked back at Chopper wanting to see the end of the fight, then at the door of the castle wanting to stop the _real_ villain.

Chopper was still rooted in his spot staring through his hooves scanning his opponent for a weak spot he claimed he didn't have.

"**YOUR ****LITTLE TRANSFORMING PARLOR TRICKS CAN'T SAVE YOU NOW!" **Chessmarimoe yelled as he got closer to Chopper. **"AND AS YOU'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT, **_**YOU'RE**_** THE ONE WHO IS GOING TO BE FINISHED!"**

"Found it!" Chopper announced when Chessmarimo was right in front of him, his scan narrowed onto Chess's chin, "His jaw!"

**SWISH!** Chopper leapt up into the air and dodged a swinging axe from Chessmarimo, the axe cut the snow and caused the white powder to fly up and obscured everything. When it cleared, Chopper was nowhere in sight. Both heads of Chessmarimo searched all around the peak of Drum Rock but there was no sign of the reindeer.

"**Huh? Where'd he go?" **Chessmarimo wondered.

"CLOVEN..." **BOOM! **Chopper erupted out of the ground in front of Chessmarimo in his Arm Point form. "ROSE!" Chopper swung with an uppercut and connected with Chess's chin, **SHA-BOOOOM!**

**Krek! **Chess's jaw cracked from the impact of Chopper's iron hoof smashing into it, Chessmarimo was sent flying backwards, he dropped his axes, and went crashing to the ground unconscious.

Chopper shrunk and transformed back into his Brain Point form. "Hah, three minutes," he commented.

"Way to go little guy," Ricky remarked, he stood up and quickly slipped into the castle after Wapol.

"YEEAAAHHHH!" Luffy cheered. "WOW! ALRIGHT! YOU WERE INCREDIBLE REINDEER! NO, YOU WERE MORE THAN THAT! YOU WERE AMAZING!"

"SHUT UP!" Chopper exclaimed, he had a huge blush on his face and did a silly dance as he received the pirate's praise.

"SHISHISHISHISHI!" Luffy's laughter rang out across the mountain top, Chessmarimo was down for the count. Now there was only one more villain left to fight.

**-x-**

Down in Big Horn, Dalton awoke to find himself lying in bed in his house with the Twenty MD's all crowded around him. HE WAS ALIVE!

**-x-**

Outside the house, Vivi was anxiously pacing back and forth. "I can't take this any more!" she said. "Let's go up the mountain, okay Usopp? Mr. Bushido? This sitting around and waiting is killing me!"

Zoro, Usopp, Mr. 5, and Ms. Goldenweek all stared at the princess in surprise. "Luffy and the others could have gotten hurt in that avalanche," Vivi continued, "they might be trapped! And don't forget, Nami and Ms. Valentine both had high fevers! If anything's happened to them..."

"You're worried about Nami," Usopp cut in as he calmly leaned back against a fence, "And Luffy, and Ricky, and Sanji, maybe Ms. Valentine, and Dalton, and what's going on in Alabasta... Vivi, can't you see it? You're carrying too many burdens on your shoulders. Calm down." Vivi stared at the sniper in surprise. "We don't need to go up there at all. And do you know why? Because they're all fine. I believe in them."

"Hmph," Mr. 5 grunted, he gave the sniper an odd look while Ms. Goldenweek looked interested.

"_That's right," _Vivi realized. _"He's right. You have to have faith in your friends. Usopp d__oes and that's why he can be so calm. I get it now."_

"Thanks a lot, you're full of wisdom Usopp," Vivi commented.

"No, he's full of crap," said Zoro as he poked Usopp in the forehead, "he's just afraid to go up that mountain." Mr. 5 and Ms. Goldenweek both sweat-dropped.

"But I heard that there are things like yetis and huge man-eating bunnies up there!" Usopp protested. "I don't want to get eaten!"

"Then say so from the start, coward," Zoro retorted while still poking Usopp in the forehead.

"Okay," Usopp conceded, "I don't wanna be some monster's snack! And I'm sure they're fine. Luffy can work out anything! And with Ricky there to keep him from going too crazy, they'll be fine!"

"**DALTON NO! WAIT!"** Someone suddenly called out from in one of the houses.

**KREK!** The door opened and Dalton came out covered in bandages, he was using his weapon as a walking stick.

"HEY! IT'S DALTON!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Thank goodness!" Vivi commented.

"Will somebody _please_ tell me who this guy is?" Zoro requested yet again. Mr. 5 and Ms. Goldenweek both shrugged. They had their guesses but were still as out of the loop as Zoro was.

Dalton dropped down to his knees and panted in the snow, a handful of civilians, as well as a doctor, followed him out of the house and crowded around him. "Dalton, listen to reason!" one of the civilians pleaded.

"Get out of my way! We can't let Wapol retake the castle!" Dalton insisted, the man had just come back from the brink of death and already he was looking to defend his country from its former king. "We just can't!"

"Wait... you mean that's where you're heading?" Vivi asked. "The castle?"

"In your condition?" questioned Usopp. "Are you nuts?"

"My country is far more important than my health!" Dalton stated. "HE CAN NOT SUCCEED! I WILL NOT LET THAT HAPPEN, NOT NOW, NOT EVER! WAPOL MUST PERISH!"

Zoro, Mr. 5, and Ms. Goldenweek all stared at the determined man in surprise. "I guess we know who he is now," Mr .5 reasoned.

"A hero," Ms. Goldenweek supplied.

"But you're not strong enough to fight them in your condition sir!" a civilian pointed out. "And the rest of us are no match for them!"

Dalton used his weapon to push himself back up to his feet, "I'm going to settle this thing once and for all," Dalton vowed. "I'll stop Wapol even if it kills me!" Dalton used his weapon as a crutch and took a few feeble steps, but then found his path blocked by... Usopp.

Usopp stared at Dalton, then turned around and got on one knee, "I'll take you to the castle," Usopp decided. Dalton stared at him in surprise and the sniper looked over his shoulder, "Come on, don't be modest! I just want you to save your strength for the fight, that's all."

"Wow," Ms. Goldenweek said as she stood beside Vivi and Mr. 5.

"How considerate," Vivi commented.

"UGGGHHHH... JUST HOLD TIGHT!" Usopp groaned, "WE'LL BE THERE IN NO TIME!" Unfortunately for the sniper, Dalton was a lot heavier than him, and he only succeeded in digging a trench with the few steps he managed to take.

"Usopp meant well," Vivi reasoned while Mr. 5 and Ms. Goldenweek sweat-dropped.

"Um... Usopp," Dalton called out, "Thanks but uh... this isn't working..."

"Just give me... a second!" Usopp panted from underneath the much larger man. "I haven't quite hit my... stride yet... Besides... I told you that I was gonna get you to the castle... and I will. Now that I've caught my breath here, we can get back on our merry way. Ugghhh..."

Zoro slapped his forehead, "Damn it, what the hell's he doing?" he wondered as he watched Usopp struggle. While it was the thought that counted, this was just embarrassing.

A couple seconds later, Zoro was standing with Dalton draped across his shoulders in a fireman's carry. "You just gonna sit there and whine or are you coming with us?" Zoro asked as Usopp stared up at him from the ground in shock.

"ZORO! YOU STUPID JERK!" Usopp snapped as he got up and started kicking Zoro in the shin. "You thunder stealer! I'm gonna punch your lights out!"

"KNOCK IT OFF!" Zoro complained, he reached an arm out and shoved the sniper backwards.

"Awww... why did you do that?" Usopp whined as he walked alongside Zoro out of town.

"Never a dull moment with these pirates," Mr. 5 remarked.

"I'll say," Vivi found herself agreeing with him. She smiled then followed behind the two Straw Hats.

"Do we stay here or go with them?" Ms. Goldenweek asked Mr. 5. They stared at each other for a moment, then shrugged and followed Vivi.

"HEY WAIT!" a citizen called out, "There's an easier way up to the castle!" The five stopped and turned around. "Instead of walking, take the rope way."

"Rope way?" another villager repeated. "Impossible. There hasn't been one connecting to Wapol's Castle for months."

"Someone's obviously reconnected one," the first citizen replied, "because I just saw it. There was a rope leading from the castle to a big white tree on the outskirts of Gyasta."

"Gyasta huh?" Usopp repeated.

"That's the name of the town that Dr. Kureha was heading to," Vivi realized.

**-x-**

"Hey Luffy, where is he?" Sanji asked. He was still pinned underneath Dr. Kureha. Chessmarimo was still lying unconscious. Luffy and Chopper were casually standing nearby.

"Huh?" said Luffy. Sanji had finally noticed the disappearance of their one-story tall opponent. Wapol was nowhere in sight.

**-x-**

Next chapter, Wapol takes the battle inside his castle and unveils his secret weapon: the Royal Drum Crown Tin Titan Cannon.

'Till Next Time...

Peace!


	26. Chapter 26

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** Once again, I don't own One Piece, just this variation of the series.

**Tin Titan Cannon:**

**-x-**

"Hey Luffy... where is he?" Sanji asked. He was flat on his stomach outside of Drum Castle with Dr. Kureha still sitting on his broken back to keep him from further injuring himself. Chessmarimo was lying unconscious on the ground after Chopper had taken him out using his Rumble Ball. Luffy and Chopper were casually standing nearby.

"Where is who?" Luffy questioned.

"That guy," Sanji answered.

"That guy... Oh! Ricky's gone!" Luffy realized.

"NOT HIM!" Sanji snapped, "The tin-plated guy!"

"OH NO! HE ATE RICKY!" Luffy shouted.

"WHAT? HE ATE RICKY?" Chopper shrieked in horror.

"With his hippo gone there aren't many places he could've gone," Dr. Kureha reasoned. "The one-eyed brat probably noticed him sneaking off and went after him."

"How?" Luffy wondered. "When did he go?"

"WHEN YOU WERE GOING GA-GA OVER THOSE TRANSFORMATIONS!" Sanji yelled. "There's not much else up here beside the castle." Sanji's visible eye went wide, "AND MISS. NAMI AND MISS. VALENTINE ARE IN THERE!"

"I'LL KICK HIS ASS!" Luffy shouted, he took off running into the castle, "RAAAAAHHHHH!"

Sanji slipped out from under Dr. Kureha and crawled after Luffy at a frantic pace, "IF ONE-EYE LET HIM LAY ONE HAND ON MISS. NAMI OR MISS. VALENTINE, I'LL KICK HIS ASS _TOO_!"

"HOLD IT!" Dr. Kureha called after the pirate with the broken back, but he was too far gone, "Oh well, I guess the nincompoop has a death wish."

"Doctorine..." said Chopper, Dr. Kureha turned to Chopper, who turned and around and sheepishly pulled his hat down over his eyes. "Those two... did you hear? They called me their friend. Teehee!"

Dr. Kureha smiled, at long last, Chopper had finally found some friends.

**-x-**

"Seems like my fever's gone down quite a bit," Nami remarked as she held the back of her head to her forehead. "That means I should be able to get back to the ship with a little more rest."

**SKIFF!** Nami sat bolt upright, startling Ms. Valentine, "WAIT! WHAT AM I SAYING?" She yelled, "I CAN'T JUST LAY AROUND IN BED LIKE THIS! VIVI'S WAITING!"

"The doctor said our treatment wouldn't be complete for another ten days," Ms. Valentine pointed out.

"I DON'T HAVE THAT LONG!" Nami snapped, she quickly slipped out of bed. "You can stay here on this island for another ten days if you want. But I've gotta get Vivi back to Alabasta!"

Ms. Valentine stared at her then nodded and got out of bed, "Alright... I'll come with you," she agreed.

**-x-**

Wapol stood in the main chamber of Drum Castle and stared around at the snow-filled interior in horror. "I GO AWAY AND THIS IS THAT HAPPENS?" Wapol shouted. "Drum Castle used to be a stately palace! Now it's nothing but a run-down hovel filled with snow! WHAT DID THEY DO TO IT?" A look of rage appeared on Wapol's face. "Ooooh! I won't let them get away with this! Grrrr... I'LL CHEW THEM UP UNTIL THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NOTHING LEFT! GRRRR!"

**-x-**

Bundled up in their blankets, Nami and Ms. Valentine headed for the door. "Doctorine doesn't seem to be around, so we can slip away now without her noticing," Nami pointed out. **KREEK! **She pulled the door opened and walked out into the snow-filled hallway with Ms. Valentine following behind her.

Unfortunately, the opening door drew Wapol's attention. "Grrr..." Wapol growled when he saw two women wandering around inside of _HIS_ castle.

"Looks like the coast his clear," Nami remarked.

"Uh... not quite," Ms. Valentine replied, she pointed over the railing at Wapol, "Who's that guy?"

"MAAAAA HAHAHAHAHA!" Wapol laughed, "Well, well, another two Straw Hats I presume."

"I'm not a Straw Hat!" Ms. Valentine honestly admitted. "You've got the wrong girl!"

"_Uh-oh, he doesn't look too friendly," _Nami thought to herself, she quickly threw her arm over Ms. Valentine's shoulder and pulled the blonde to her, "Straw Hats? Who's he talking about, sis?" Nami wondered. "I'm sorry sir, but my sister and I don't know what you're talking about."

"What? Oh... I was wrong?" Wapol commented, seemingly fooled by their ruse.

"Yes, we're just travelers passing through," Nami lied, "and we're actually just on our way out."

"Oh, I see," said Wapol.

"Nice talking to you! See ya!" Nami called out, she walked off pulling Ms. Valentine along with her.

Wapol darted forward and jumped onto a column, **Klump! Klump! Klump! **The fat former King climbed up the column to the first floor landing Nami and Ms. Valentine were on, then leapt over the railing. "LIARS!" he roared as he ran at them.

"RUN FOR IT!" Ms. Valentine shouted at, she and Nami took off running with Wapol on their tail.

"THE KING OF THIS COUNTRY COMMANDS YOU TO STOP!" Wapol yelled.

"NO WAY!" Nami refused, "GET AWAY, YOU BIG CREEP!"

"MAAAA HAHAHAHA!" Wapol laughed.

**Whap! **Ms. Valentine grabbed the orange-haired girl's shoulders and jumped over the railing pulling her with her. Nami felt a weightless sensation as Ms. Valentine lowered her own and Nami's weight down to one kilogram and the two of them lightly landed on the ground floor. **TMP!**

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY!" Wapol shouted, he jumped into a hole in the landing that had a set of stairs inside. **FWUMP!** But Wapol's large girth ended up getting him stuck in the hole, his legs pumped helplessly as he remained wedged in the top of the stairs.

"KYAHAHAHAHA!" Ms. Valentine giggled, "Nice try, fat-ass!"

"WHY YOU!" Wapol snarled. "NO ONE INSULTS THE KING AND LIVES!"

"Now you're just egging him on!" Nami scolded Ms. Valentine, "and don't change my weight again without my permission!"

"A simple 'thank you' would be nice," Ms. Valentine replied.

"That's it, I must've gained weight recently," Wapol realized, his eyes narrowed, "Well I can fix that. MUNCH MUNCH FACTORY!" **KLUNK!** Wapol's metal jaw swiveled upwards and slowly began EATING the rest of his body. **CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP!**

"WHAT IS HE?" Nami shrieked as she stared at Wapol's jaw, that was all that remained.

"The only explanation is Devil Fruit Powers," Ms. Valentine reasoned. "But that's just freaky."

**THUD! THUD! THUD! **Wapol's jaw bounced down the flight of stairs, the sound of Wapol chewing on himself was coming from inside it. **MUNCH! MUNCH! MUNCH!**

"He... turned into a bucket?" Nami said in confusion while Ms. Valentine sweat-dropped.

"**AAAHHH!"** Wapol sighed from within the 'bucket', **"My miraculous bone structure shaping technique is now complete!" WOING!** Wapol's jaw bounced up off of the ground and floated up into the air, the rest of Wapol's body was then spat out from the top.

"THE WAPOL SLIM DOWN!" Wapol called out as he stood in front of Nami and Ms. Valentine with his hands on his hips. His jaw was half the size it normally was, his nose was pointed, and his arms and legs were thin and almost lanky. Nami's eyes were drawn to Wapol's slim waist... or more importantly, the silver key that was hooked to his belt. "YOU CAN'T ESCAPE ME!" **SHOOOOM!** Wapol leapt high up into the air and flew overhead.

"YAAAHHHHH!" Nami and Ms. Valentine screamed and ran for the door.

"MAAAA HAHAHAHAHA!" Wapol laughed.** WHAM!** He came crashing down on Nami's back and pinned her down to the ground. "YOU'RE DEAD!"

Ms. Valentine looked over at the opened door and grinned, "Uh-oh, you're in trouble now..."

"**Speed Step..." ZZZZOOOOM! **A black and red blur crossed the room in the blink of an eye and slammed into Wapol, **THWAK!** Wapol's jaw was dented as he was knocked off of Nami and slammed into the wall, **WHAM!** Wapol remained embedded in the walls as the black and red blur shot towards him again. **ZZZZOOOOM! **Ricky skidded to a stop as Wapol fell away from the wall.

"I CAN'T STAND PEOPLE LIKE YOU!" Ricky snarled, "TAKE THIS, BASTARD! JUMPING AXE KICK!" Ricky jumped up into the air and drove the heel of his boot down into the back of Wapol's neck. **THA-WAK!** Wapol was sent face-first into the ground while Ricky rolled away and sat up next to Nami who was sitting on the ground staring at him in shock.

"What... _the hell_... was that?" Nami demanded. She had only seen Ricky really angry on a few rare occasions, something about Wapol had really set him off and it wasn't just because he'd attacked her.

"Misplaced aggression," Ricky answered. Nami gave him a look that clearly said 'EXPLAIN!' "A self-centered prick like him killed my brother."

Nami's eyes went wide, "Your... brother..." Realization dawned on her. "Oh, you said you had three. But you never mentioned that one. Luffy, Ace, and..."

"Sabo," Ricky supplied. "He was in the wrong place at the wrong time and an arrogant bastard thought nothing of killing him. Just because he was in the way."

Ricky looked up at Nami, "That, and he attacked you," he added, he held his hand out to Nami, "Would you mind helping me up?" Nami stood up then grabbed his hand and pulled him up to his feet, Ricky's legs shook like Usopp's at his most frightened.

"That makes this the second time you've done that speed technique of yours," Nami realized as she held him up while staring down at his shaking legs.

"I figure that if I use it more, I'll eventually get used to it," Ricky reasoned.

"Have I mentioned how grateful I am that I never pissed you off on Little Garden?" Ms. Valentine chimed in.

Ricky grinned, "Even when you were hypnotized you were more annoying than infuriating." He let go of Nami and managed to stand on his own.

"YOU INSOLENT WHELP!" Wapol suddenly shouted from the ground. "MUNCH MUNCH SHOCK!" **CHUNK! **Wapol's arm turned into a cannon and he aimed it at Ricky's back. "YOU'LL DIE FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME!"

"**GUM... GUM... STAMP!" ** Luffy's stretchy foot shot passed the other three and slammed into Wapol's face, **WHOMP! **Wapol went flying and once again slammed into the wall. **WHAM! **He hit the ground and laid there unconscious for the moment, Ricky's assault coupled with Luffy's had knocked him out.

"Hey, that's funny," Luffy remarked as he walked over, "Wasn't that guy a big fat-so before?"

Nami turned to Luffy, saw the state of her coat and gasped, "GAH!" She lashed out and clubbed Luffy on the head. Nami stared at Luffy... eerily calm... "So... would you mind telling me why the coat I kindly loaned you is all torn up before a murder you?"

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH I PAID FOR THAT THING?" Nami snarled. "28,800 BERRIES! AND THAT WAS AFTER HAGGLING!"

"Hey wait!" Luffy protested. "I didn't do it! That loud mouth over there did! It's not my fault he shot a cannon at me!"

Nami's angry expression turned into an evil grin, "Ah, okay," Nami sighed. "Then in that case Luffy, I guess I can forgive you. To be honest I should've known that you would've never brought it back in good condition when I let you borrow it. You can just pay me back at my usual rate of three hundred percent interest. Which comes to... 100,000."

"YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID!" Luffy hollered. "I WOULD'VE NEVER TAKEN IT THEN!" Nami grinned as Luffy jumped behind Ricky and hid behind him. "RICKY, I DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY! SAVE ME FROM_ HER_!"

Nami grinned at Ricky, "I suppose this means you'll have to pay me in his place," she reasoned, she held out her hand expectantly, "100,000 berries please."

Ricky tilted his head to the side, "Run that buy me one more time?" he requested.

Nami took a couple steps forward so she was standing right in front of him, "I want _you _to pay _me _for the coat that _Luffy _destroyed," Nami explained, each emphasized word was accompanied with a poke to the chest.

"Hmm, that's what I thought you said," Ricky remarked, "And it still doesn't make any sense."

"What's not to get?" Nami asked, "I've once again swindled you out of money by using your loyalty to your Nakama against you. Pay up!"

Luffy's eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped, "RICKY! NAMI SWINDLED YOU!" he shouted, even Ms. Valentine looked surprised.

"_No_, she didn't," Ricky insisted, "I gave you two million berries at Loguetown to buy casual clothes for the crew and seasonal clothing for yourself. You bought that coat for 28,800 berries with _my_ money. I'm not going to pay you back for something that I paid for in the first place."

"It was still _MY _property!" Nami insisted. "You were doing your job as the crew financial manager. That doesn't make _my _coat any less _mine_."

"I'm not paying you for something that I bought you," Ricky refused. "And I'm definitely not paying you any interest."

"THEN WHAT ABOUT MY COAT?" Nami demanded, Ricky flinched because she was still right in front of him while shouting. "Luffy ruined it! Now I need a new one!"

"I'll buy you a new coat at the next available opportunity," Ricky offered, "just like I bought that one."

"Fine," Nami conceded, she folded her arms across her chest as pouted, "but it had better be a good one. I'm not wearing crappy clothes." Despite a valiant effort from Nami, the score for the Swindling War remained the same, Ricky – 2, Nami – 1.

Luffy came over and patted Nami's back consolingly, forgetting that fact that she swindled _him _in an attempt to get to Ricky. "It's okay Nami," Luffy consoled her. "You tried really hard. You almost had him... I think. But Ricky's just too good with that stuff."

"I don't need your sympathy!" Nami snapped, "I'll get him!"

"So... are you two going to make out now?" Ms. Valentine inquired, "or is all that flirting going to go to waste?" Nami flushed while Ricky's cheeks pinked slightly.

"I WASN'T FLIRTING!" Nami yelled.

"Nami, I think your fever's back," Luffy pointed out as he stared at Nami's flushed face.

"SHUT UP!" Nami shouted.

Ms. Valentine shrugged, "Whatever you say," she relented, "but I know flirting when I see it."

"That _wasn't _flirting!" Nami insisted. "Swindling money from him is..." Nami was cut off by Wapol as he finally woke up and pulled himself up to his feet.

"ENOUGH!" Wapol called out, angry at being ignored.

"Oh, that's right, I've still gotta kick your butt," Luffy realized.

"HAH! I'll be the one doing the butt-kicking!" Wapol gloated as he motioned to a large stone double door behind him. "Behind me lies this castle's arsenal, and I'm the only one who has a key to it!"

"Yeah, I made a point not to open that door," Ricky admitted, "I didn't think anything good could've been behind a stone door in a castle full of wooden doors."

"You were right!" Wapol snarled, "Inside this room lie some of the most fearsome weapons known to man! All I need to do is devour them then my Munch Munch Powers will make them a part of my body and you'll be forced to face a fearsome living weapon the likes of which you've never seen! YOU PESTS DON'T STAND A CHANCE! MAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHA! I hope you're ready to die Straw Hats because I'm going..." Wapol trailed off when he reached down to his waist and realized there was nothing there. Just an empty key ring. Wapol had the decency to look sheepish while the Straw Hats and Ms. Valentine stared at him.

"You were saying?" Ms. Valentine asked.

'THIS ISN'T OVER!" Wapol called out before he took off running up the spiral staircase towards the upper floors of the castle.

"HEY! HE'S GETTING AWAY!" Luffy shouted as he chased after him. "COME BACK!"

Nami casually held out the silver key she'd stolen when Wapol tackled her. "So this is the key to the arsenal he was yapping about," Nami realized. "Geez, why couldn't it have been the key to this castle's treasure vault? How boring!"

Ricky smiled at her and couldn't help letting out a chuckle, "Hah-ha, nice going."

"Hehehehe," Nami giggled as she slipped the key into the pocket in her pajama pants.

"..." Ms. Valentine didn't laugh, she stared at the two with interest.

"**MISS. NAMI! MISS. VALENTINE!" **Sanji cried out as he came crawling into the room. "THANK HEAVENS! I'M GLAD YOU'RE SAFE!"

Nami knelt down and looked at Sanji in concern, "Sanji, what happened?" Nami asked. "Why are you crawling? Are you okay?"

"I think the witch might've re-broken his back," Ricky told her.

"Why would she do that?" questioned Ms. Valentine.

"Um... so he wouldn't break his back in the fight?" Ricky answered uncertainly.

**-x-**

**SLAM!** Wapol climbed up through a trap door at the top of the spiral staircase and found himself in the snow-filled upper floors of the castle. "Ugh," Wapol grunted as he stomped through the deep snow-covered hallway, "the upper levels are filled with snow too? Trash my castle and defy my orders will they? They won't get away with this! It's time I taught those in subordinates a lesson. A painful lesson!"

**SLAM!** Wapol pushed through a large pair of wooden double doors and marched across the room to a large bulky object covered in a violet tarp. "I'll use the ultimate weapon of the Drum Kingdom!" **SWISH! **Wapol yanked the tarp off to reveal a huge high-tech cannon with seven barrels and a purple and gold crown above it. "MY DEVASTING TIN TITAN ROYAL CROWN SEVEN-BARREL CANNON! MAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"**THIS IS THE END!" **Luffy called out as he entered the room, "I'VE GOT YOU CORNERED!"

"On the contrary, rubber man," Wapol retorted, "TIME TO DIE!" **KLANG!** Wapol pulled down on the lever to fire the cannon. **Chunk! Chunk! Chunk!** The crown on top of the cannon spun around as it prepared to fire, **FFFSSSSSSS! **But steam was the only thing that came out of the cannon. IT DIDN'T FIRE! Wapol growled and pumped the lever another couple of times, **KLANG! KLANG!** BUT IT STILL DIDN'T WORK!

"..." Wapol's eyes bugged out and he stared at Luffy and his malfunctioning cannon in shock.

**Peep! Peep! Peep! **A soft chirping could be heard from inside the cannon. Wapol's eye bugged out once again as a pair of baby snowbirds hopped out of one of the cannon barrels while a mother snow bird fluttered out and landed on the top of the cannon. **PEEP! PEEP!**

"HUH?" Wapol gaped at the chirping mother bird in shock while Luffy smiled.

"SNOW BIRDS, COOL!" Luffy exclaimed as he remembered the nest of snow birds on top of the front door that Chopper had protected earlier. "AAAWWWW! SHISHISHISHISHI!"

"STOP IT!" Wapol hollered indignantly, "HOW DARE YOU LAUGH AT ME! SHUT UP!"

**-x-**

**The Skies of Drum:**

**-x-**

"I have to admit, I was skeptic when I heard about this rope way to the castle," a villager admitted as he and a bunch of others stood around Dr. Kureha's old tree-house on the outskirts of Gyasta. There was a thick white rope tied around the truck of the tree that led up to the top of Drum Rock. "But here it is, just like the young man told us."

"This place looks familiar," another villager commented, "Did it use to be Dr. Kureha's house?"

**-x-**

**SHUK! SHUK! SHUK!** Up overhead, a carrage was slowly making its was up along the rope towards Drum Castle. "Great view from this thing, huh?" Zoro remarked as he stared out the window of the crowded cart, Ms. Goldenweek stood next to him silently painting a picture of the snow-covered landscape that they were passing over.

"Yeah, but isn't it a little over crowded?" Usopp asked.

"We can't let Dalton go alone when he's injured," one of the many, many armed villagers crammed into the card answered. "We'll fight alongside him."

"Okay, I get it," Usopp agreed, "but we're so overloaded, it'll take forever to get there."

Dalton was breathing heavily as he sat in the middle of the cart, Vivi was standing over him looking concerned. Mr. 5 was calmly leaning back against a wall on the opposite side of the cart from Zoro and Ms. Goldenweek while Usopp was standing behind the team of peddlers offering 'motivational support'. "YOU! PEDAL HARDER!" Usopp ordered. "YOU'VE GOTTA PEDAL FASTER!"

"Dalton, please just relax," Vivi attempted to console the man sitting on the floor.

"Wapol..." Dalton growled.

**-Dalton's Flashback from Five Years Ago-**

"Who do you think you are Dalton?" Wapol demanded on the day of Hiriluk's death after Dalton had spoken out against him. Wapol's body was covered in weapons and he was standing over Dalton after handing him a resounding defeat. Dalton was in his man-bison form and fought with all he had but had still lost. "You say there's no medicine that can cure stupidity. Who's the stupid one now?"

**CLICK! **Wapol held the barrel of one of his cannon-arms to Dalton's throat. "What? Do you think you are some hero who speaks for the lowly subjects of my kingdom? Don't make me laugh! You're just a servant!"

Dalton was thrown into a prison cell and Wapol taunted him from outside the bars. "A week in this cell will give you plenty of time to reflect on your mistake. There's nothing like prison to change a man's attitude. And just in case that doesn't work, I'm going to have the rebellious streak beaten out of you! Maaa hahahahaha!"

Wapol was true to his word and over the course of the week Dalton was beaten regularly by Wapol's men. **CRUNCH! **Kuromarimo stomped on Dalton's hand, "You're an excellent guard that the citizens trust," he afro-man stated, "Don't be a fool. Apologize to the King and show him respect Dalton."

**THWHAM!** Chess kicked Dalton in the side during another beating and sent him rolling over onto his back. "That dead Dr. Hiriluk was an idiot!" Chess lectured Dalton. "I can't believe you fell for his nonsense! Risking your status and insulting the King, have you lost your mind, Dalton?"

"I'll grant you a full pardon, Dalton," Wapol offered a week later. "All you have to do is get on your knees and say the following: 'I'm so sorry, oh Great King Wapol. You always know what's right for this country'. MAA HAHAHAHAHA!"

But Dalton had refused to apologize, and he had refused to give up on the will to save the kingdom that Hiriluk has passed on to him. Dalton's sentence was extended and he was only freed from his prison when the island was attacked by the Blackbeard and Wapol and his men abandoned the kingdom to it's fate.

**-End Flashback-**

Dalton clenched his fist, "TO HELL WITH STATUS!" Dalton shouted as the cart continued up the ropeway. "TO HELL WITH THE KING!"

**-x-**

**PEEP! **The mother snowbird in top of the cannon chirped.

"YOU DARE MOCK ME TOO?" Wapol yelled at the bird. "STUPID BIRD! I'M THE KING OF DRUM! RAAAH!" Wapol opened his mouth looking to eat the bird alive, at least it didn't fight back. But Luffy did.

**WHAM!** Luffy reached out and grabbed Wapol around the mouth. "Yeah, so what?" Luffy taunted. "It doesn't matter if you're a King! Or even if you're a God! It doesn't matter if you're someone whose great, or someone whose not so great. I'm still gonna kick your lousy butt!"

"It _does_ matter, Straw Hat!" Wapol insisted with Luffy's hand still over his mouth. "Drum Kingdom is a member of the World Government! That means this is a capital offense because I'M THE KING!"

"Like I said, big-mouth," Luffy retorted, "It doesn't matter! King or no King, I'm taking you down!"

"Oh really?" questioned Wapol, "well not if I... TAKE YOU DOWN FIRST!" **WHAP!** Wapol's mouth snapped opened but it couldn't go all the way due to Luffy's fingers stretching along with Wapol's jaw.

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "That won't work!"

'BUT THIS WILL!" Wapol replied. "MUNCH MUNCH SHOCK: TONGUE CANNON!" **SHOOM!** Wapol's pink fleshy tongue suddenly morphed into the gray barrel of a cannon.

"AAH!" Luffy yelped in alarm, "HIS TONGUE! IT TURNED INTO A CANNON!"

"GOODBYE!" Wapol shouted.

"WAAAAAHHH!" Luffy screamed as Wapol's new tongue fired at point-black range. **KA-BOOOOM!**

**-x-**

Out in front of the castle Chopper and Dr. Kureha silently stared up at the smoking hole that had just been blasted in one of the top turrets of Drum Castle.

**-x-**

**GACK!** Dalton suddenly coughed up blood as the cart neared the top of the rope way. It wasn't long ago that Chess had shot three arrows straight through his chest. The Twenty MD's may have prevented him from dying of frost bite, but his other injuries were still plaguing him.

"DALTON!" Vivi cried out in surprise. "Dalton can you hear me? Say something, please! You can't die! You just can't!"

"I'm... I'm okay..." Dalton groaned as everyone in the cart looked on in concern.

"Please don't die!" Vivi pleaded as she knelt beside the man while he took labored breaths.

"I won't..." Dalton stated. "I can't. Not until I put an end to Wapol and what he's done to this country!"

"_The government should care about its country and its people," Chess said sarcastically as he, Dalton, and Kuromarimo sat together in a meeting room. "You mean you weren't joking? That's what you really think Dalton? Please, the government doesn't need to have a heart!"_

"_That's right," Kuromarimo agreed, "It just needs to control the people."_

Dalton's beliefs that the people made the country were laughed at and mocked by his fellow officers and even by Wapol himself. The King of Drum was selfish and only cared about himself and controlling his kingdom.

_**KRASH**__**! **__A door was kicked in and Wapol's soldiers raced into a doctor's office followed by the King himself. Wapol's men forcibly dragged the doctor away from his patients. "Stop it! Let me go! You can't do this! I have patients who will die if I don't treat the__m!"_

"_Throw him in the ocean!" Wapol ordered. "If he resists you have my permission to shoot him!"_

"_No!" the doctor protested, "Think of my patients at least! They're the ones who are going to suffer! DON'T DO THIS!"_

Wapol had ruthlessly purged the country of doctors, keeping only twenty of the best for himself. People died because they didn't receive medical attention, but Wapol didn't care. Eventually the only doctors that remained where the Twenty MD's, Dr. Kureha, and the Quack Dr. Hiriluk.

"To hell with controlling the country!" Dalton grunted as he pushed himself up off of the ground with his hands.

"_Good," said Dr. Hiriluk when he rushed into Wapol's trap and was relieved to see that there was no crisis. "Then none of them are sick."_

"I'll show them what happens to a country that doesn't have a heart!" Dalton growled. Vivi gasped at the determination behind Dalton's declaration.

Dalton reached inside his green coat to retrieve his weapon for his approaching battle with Wapol. "DYNAMITE!" Usopp shrieked when he saw the string of nearly two dozen red sticks of dynamite that Dalton had wrapped around his body.

"Everyone listen," Dalton instructed. "Once we arrive, take cover because once I'm inside, there'll be explosions."

"Eh-hem," Mr. 5 suddenly cleared his throat. "If you're looking to blow something up... I'm your man. I ate the Bomb Bomb Fruit, thanks to that, I'm Human Dynamite."

"This is my country!" Dalton exclaimed. "I'LL defend it!"

"And die in the process," Mr. 5 bluntly replied. "Look at you. You're barely conscious. I've made a living of blowing people and things up. All I know about you is that you're 'Dalton' this country's hero. But that's enough to know that your country needs you. If you die taking down this Wapol-guy who'll help the people reform this country? Don't be stupid and waste your life when it can be avoided. I'll blow up this Wapol of yours and then you'll still be here to fix the damage he's done to your country."

Everyone was staring at the Baroque Works Officer Agent in shock, even Ms. Goldenweek. "Wow," Usopp said, "looks like you do have a heart in there after-all."

"Hmph," Mr. 5 grunted, "I just don't want a good man to die if it can be avoided."

**-x-**

"Chopper, you worried about your little friend?" Dr. Kureha inquired as she leaned against the doorway of Drum Castle. Chopper was staring up at the smoke that was still coming out of a hole that had been blown in one of the top towers.

"No Doctorine, not at all," Chopper replied. "Cause he's a pirate. And nothing's impossible for someone who raises the pirate flag."

"**Well said,"** came Ricky's voice as he walked out the opened door of the castle and stopped when he was standing next to Chopper. He joined the reindeer in staring up at the smoking tower. "It'll take more than a cannon to stop Luffy."

**-x-**

"MAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Wapol laughed as he stared at the hole he'd blown in the front of the tower. Luffy was nowhere in sight. "THAT IDIOT! HE LET HIS GUARD DOWN! MAAA HAHA!"

**TMP!** Luffy suddenly jumped down from overhead and landed behind Wapol, taking the former King by surprise. "Well look who's talking," Luffy remarked as he grabbed onto Wapol's shoulders and stretched backwards. "One... two... RAAAHHH!" **WHUP! WHUP! WHUP! **Luffy flipped up over his arms and flipped his rubber body around until he was wound up behind Wapol. **WHAMP!** His legs eventually came up and clamped down around Wapol's waist.

"NO STOP!" Wapol shrieked as Luffy stretched backwards again.

"GUM... GUM... BLOWGUN!" **FWOING!** Luffy unwound his body and fell backwards, sending Wapol flying up overhead.

**BOOOOM!** Wapol smashed head-first through the top of the tower and found himself on the roof of Drum Castle. He was stuck with his head and shoulders sticking out of the tower while his body was trapped inside it. The first thing Wapol saw when his vision recovered was Hiriluk's pirate flag fluttering on top of the tower across from him.

Luffy jumped out a window and climbed up to the top of the tower. "AAAAAHHH!" Wapol screamed in surprise when he saw Straw Hat still coming after him.

**Wham!** Luffy slammed his fists together, "I told you not to mess with that flag," Luffy reminded him. "Now I'm finally gonna kick your butt!" **WWOOOOOIIIINGG!** Luffy stretched both of his arms far out behind him. "GUUUUMMMM..." With his body stuck inside the tower, there was nothing Wapol could do to dodge or avoid the attack.

**-x-**

"What are you doing out here anyway brat?" Dr. Kureha asked.

"I'm supposed to distract you two so your other three patients can sneak away," Ricky honestly answered. "Now if you'll come over here and stare up at the tower, conveniently with the door out of sight, you'll be able to see the fall of your former King."

"I'll give you points for honesty," Dr. Kureha commented as she walked over and stood next to Chopper then stared up at the tower along with the reindeer and the pirate. Luffy's arms were stretching out passed the castle, out passed the top of Drum Rock, even Ricky with his limited depth perception didn't have a hard time seeing it.

"It certainly seems like it's finally over," Dr. Kureha stated, "The long nightmare has reached its end."

Chopper and Kureha both thought back to everything that had led up to today, the day the Straw Hat Pirates came and saved their island from the King. They were distracted by their thoughts and didn't notice Nami and Ms. Valentine carrying Sanji to a hiding place behind a wall in the castle.

**-x-**

"GUUUUM..."

"STOP! WAIT A MINUTE!" Wapol screamed in terror as Luffy's arms continued stretching backwards. "I'LL GIVE YOU A MEDAL AND A POSITION!"

**-x-**

"There's something going on on top of the castle!" one of the villagers in the rope way cart pointed out. It was nearly at the top and they could now see Luffy's arms stretching off in a distance. Everyone in the cart stared up and followed the arms back to the person and saw one figure on top of the castle and another trapped in a tower.

**-x-**

"Doctor..." Chopper called out to the spirit of Hiriluk. "This Kingdom... Drum Kingdom... it's... it's about to fall!"

**-x-**

**SHOOOOOM!** "GRRRAAAAAHHHH!" Luffy let out a yell of rage as his arms started retracting and shot back towards him.

"AAAAAAHHHH! FINE! I'LL MAKE YOU VICE-KING!" Wapol screamed.

"BAZOOOOOOKAAAAAA!" **BOOOOOOM! **Luffy's hands shot passed him and slammed into Wapol, he was blasted out of the tower top and went flying off into the sky.

**-x-**

Luffy, the people in the cart, Ricky, Chopper, and Dr. Kureha all stared up at the sky as Wapol eventually disappeared as a tiny speck in a distance. **TWINKL****E! **Hiriluk's pirate flag waved from the top tower, nothing was impossible for the man who raised the pirate flag, thanks to some friendly pirates, the seemingly impossible had finally happened, Drum Kingdom had finally fallen.

"So the kingdom has ultimately fallen to the skull and crossbones," Dr. Kureha remarked as she, Chopper, and Ricky smiled up at the sky. "Heeheehee!"

**-x-**

The fight is over and the kingdom is freed, but the Straw Hats and Co. aren't going to leave the island just yet. There's still some important business to take care of on the night of the full moon.

'Till Next Time...

Peace!


	27. Chapter 27

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** Once again, I don't own One Piece, just this variation of the series.

**Full Moon:**

**-x—**

**SHUK! SHUK! SHUK! **The jam-packed cart continued along the rope way to the peak of the mountain. The end of the white rope was attached to a metal pulley-system that was in a cave that had been made in the cylindrical mountain. **KRUNK!** The cart docked in the metal bottom of the cave and finally came to a stop.

Usopp hopped out of the cart and stood on the stone walkway that was alongside the cart-dock. "Everybody wait here!" Usopp instructed. "I'll brave whatever dangers lie ahead and let you know when it's safe!" While Usopp was calling out to the others in the cart, Zoro got out and walked right passed him and started up a set of stone steps. "GAAH!" Usopp yelped when he saw Zoro the Thunder-Stealer heading up ahead of him and quickly up the steps passed him. "I'M GOING FIRST!"

**CHUNK!** On the surface, something metal rose up out of the snow and revealed itself to be a small chamber. **KREK!** The metal door fell opened and acted as a ramp, leaving Zoro standing in the opened doorway at the top of the steps with Usopp hiding behind him.

"HEY! What the hell are you doing?" Zoro demanded as he looked behind him at the sniper, once he was out of sight of the villagers he was trying to impress, Usopp had reverted to his cowardly ways.

"Uhh... just watching your back!" Usopp replied.

"Hiding behind it is more like it!" Zoro complained as he struggled to get Usopp out from behind him. "Why'd you even come if you were so scared?"

They didn't notice the pirate that saw them from the top of the castle.

"Scared?" Usopp repeated. "Don't be ridiculous! I always laugh in the face of danger!"

"**RAAAAAAAAHHHH!"** a familiar voice suddenly screamed. Zoro and Usopp looked up in time to see Luffy flying at them from the top of the castle.

"EEEK! MOMMY!" Usopp shrieked in terror in the face of danger.

"Luffy!" Zoro called out in alarm.

"Zoro? Usopp?" Luffy said when he finally saw the two people he was attacking up close. Without being able to stop himself, Luffy kept going and slammed into his two Nakama, **BOOOOOM!**

Vivi, Mr. 5, and Ms. Goldenweek came walking out of the metal doorway and paused when they saw the three pirates down in a pile in the snow. "Aaah!" Vivi gasped in surprise while Mr. 5 and Ms. Goldenweek both sweat-dropped.

Luffy pulled himself out of the snow and stood up, "SHISHISHI!" he laughed.

"WHY'D YA DO THAT, YOU MORON?" Zoro snapped as he sat up in the snow.

"I didn't recognize you at first," Luffy answered. "Shishishi! I thought you were more of big-mouth's guards coming to fight!" Zoro was still wearing the coat he'd gotten off of one of Wapol's guards from down in Big Horn. Luffy hadn't recognized him from the top of the castle, but he had recognized the coat as an enemy uniform.

"Oh, hey," Ricky greeted them as he walked over from the front door of the castle. "I'm surprised to see you guys up here."

"Me too," Luffy agreed, "well not you, Zoro, but you, Usopp. Aren't you normally scared of doing stuff like climbing mountains?"

"AHAHAHAHA!" Usopp laughed, "Yeah right! Whenever there's a towering peak in front of me! I get to climbing! But let me tell you, scaling that mountain hand-over-hand was no picnic!"

"Actually, we took a rope way cart up here," Vivi explained, causing Usopp to twitch.

"Wait... there's a rope way?" Ricky asked.

"Uh... yes, sorry," Vivi apologized sheepishly. Ricky suddenly realized that he had trudged through endless lengths of snow, was chased by gorilla-sized rabbits, almost got buried in an avalanche, and fought off the Devil's Eye while carrying four other people... when he could've taken a damn rope way!

"Ugghh..." Ricky groaned, "next thing you tell me will be that the doctor was actually in the next town when we set off, and if we had waited around for another couple of minutes we wouldn't have had to climb up here in the first place."

"Uh... of course not!" Vivi lied as she tried to look as innocent as possible, she quickly changed the subject, "Are Nami and Sanji alright?"

"And Ms. Valentine too?" Mr. 5 added from over in the door way.

"Yeah, they're all fine!" Luffy answered.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Vivi sighed in relief.

"We may have taken a rope way cart, but it was no picnic!" Usopp amended as he attempted to save his story. "We were... uh... on the way when... A GIANT CONDOR flew out of nowhere attacked us!"

Ms. Goldenweek stared at Usopp and was seemingly listening to his story despite the fact that she'd actually been there and knew that it wasn't true, all the others just ignored Usopp and wrote the story off as another one of the liar's tall-tales.

"So what was it that you were doing on top of the castle a few minutes ago?" Zoro inquired.

"Everybody in the cart was freaking out thinking they were gonna die!" Usopp continued to lie, he'd added movement to the story and was now doing what looked like an interpretive dance with only Ms. Goldenweek actually listening to him. "Everyone but me of course!"

Dalton came out of the doorway and staggered down the ramp in time to hear Luffy answer Zoro, "Kicking the King's butt!"

"Okay..." Zoro agreed, that story was at least more believable than Usopp's.

"Disregarding my own personal safety," Usopp continued with only Ms. Goldenweek's attention on him. "I bravely stepped up to face the condor alone! It flew straight at me with its mighty beak, one that can slice a man in half! But at the last minute I leapt to the side with my usual grace..."

"You mean that person I saw flying through the air... was actually Wapol?" Dalton asked Luffy while staring at the Straw Hat Pirate in shock. "You... you beat him?"

"Yup, I sure did!" Luffy replied. Mr. 5 frowned but was unnoticed since everyone's attention was on the conversation going on between Luffy and Dalton, or in Usopp and Ms. Goldenweek's case, Usopp's story. It almost seemed like the Bomb Man was disappointed that he didn't get to blow Wapol up as he'd offered to.

"Leave it to Captain Usopp to stop a giant condor in mid-flight!" Usopp bragged while Ms. Goldenweek sat down in the snow and listened with rapt attention. "I leapt onto my foe's back and lassoed its neck and showed that bird who was boss! ME, CAPTAIN USOPP!"

"His two henchmen!" Dalton pressed Luffy, "what happened to them?"

"The reindeer took care of those two," Ricky answered.

"What... those two lost... to a..." Dalton stammered in surprise.

"ONCE AGAIN! CAPTAIN USOPP SAVED THE DAY!" Usopp exclaimed while Ms. Goldenweek applauded the story.

"HEY USOPP!" Luffy called out to the sniper, "We made a new friend! You've gotta meet him! Get this, he's a reindeer!"

"A reindeer?" Usopp and Dalton both repeated at the same time.

"He's right over there," Ricky stated as he pointed over his shoulder at Chopper who was 'peeking' out from behind a tree in the small forest that was around the castle in his usual clumsy fashion.

"Ahh..." Dalton gasped when he saw Chopper 'hiding' behind the tree. "It's you..."Dalton's mind flashed back to the day of Dr. Hiriluk's death, to his battle with the monster that had followed the quack doctor up the mountain.

"_I apologize for those who had the nerve to laugh at Hiriluk's death, but without enough strength you'd only die in vain," Dalton apologized to 'Hiriluk's son' when he clashed with the monster in his Zoan Hybrid Form. "You have to live! Live for the sake of this country!"_

"Blue nose..." Dalton whispered as he stared at Chopper, "you never gave up... did you? You still kept fighting, believing in what this country could become..." Dalton dropped down to his knees and bowed to the pirate and the reindeer that had saved his country. "Thanks to you, Drum Kingdom... it can finally be reborn!" Chopper and Luffy stared at the man in surprise, not used to being bowed to.

Then the villagers came and ruined the mood. "What... what is that strange creature behind that tree?" a man with a gun wondered when he saw Chopper.

"It almost looks like a... reindeer," another villager supplied.

"No... you're wrong!" a third villager objected, "It's a-a MONSTER!"

"AAAAAAHHHH!" Usopp screamed in terror at the 'monster'. "IT'S A YETI! HELP!"

The villagers aimed their guns, prompting Chopper to run off screaming and crying.

"NO! DON'T SHOOT HIM!" Dalton shouted.

"**Leave him alone!" **Ricky suddenly growled, he stood in front of the villagers with his arms out at his sides. "That 'monster' just saved your kingdom despite how horrible you've treated him over the years! You should start showing some _damn_ gratitude! If any of you _dare_ to raise a gun at him again, that _monster_ will seem like an affectionate puppy compared to me!" The villagers all shook and dropped their weapons, Vivi stared at the First Mate and was glad that his anger wasn't directed at her this time.

While Ricky dealt with the villagers, Luffy dealt with Usopp, **WOMP! **Luffy clubbed the sniper over the head, "You jerk-face!" he snapped. "He's not a yeti, you idiot! He's our new friend!"

"THAT THING'S YOUR FRIEND?" Usopp yelped in surprise.

"Yeah, and you guys scared him so bad he ran away!" Luffy exclaimed. "I'll bring him back..."

"Luffy," Ricky interrupted, causing the Captain to turn to him. "If you don't mind, I'll get him. And I'll get him to join our crew in the process."

"You think you can do it?" Luffy asked. "I've asked him a bunch of times but he just ran away."

"I've been working on it since I first met him," Ricky replied. "I'll get him to join, I promise."

Luffy smiled and nodded, "Alright, I'm counting on you."

Ricky turned and sprinted off after Chopper, "Wait Chopper! Come back!"

"WAAAAAHHHH!" Chopper screamed as he ran away from Ricky.

"They're not gonna shoot you, stop running!" Ricky called out.

Eventually the reindeer and the pirate ran around the side of the castle and disappeared from view. "Ungghh..." Dalton suddenly groaned and dropped down on one knee. Vivi, Usopp, and the villagers quickly ran over to him.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay, Dalton?" Vivi asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Dalton reassured her. "I'm just feeling a little drained that's all. I'll be fine after I've rested." Dalton was still suffering from his injuries, but now that the threat of Wapol had been dealt with he didn't have to worry about protecting his country.

"HEY! YOU OVER THERE!" Dr. Kureha called out.

"D-DOCTOR KUREHA!" the villagers stammered.

"Heeheehee," Dr. Kureha cackled, "yes, it's good to see you too. Now be useful and take the injured guy to the medical ward."

"HEY! I recognize her!" Zoro suddenly exclaimed, that was the batty old hag in the sleigh that he'd encountered when he was lost. He'd asked for a ride into town but got punched in the face and then ended up buried in an avalanche. "YOU'RE THAT DAMN OLD HAG FROM BEFORE! I—" **THAWK! **Zoro was left lying on the ground with a lump on his head courtesy of Dr. Kureha.

"Well, get moving!" Dr. Kureha ordered. "I'd suggest you hurry unless you want to be in the kind of pain this man is in."

Hiding behind a wall in the entrance hall of the castle, Nami, Sanji, and Ms. Valentine were still hiding from Dr. Kureha. Thanks to Ricky's distraction they'd managed to sneak to their hiding place without the doctor noticing. "Miss. Nami, Miss. Valentine, you'd better go back and get treated," Sanji advised as the three of them sat at the bottom of the wall.

"Quiet!" Nami hissed. "We need to escape from here now or we won't be able to set sail for two more days! You know how worried Vivi is, we need to get her to Alabasta."

"**Quit all this grumbling and get back to the medical ward," **came the voice of Dr. Kureha, "RIGHT... NOW!" **THWHAM! **Dr. Kureha kicked her foot through the stone wall, terrifying Nami and the two blondes that were leaning against it.

**-x-**

**TMP! TMP! TMP!** Chopper had changed into his four-legged Walk Point Form and was still running away from Ricky.

**Krush! Krush! Krush!** But Ricky was still keeping up with him and had the blue-nosed reindeer in his sight. "Chopper, get back here!" Ricky called out. "I want you to join our crew!"

"NO YOU DON'T!" Chopper shouted back at him, "I'm a monster, AND YOU SAID I DIDN'T BELONG WITH YOU!"

"I'm tired of this!" Ricky growled, "Speed Step..." **ZZZOOOOM!** Ricky became a blur as he closed the distance between them and slammed into the reindeer, **KRASH!** Ricky and Chopper went tumbling through the snow and eventually slammed into a tree.

"Uggghh..." Chopper groaned, there were swirls in his eyes and he was dizzy from the crash.

Ricky regained his bearings and managed to sit up then grabbed him so he couldn't run away.

"Now we can talk about this in a civilized manner," Ricky resolved, he stared down at Chopper, "When I said you didn't belong with us, that was because I thought you weren't willing to fight for your dream. The world if full of skeptics, dreamers like us have to get used to people doubting us and calling us fools, if you don't have the courage and strength of will to fight for your dream then you'll never accomplish it. But after seeing you transform and take out that two-headed guy, I know that's not the case anymore. You _can _fight for your dream. Just like you fought for Hiriluk's."

"But... I'm a reindeer!" Chopper protested. "And I'm a monster! I don't belong on a ship with you humans!" Chopper transformed into his Brain Point Form and sat up next to Ricky.

"Ugghh..." Ricky groaned as he reached down into his bottom right pocket, "I didn't want to do this because I didn't want to scare you. But you've left me no choice." Ricky pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it, then showed it to Chopper, "Do you know what this is?"

"A... wanted poster," Chopper answered as he read the word 'wanted' on the top.

"Right, and do you know who it's of?" Ricky inquired.

"Um... '_'the Demon' Red Eye'_?" Chopper read off of the poster.

"You can read," Ricky commented, "but do you have any idea who that is?" Chopper shook his head. "Red Eye was an out-of-control killer that plagued the Grand Line for a year's time, killing hundreds. The marines sent countless men after him but he killed any marines that were unlucky enough to find him. He even killed the photographers they sent so the Marines never got a picture of him for the poster. About a month ago, it was rumored that Red Eye died and exploded. Some called him a demon, others called him a monster. He earned the title with all the people he killed."

"Why are you telling me this?" questioned Chopper.

"Because Red Eye is still alive," Ricky answered, he slowly reached up and pulled off his eye patch, exposing the Eye of the Devil. "I'm Red Eye."

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Chopper screamed in terror, he took off running, "YOU'RE GONNA KILL ME!"

Ricky shot out his arm and used the Eye's telekinetic powers to pull Chopper back to him. **WHUMP!** Chopper was left lying on his back in the snow and was practically hyperventilating. "Calm down," Ricky instructed. "I'm not going to kill you. I found this eye in a cave on an island in the New World. I had recently had my old eye cut out and thought it would be a good replacement. It gave me enhanced vision and powers of telepathy and telekinesis. But the eye is evil. It used its powers to take control of my body and I was forced to watch as it slaughtered people on a year-long killing spree."

Chopper stared up at Ricky in shock.

"You see," Ricky continued, "because of the things this eye made me do, _I'm _the one people call a demon. _I'm_ the monster." Ricky gave Chopper a hard look with both eyes, "And I'm more of a monster than you'll ever be. Despite that, my Nakama let me stay on the crew. If they can let a monster like me sleep on the same ship as them... a transforming talking reindeer with medical skills would be accepted with open arms." Ricky reached up and pulled his eye patch back down, once again covering the Devil's Eye, "You may be a monster but so am I... so is Luffy for that matter..." Ricky smiled at Chopper, "we monsters should stick together."

**-x-**

Out in front of the castle, Zoro was sitting on the ground with a lump on his head, Mr. 5 was idly sitting nearby, and Luffy, Usopp, and Ms. Goldenweek were rolling a bunch of big snowballs together. Dr. Kureha, Dalton, and the villagers had all gone inside the castle and they had dragged Nami, Sanji, and Ms. Valetine along with them.

"AAAAARRRGH!" Speaking of Sanji, the cook was currently in the operating room and was screaming in agony as Dr. Kureha tended to his broken back. The villagers standing outside the room, which was held closed by a pair of axes, and shook in terror when they heard the screams coming from inside. "AAAAHHH-AAAAHHH! UNNNGGGHHH!"

Eventually the screaming stopped, and Sanji was left unconscious and strapped to an operating table.

"Heeheehee," Dr. Kureha cackled as she left the room, causing all of the gathered villagers to flinch. "Just as I suspected. His injuries have gotten worse due to overexertion." Dr. Kureha casually pulled out a bottle of rum and drank from it.

Nami and Ms. Valentine laid together in the same bed with Vivi sitting on a stool at their side. A heavily bandaged Dalton was currently occupying the bed that Ms. Valentine had been in earlier.

"Ah, much better," Dr. Kureha sighed when she finished her drink, she turned her attention to her newest patient. "Dalton, surely you would know where the key to the arsenal is, isn't that right? My locksmith didn't open that door for me, but our agreement was any ten doors for free services so now I need the key to get in there." In her bed, Nami perked up and was now paying close attention.

"The arsenal?" Dalton repeated. "Why do you need to get in there?"

"That's really none of your business now is it?" Dr. Kureha replied as she drank from her rum bottle.

"Wapol always carried that key with him," Dalton answered. "To keep it secure he said. In which case, the key was likely blown into the sky with him."

"Oh really, is that so?" Dr. Kureha inquired. "Well that's a shame."

"Doctorine..." Nami called out as she sat up in bed. "Would you mind discharging all of us right now?"

"Is that a joke?" Dr. Kureha growled, "you should know better than that by now girly! You will all stay here to recover for two more days."

"Nami, she's right you know," Vivi advised, "you need to complete your treatment."

"I'm fine," Nami assured her. "I don't even feel like I'm gonna die anymore."

"That isn't exactly a very convincing reason," Vivi told her.

"It's a huge improvement over how we were feeling before," Ms. Valentine supplied.

Nami pulled a familiar silver key out from the pocket in her pajamas and swung it around with her finger. "The key to the arsenal," she stated with an impish grin, "this is what you needed, yeah?"

Dalton sat up and stared at her in shock, "How did you end up with that key?" he asked in surprise.

"If that's truly the real one, how'd you get a hold of it?" Dr. Kureha questioned.

"I stole it," Nami replied with a cheeky smile.

Dr. Kureha walked over and glared at Nami, "You've certainly got a lot of guts trying to negotiate with me like this," Dr. Kureha commented, "You really are an unbelievably frustrating little girl, you know?"

"Hehehehe," Nami simply laughed in response.

**SWIPE!** Dr. Kureha snatched the key away from Nami, "Thank you," she said as she headed for the door. "But as a licensed doctor I can't allow you to leave in good conscience. Not for two days."

"WAIT A SECOND!" Nami protested. "Then gimme that key back!"

"LISTEN HERE GIRL!" Dr. Kureha snapped as she stood in front of the door. "I have to leave you alone now and go take care of a few things. If you look in the back room you _**might**_find a dresser, it _**might**_ have one of my coats in it as well as your one-eyed friend's hat and some of your extra coats. My reindeer is currently missing so I _**don't**_ have any guards posted. The young man with the spinal fissure _**might**_ be well enough to travel by now, BUT GIRL! _**Don't**_ try to escape!"

Dr. Kureha turned to the villagers who were all still standing there stupidly, "You guys, come with me. I have some heavy lifting for you to do." Dr. Kureha left the room and headed for the arsenal, she was followed by the group of villagers. This left Nami, Vivi, Ms. Valentine alone in the room with just Dalton in one bed, and the unconscious Sanji in the adjoining room.

"Did she really just tell us to steal her coat, take the others' clothes, get Sanji, and sneak out?" Nami wondered.

"Uhh... it sounded like it," Ms. Valentine admitted.

Dalton laid back down, "I'm sleeping so I have no idea what you're about to do," he announced.

**-x-**

Ricky and Chopper sat on top of a tower and stared up at the full moon that was in the night sky up above them. The flag pole from Dr. Hiriluk's flag was behind them and the black flag itself was waving over their heads.

"Wow, it sure gets dark fast here," Ricky commented as he stared at the stars.

"It's winter on a winter island," Chopper told him. "The days are really short while the nights are a lot longer. It only takes ten minutes for the sun to set."

"Hm," was Ricky's casual response.

It was quiet for a moment, then Chopper spoke. "I'm… honored that you want me to join you but I have to stay here," he resolved.

Ricky glanced down at Chopper who was sitting next to him, "Wapol's gone now," he pointed out, "so the country is going to be reborn. What else is there for you to do here? If you stay on this island forever you'll never accomplish your dream."

"It's for the best," Chopper answered. "Dr. Hiriluk..."

"Wouldn't have wanted you to stay here," Ricky interrupted. "He would've wanted you to go out to sea. He would've wanted you to live out your dream."

Chopper stared at Ricky as his mind flashed back to something Dr. Hiriluk had told him, _"Chopper, someday you've got to go to sea, if you do, you'll realize just how small your problems really are."_

"You're not likely to get another chance like this," Ricky pointed out. "But don't make your final decision just yet. I want to introduce you to the rest of my Nakama."

"But what if they hate me?" Chopper asked, "What if the villagers shoot at me?"

Ricky smiled, "I don't think they will," he replied.

"But what if they do?" Chopper insisted.

Ricky turned and stared down at Chopper, "Then I'll kick their asses," he decided. "I'm not gonna let anyone shoot at my new little brother."

"L-little brother?" Chopper repeated, he stared up at Ricky wide-eyed.

"Yup," Ricky said, "Since you've never had one, I've decided to be your big brother. And if you come to sea with us, I'll be able to look after you better."

"You can't just decide something like that!" Chopper protested.

"Why not?" Ricky asked.

Chopper thought back to Ricky's definition of a 'Big Brother'.

"_Someone older than you that looks out for you," Ricky explained, "someone who's on your side no matter what, someone who encourages you to be better."_

"_Don't you have to be related to be brothers?" Chopper inquired._

"_Heck no," Ricky told him. "I'm Luffy's big brother and we're not related. When I met him, he was all alone with no friends, just his grandpa. But I was there for him and looked after him. He ate a Devil Fruit and people looked at him like he was some kind of freak but I made sure that he was never alone. I'll sail to the end of the Earth to help my little brother achieve his dream."_

"R-really?" Chopper stammered.

"Sure thing, little guy," Ricky agreed, "Now I'll really be the middle child in my weird family. Two older brothers and two younger ones."

"Family?" Chopper repeated, his eyes grew even bigger. When he was with Dr. Hiriuk they shared a father-son bond. But now Ricky was offering something even more than that: a family, something Chopper had never had, something his herd had never been.

Ricky stood up, "Come on," he said, "I want you to meet the others." Almost in a daze, Chopper stood up as well.

"Uh..." Chopper glanced down at the ground that was far below them. "How do we get down?"

"Good question," Ricky commented as he stared down at the ground along with Chopper, "How did we get up here to begin with?"

**-x-**

Out in front of the castle, Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Mr. 5, and Ms. Goldenweek were still waiting for the others.

"HEY REINDEER!" Luffy hollered. "COME BE OUR NAKAMA!"

"Come on Luffy, why don't you just give up?" Usopp asked, he and Ms. Goldenweek were working together on a snow-sculpture. No one was sure what it was yet, they just knew that it was huge. "Either Ricky'll talk him into joining or he won't."

"If he's not interested in becoming a pirate you're just gonna have to accept that," Zoro advised.

"NO! YOU'RE WRONG!" Luffy exclaimed as he pointed a finger at Zoro. "I'M BRINGING THE REINDEER WITH US!"

"YEAH! AGAINST HIS WILL!" Zoro snapped.

"REEEEEIIIINDEEEEEEEERRRR!" Luffy shouted. "WHEREVER YOU ARE REINDEER, COME OUT! JOIN OUR NAKAMA!"

"**Luffy, what's with all the shouting?" **came Nami's voice as she came out the front door of the castle followed by Vivi. Vivi was wearing her usual winter clothing but Nami, at the risk of looking unfashionable, had on Ricky's black and red cowboy hat and a purple coat that she'd _found_ in a dresser.

Ms. Valentine came out after them wearing the golden coat that Ricky had loaned her, she was dragging the unconscious Sanji along behind her by the leg. Using her powers she'd reduced the cook's weight to a mere five kilograms and could easily pull him on her own and with his body so light he barely sunk into the snow and skimmed along on top of it without the risk of re-injury.

Clearly they'd followed Dr. Kureha's 'orders'. They _**had**_taken the coats in the other room, they _**had **_taken Sanji, and they _**had **_snuck out while there were no guards posted.

"We're trying to get the reindeer to join our crew," Luffy explained. "But he ran away. Ricky went after him and promised he'd get him to join but they're not back yet."

"He promised?" Nami repeated with a smile, she knew full-well that when Ricky promised something, he delivered on it. "In that case he'll be here any second."

"**We're already here,"** Ricky called out as he walked around the corner with Chopper riding on his shoulders. "We had to climb down from the top of the castle." Ricky walked over to the others and then addressed the reindeer riding on his shoulders, "Chopper, ride's over. Time to meet them."

Chopper jumped down off of Ricky's shoulders and stood next to him, Ricky pointed to Luffy who was closest to him, "That's our Captain Monkey D. Luffy," Ricky began, "you've already met and as you know he ate the Gum Gum Fruit which turned his body into rubber. He's a monster."

Ricky led Chopper passed Luffy and over to Zoro, "This is Roronoa Zoro, he's a swordsman. He's the second mate and a very crappy ship's guard since he's all the way up here. Back in the East Blue he's known as Roronoa Zoro the Pirate Hunter, his name brings terror to any pirates that hear it. And if you ever see him without a shirt on you'll notice a huge scar running across it. That wound was made by Hawk Eye Mihawk, the World's Greatest Swordsman. It would've killed a lesser man but he's still alive which makes him a monster." Zoro shrugged indifferently as Ricky led Chopper away from him and up to Usopp.

"This is our sniper Usopp," Ricky stated, "he uh... long-nose tell him about yourself."

"Well back in my home village I was known as Captain Usopp THE DEMON KING!" Usopp declared. "I had an army of three hundred zombies under my control! Even the most terrifying pirates ran screaming when they heard I was coming!"

"SCARY!" Chopper screamed while Ricky flinched, everyone else sweat-dropped that the reindeer actually believed the liar.

"Don't joke about zombies," Ricky grumbled before he turned back to Chopper. "He's also a great shot. He could fire his slingshot from the top of this mountain and hit a house down in one of the towns." Usopp's chest swelled up with pride. "He's a bit of a monster too."

Ricky led Chopper onward and over to Nami, she raised an eyebrow and wondered how he was going to introduce her, "That's Nami, you've already met her of course. She's our navigator and has a strange ability to sense oncoming weather."

"That's not scary!" Chopper piped up.

"I never said it was," Ricky replied, "You wanna see scary? Try getting her mad."

"What was that?" Nami growled with a demonic aura behind her.

"AAAAAAHH! MONSTER!" Chopper shrieked as he jumped behind Ricky.

"What are you hiding behind _me _for?" Ricky asked. "She's not gonna strangle _you_!" Ricky quickly moved on to Sanji who was still out cold on the ground. "Um... that's our cook Sanji. You saw him earlier, he had a broken back was still trying to fight Wapol and his flunkies. He kicks even harder than Doctorine's and I doubt he'd think twice about cooking you if he thought it would make Nami or any other female on our ship happy."

"EEEK!" Chopper squealed, anyone who could kick harder than Doctorine _and _wanted to cook him was definitely a monster.

Ricky led Chopper over to the three Baroque Works Agents, "These three aren't on our crew," he admitted. "In fact they were former enemies. But now that the battle's over we came to an agreement where we'd grant them safe passage from Little Garden to Alabasta is they agreed to stay out of the war that's taking place in the kingdom. One of them can make things explode, another can hypnotize people using paint, and Ms. Valentine, who you've already met, can change her weight and crush stuff."

"I like your hat," Ms. Goldenweek, a fan of pink hats, commented.

"SHUT UP!" Chopper shouted at her… while blushing, "I don't care what you think!"

"Don't worry, he does that," Ms. Valentine reassured the smaller agent.

Ricky brought Chopper over to Vivi. "This is the Princess I told you about, Nefertari Vivi. Now that we're done saving your country, we'll be setting off to save hers."

Chopper tugged on the leg of Ricky's pants, the one-eyed pirate knelt down and Chopper whispered in his ear. **Mumble... mumble... mumble...**

"Why don't you tell her yourself?" Ricky asked. Chopper just smiled sheepishly. Ricky stood up and addressed Vivi, "Vivi, Chopper thinks you're very pretty. Just like the princesses he's read about in stories."

"Oh, thank you Chopper," Vivi replied with a smile, Chopper's cheeks flushed and he started doing a giddy dance.

Ricky grabbed him and pulled him back so he was standing in the middle of the group, "Now you've met everybody," Ricky resolved, then he turned to the others, "Everybody, I'd like you to meet Tony Tony Chopper, he's a transforming reindeer that can do anything a human can."

Ricky turned and stared down at Chopper, "So you think you're a monster," Ricky restated, "Big deal. I think the best place for a monster is on a whole crew full of 'em." Ricky smiled, "What do you say little brother, do you want to join our pirate crew?"

"..." Chopper stared at Ricky, then at the smiling members of the Straw Hat Pirates. This was it. His chance to go out to sea and live his dream, and it was with a pirate crew that accepted him and even encouraged him to be what he was... a monster. Another opportunity like this wouldn't come along any time soon, if ever, there was only one course of action to take.

"YEEEEEAAAAAHH!" Chopper cheered, he jumped up and hugged Ricky around the middle, "I'M GONNA BE A PIRATE!" Ricky smiled and hugged the reindeer back.

"WELCOME ABOARD CHOPPER!" Luffy called out as he ran over and joined Ricky and Chopper's hug. Nami joined them a couple seconds later and was followed by Usopp. Chopper was near tears at the warm reception he was receiving, this was something completely foreign to him.

Ricky glanced over at Zoro who was standing away from the others, "What? Are you too cool to join us?" he asked.

"I don't hug," Zoro objected.

"Oh yes you do," Ricky told him. "Sanji's excluded because he's unconscious but if you don't join our group hug, you'll be _swimming_ to Alabasta." Zoro grumbled obscenities under his breath as he stomped over the others and reluctantly joined with the group hug.

"They really are an incredible group of pirates," Ms. Valentine remarked as she and Vivi stood on opposite sides of Sanji, the only Straw Hat not involved in the group hug.

"I'll say," Vivi agreed as they continued to watch the Straw Hats welcome their new Nakama.

**-x-**

**Hiriluk's Cherry Blossoms:**

**-x-**

A little bit later, the Straw Hats were all waiting outside the castle. Chopper had gone inside to tell Dr. Kureha about his decision to become a pirate and to say goodbye.

"Are you two completely recovered from your illness already?" Usopp asked, he and Ms. Goldenweek were still working together on their giant snow statue and had enlisted the help of Ms. Valentine. With the three of them working together it was really starting to take shape... as a life-size Tim the Tyrannosaurus. Zoro and Mr. 5 were casually sitting on a pile of snow as they watched the snow sculpture take form.

"Yup," said the blonde officer agent as she sat on snow-Tim's back weighing only a single kilogram and helped smooth out snow-Tim's head.

"Sure am," Nami replied as she gave the sniper a thumbs up. She was still wearing Ricky's cowboy hat and Dr. Kureha's purple coat. "I feel great."

"Hey, how about we go and say goodbye to the old doctor lady and that Dalton-guy from the village?" Luffy suggested as he rolled passed on a big ball of snow. The snow-sculptors had kicked him out of their group when his lack of artistic talent almost ruined their life-sized snow dinosaur.

"Don't be so thoughtless," Nami scolded him, "we need to leave Chopper alone with Doctorine for a while. He lived with her for six years, we should let them say goodbye in peace. I'm sure it's going to be really sad for them both. Doctorine acts all though in front of us, but deep down I think she really is a kind person."

"So we're just gonna leave without saying anything to her?" Ms. Valentine asked.

"You three are welcome to stay here," Nami told her. "But once Chopper comes back we'll go straight down the mountain and set sail to Alabasta. Sounds good to you, right Vivi?"

"Yes, now that we have a doctor with us," Vivi agreed from where she was kneeling next to the still unconscious Sanji.

"Doctor?" Luffy repeated in confusion as he stood on the big snowball and rolled passed her.

"We should probably stop in one town to get some supplies," Ricky suggested, he was on his back staring up at the star-filled sky. The clear sky on the top of the mountain was almost perfect for star-gazing in his opinion. "We got a lot of meat on Little Garden but we could use some extra supplies that we could probably get in a village."

"We'll just make a quick stop then," Nami resolved.

"In that case I'll go ahead and get the rope way ready," Usopp volunteered, he left the nearly complete snow sculpture and headed for the cart bay they'd come out of earlier. "Hey Luffy! Gimme a hand!"

"I didn't even know there was a rope way!" Luffy commented as he rolled after Usopp on his snowball.

"I'm bored," Mr. 5 announced as he stood up followed after them, "I'll help you."

This left Nami, Ricky who was still star-gazing, Zoro who was still lazily sitting on his pile of snow, Vivi who was kneeling next to the still unconscious Sanji, and Ms. Valentine and Ms. Goldenweek who now only weighed one kilogram each and were finishing Snow-Tim's head.

Nami walked over to Ricky, the one-eyed pirate glanced at her curiously as she laid down in the snow next to him and stared up at the sky. "Is that my hat?" Ricky asked.

"I figured you wouldn't want to leave it behind," Nami reasoned as she took off the black cowboy hat and tossed it over to him.

"You're just _giving_ it to me?" Ricky inquired. "I thought you'd make me jump through hoops to get it."

"Consider it a freebee," Nami told him. "You worked wonders with Chopper and you managed to make him feel like he belonged on our crew."

"Yeah well, I kind of like that little guy," Ricky admitted.

"You still owe me a new coat," Nami reminded him.

"You're _wearing _a new coat," Ricky pointed out.

"Yeah, a _used_ coat that I _stole_," Nami clarified, "I want you to _buy me_ a _new_ coat." Ricky sighed and shook his head.

"Are they gonna kiss now or are they just gonna lie there?" Ms. Goldenweek asked as she and Ms. Valentine sat on top of Snow-Tim's head and watched the two pirates lying together in the snow.

"That's what I asked," Ms. Valentine told her. "But then everything got awkward and they denied everything."

"Usopp and I were thinking of starting a pool," Zoro chimed in from where he was now lying against the Snow-Dinosaur's giant foot. "Would you two be interested?"

Ms. Valentine and Ms. Goldenweek looked at each other and then nodded, "First we have to get our hands on some money," Ms. Valentine admitted.

Zoro nodded, "I'll talk to Usopp," he resolved. "With you three and the Princess here, we might have enough money to make it interesting."

**-x-**

Back in the castle, the villagers were busy lugging a bunch of cannons out of the arsenal. Dr. Kureha stood in the middle of the room barking orders. "Now hurry it up and get them out of here!" she called out. "Once they're all outside the castle line them up! You got that?"

"Uh... Dr. Kureha?" one of the villagers spoke up uncertainly. "I don't understand this. What are we taking all of these cannons out of the arsenal for?"

Dr. Kureha smiled and headed for the door, "Just hurry up and get it done," she ordered. The villagers looked at each other but then shrugged and got back to work.

Dr. Kureha headed back to the medical ward, she pushed opened the door to the room to find that Dalton was now the only occupant. "Well look at that," Dr. Kureha remarked. "It seems as if we have a couple of patients missing."

"Yes they all left," Dalton told her. "They 'disobeyed' your orders."

"Oh I see," said Dr. Kureha, "what a bunch of troublemakers." She walked over to her desk and pulled out a rum bottle, she opened it and took a long drink.

"**DOCTORINE!" **came the voice of Chopper, Dr. Kureha turned around in time to see Chopper come running into the room. "DOCTORINE! I need to talk to you right now!"

"Chopper, where have you been?" Dr. Kureha asked. "Hurry up and get down stairs. You can help the men take the cannons outside."

"Please listen, Doctorine!" Chopper requested, "I'm going to become a pirate! I'm leaving with the others right now!"

"What did you say?" questioned Dr. Kureha.

"I'm going out to sea," Chopper explained, "I'm going to be their ship's doctor. I'm going to travel everywhere!"

"STOP THIS FOOLISHNESS CHOPPER!" Dr. Kureha snapped, causing the reindeer to flinch. "Now listen, you know you're my only assistant. I'm the one who taught you everything you know about medicine. Do you really feel no gratitude at all for what I've done?"

"No, no that isn't true," Chopper insisted. "I'm incredibly grateful to you Doctorine. And I'll always love this land. It's where I met you and Doctor after all."

"Hmph," Dr. Kureha grunted, "then you can just stay here. If you think you can find another home as nice as this one somewhere in the outside world, you're sadly mistaken."

"B-but Ricky said he'd be my big brother!" Chopper protested. "He said we'd be like a family."

"Those pirates aren't good for anything," Dr. Kureha stated. "You'll just end up dead on some vagabond's sword."

"I can accept that," Chopper told her.

"DON'T SOUND SO SURE OF YOURSELF!" Dr. Kureha scolded him. "A reindeer going out to sea? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of!"

"YEAH! I _AM_ A REINDEER!" Chopper agreed. "But still... I'M A MAN!"

It was silent for a moment as Dr. Kureha stared at him. "You can talk tough for now," she commented, "but you're still my assistant, Chopper. If you wanna leave, you're gonna have to go through me first! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

"Ah... Doctorine..." Chopper gasped. **WOOSH! CHUNK! **An ax whizzed passed Chopper and embedded in the wall next to him. Chopper glanced at the ax that had missed him by inches and let out a frightened yelp as he jumped away from it. "YAAAAHHH!"

"You're still afraid of your own shadow," Dr. Kureha pointed out. "You're telling me you're a man?" Dr. Kureha pulled out another ax and rested it on her shoulders. "Oh please, don't make me laugh!"

"But Doctorine..." Chopper attempted to reason with her, "these pirates... don't you see... they're like me. And they like me too!"

"QUIET YOU!" Dr. Kureha snarled. **WOOOSH!** She threw her ax and it embedded into the wooden door on the other side of Chopper this time. Chopper stood in shock as the crazy doctor ran and gathered up a bunch of other weapons. "NO! I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU LEAVE ME!"

Chopper backed out of the room in terror and narrowly dodged some thrown weapons. "YOU'RE STAYING!" Dr. Kureha hollered.

"YAAAAAHHHHH!" Chopper screamed as he took off running.

"GET BACK HERE, CHOPPER!" Dr. Kureha shouted as she ran out of the room and chased after him, throwing weapons at the terrified reindeer as she went.

"I wonder what all that noise is about," one of the villagers wondered as he and a partner lugged a large cannon towards the door of the castle.

"Whatever's going on, we'd better hurry and get all this stuff outside," his partner reasoned. "If we aren't careful Dr. Kureha will start using us for target practice."

"Don't exaggerate," the first villager said.

"**COME BAAACK!" **Dr. Kureha yelled as she chased Chopper across the other side of the main chamber. "I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY FROM ME, CHOPPER!"

"WAAAAAHHHHHH!" Chopper shrieked as he reached the villagers and ran in zigzags through them. The villagers had to dive out of the way to avoid the weapons that Dr. Kureha was throwing.

**-x-**

"What's going on?" Zoro wondered, hearing the screams from inside. "There's a lot of noise coming from the castle."

"Kyahahahaha," Ms. Valentine laughed, "It sounds like a mad-house in there."

"How inconsiderate," Nami commented, "making all that noise while those two are trying to say goodbye. That's just down-right rude."

"Yeah... my ears tell me that the villagers aren't the only ones screaming," Ricky pointed out. He quickly stood up and offered his hand to Nami, "We should probably get going, if we stick around we may end up finding out why they're making all that noise." Nami took his hand and allowed Ricky to pull her back up.

"Good point," Zoro said as he stood up.

"WEEEEE!" Ms. Valentine squealed as she and Ms. Goldenweek slid down the back of Snow-Tim's head, across his back, and down his long tail. When they reached the bottom Ms. Valentine stood up and helped Ms. Goldenweek up to her feet, they looked ready to go too.

**-x-**

Chopper ran over to the sleigh that was parked in the entrance hall and quickly transformed into his Walk Point form and harnessed himself on it. _"I'm sorry Doctorine," _Chopper thought. _"But I want to go out and see the world beyond this island." _Chopper ran for the door pulling the sleigh behind him.

**WOOOSH!** **CHUNK!** Chopper ran passed a spear that had sunk into the ground near him.

"WHAT COULD SOMEONE LIKE YOU DO ON A PIRATE SHIP, CHOPPER?" Dr. Kureha shouted as she swung a mace beside her. "ARE YOU GONNA TRY TO LIVE SOME FANTASY LIKE THAT OLD QUACK?"

"NO! YOU'RE WRONG!" Chopper shouted back at her. "IT WASN'T A FANTASY! DOCTOR'S RESEARCH WAS FINALLY COMPLETED BEFORE HE DIED!"

"Is that him?" Zoro asked as Chopper came running out of the castle pulling the sleigh behind him.

"How many blue-nosed reindeer do you think are on this island?" Ricky inquired.

"What's going on?" Nami wondered when she saw Dr. Kureha chasing after the reindeer while swinging a mace around over her head. "HE'S BEING CHASED!"

"HEY!" Usopp called out from the door to the rope way bay, "WE GOT THE ROPE WAY READY TO GO!" Luffy and Mr. 5 came up behind him and the three of them stared in surprise at the reindeer.

"EVERYONE GET ON THE SLEIGH!" Chopper called out. "WE'RE GOING TO HEAD DOWN THE MOUNTAIN! HURRY!"

"Zoro, grab Sanji and jump in!" Ricky instructed. Zoro heeded the order and grabbed Sanji and he and Vivi jumped into the sleigh as he passed them. Ms. Valentine grabbed Ms. Goldenweek's hand and they jumped in after them. Nami let out a surprised yelp when Ricky picked her up and then leapt into the front of the sleigh.

**SHWUK! SHWUK! CHUNK! **Dr. Kureha's mace sank into the ground ahead of them, they raced passed it into the cart bay in time for Usopp and Mr. 5 to jump into the back of the sleigh and for Usopp to grab onto Luffy's hand as they took off.

**-x-**

"HEY!" a villager on the ground called out as he pointed up at the sky. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?"

The villagers all stared up at the sky, "AAH! THAT'S THE WITCH'S SLEIGH!"

Up in the sky, a sleigh pulled by a reindeer seemingly FLEW passed the full moon.

**-x-**

Up above the island, Chopper ran along the white rope that was invisible to anyone looking on in a distance.

"See, this is much better than that crazy flying chicken of yours," Nami pointed out as she, Ricky, and Ms. Valentine sat in the front of the sleigh.

"Hey, leave Bob out of this," Ricky protested as he pinned his cowboy hat onto his head with his hand.

"Kyahahahaha!" Ms. Valentine laughed as she enjoyed the ride.

Zoro was casually leaning back against one side of the sleigh, Ms. Goldenweek was next to him but she was leaning over the other way and looked like she was going to be sick. Sanji was sprawled out on the floor with Vivi sitting next to him, and Mr. 5 and Usopp were in the back of the surprisingly roomy sleigh. Usopp was turned around and was holding one of Luffy's arms as the rubber pirate flew along behind them.

As he pulled the sleigh down the rope way Chopper thought back to the six years he'd spent learning under Dr. Kureha. While he was sad to leave on the terms that he had, that wasn't going to stop him from setting out to sea along with his new Nakama.

**-x-**

"..." Dr. Kureha stood at the edge of the mountain and watched the sleigh make its way down the rope way to her old tree.

**-x-**

"Hey, what was that thing?" a civilian wondered as he and some others stood around Dr. Kureha's tree having just witnessed the sleigh going passed.

"It looked Dr. Kureha's reindeer," another civilian answered. "And those pirates were riding in the sleigh."

"What's going on up there anyway?" a third wondered. "What happened to Wapol?"

"I hope Dalton's alright," someone else commented.

**-x-**

"SHISHISHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed as the sleigh raced through the snow and headed towards Big Horn from Gyasta. He had finally gotten in the sleigh and was sitting in the back enjoying the ride. "THAT WAS FUN! HEY REINDEER, CAN WE DO THAT AGAIN?"

"KYAHAHAHA!" Ms. Valentine laughed along with him, "YEAH!"

"You idiots!" Nami scolded them. "We don't have time for that!"

"I thought I was gonna die," Usopp whimpered.

"Hey! Where am I?" Sanji wondered as he finally regained consciousness.

"Oh Sanji, you're awake!" Vivi realized. "You okay?"

"BLEH!" said Ms. Goldenweek as she lost her lunch over the side of the sleigh. Motion sickness, no wonder she was lazy.

"Uh... you alright there?" Zoro asked, mildly concerned.

"Hmph," Mr. 5 grunted, although this grunt had a hint of amusement to it.

"Chopper, Big Horn should be around here somewhere," Ricky told the reindeer. "Do you mind stopping there so we can get some supplies?"

**-x-**

"You really think that was the best way to say goodbye?" Dalton asked Dr. Kureha, he stood behind her wearing his green coat.

"A pet I was taking care of is being looked after by someone else now," Dr. Kureha replied, "that's all."

"Besides," Dr. Kureha added there were tears in her eyes and there was a smile on her face, not that Dalton could see it from behind her. "I don't like long goodbyes."

Dr. Kureha turned around and slapped Dalton on the chest, **WHAP!** "Come on!" she ordered as she walked passed him towards the castle. "We have work to do! We have to prepare a fitting send-off!"

"Ow," Dalton complained as he held his chest, she'd just hit his arrow-wound. He shook it off and followed after her towards the castle.

**-x-**

"_I'VE FINALLY DONE IT!" Dr. Hiriluk exclaimed when his beaker glowed pink. "This is it! This reaction! I've been waiting thirty years for this!"_

"_Doctor," _Chopper thought to his dead father as he pulled the sleigh through the snow. _"It wasn't a fantasy like she said, right? You finished your work! You accomplished your dream! Or was that all a lie too?"_

"_I'VE DONE IT, CHOPPER!"Hiriluk had shouted. "MY RESEARCH IS A SUCCESS!"_

"_Did you lie because you knew how sad I'd be if you died without completing it?" _Chopper wondered. _"Nothing is impossible for a man who raises a pirate flag! Please, say it again doctor!"_

**-x-**

**CHUNK! CHUNK! CHUNK! CHUNK!** Out in front of the castle a long line of over twenty cannons turned upward and pointed up towards the sky.

"ALRIGHT YOUNG MEN, ARE YOU READY?" Dr. Kureha called out.

"YES!" the villagers chorused as they stood at salute next to the cannons.

"THEN FIRE!" Dr. Kureha commanded.

**BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! **The cannons were all fired off into the sky as ordered, the explosions could be heard all around the island.

"DOCTOR KUREHA!" Dalton shouted over the explosion. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"Just shut up and watch," Dr. Kureha told him.

**-x-**

**BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! **Cannon fire rang out in a distance startling villagers all around the island. "It's coming from the castle!" someone shouted in alarm.

"Is Wapol setting off fireworks or something?"

"No! Those are cannon blasts!"

"What's happening up there?"

"It's too dark to see what they're doing!"

**-x-**

"DR. KUREHA, ALL THE CANNONS HAVE BEEN FIRED!" a man reported.

"THEN LIGHT THEM UP!" Dr. Kureha shouted.

**-x-**

Up in the sky, a pink glow bathed the entire island. There wasn't a single person that couldn't see it. Chopper had gotten out of his harness and was standing in front of the sleigh in his Brain Point form staring up at the sky. All the others were standing in or around the sleigh and were staring up at the sky as well.

"Whoa, cool!" Luffy gasped as he sat on the front of the stationary sleigh and stared up at the sky.

"Yeah," Zoro agreed as he stood beside the sleigh.

"It's so pretty," Nami commented as she stood in the sleigh next to Ricky, she reached down and took his hand in hers. Ricky gave her hand a light squeeze as he stared up at the sky in unmasked amazement, this was something he'd never seen before.

"..." Usopp, Sanji, Vivi, and Ms. Goldenweek all stared up at the sky in astonishment.

Mr. 5 had his sunglasses raised as he stared up at the sky. He thought back to the powerful display from the giants when they left Little Garden.

"_I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes," Mr. 5 had muttered._

_Ricky grinned at him, "Get used to that," he advised, "With our crew, the extraordinary in the norm."_

Mr. 5 tore his eyes away from the sky and glanced at the back of Ricky's head, _"He was telling the truth. It's as if things like this are practically the usual for these pirates. I can't believe it."_

Beside him, Ms. Valentine stood staring up at the sky in awe. _"These are the kinds of things these pirates are capable of,"_ Ms. Valentine thought to herself. _"Nothing's impossible for them. They won't let anything stand in their way. Mr. 0 and Baroque Works are limited by what they believe is or isn't possible while people like the Straw Hats make the impossible possible. Baroque Works doesn't stand a chance."_

**-x-**

"This... this is amazing!" Dalton exclaimed as he stared up at the sky, the pink glow was even brighter from on top of the mountain.

"I still can't understand what that idiot was thinking," Dr. Kureha remarked.

"_This is no ordinary dust, Kureha," __Dr. Hiriluk had explained six years ago. "__This dust is designed to attach itself to the white snowflakes as they come down from the sky. The white snow will then become a beautiful shade of pink for everyone to see!"_

**-x-**

Tears dripped out of Chopper's eyes and ran down his face as he stared up at the sky. _"DOCTOR... DOCTORINE..."_

"BWWWAAAAAAA!" Chopper openly cried up at the pink-filled sky.

From a distance the cylindrical mountain looked like the trunk of a tree and the huge cloud of pink that floated around the top of it make it look like a giant Sakura tree in full bloom. The pink snowflakes that fell from the enormous cloud of pink looked just like cherry blossoms in the light of the full moon.

Dr. Hiriluk's dream had come true. He'd done the impossible. He'd made cherry blossoms bloom in an island of snow. It truly was a miracle.

"Now have a safe trip," Dr. Kureha called out, "my stupid son." The castle behind her was bathed in pink and the skull and crossbones that fluttered up on top of it gave proof that anything was possible. Dr. Hiriluk's dream had come true, and now Chopper was setting off as a pirate looking to make his dream of the miracle cure a reality.

**-x-**

And that marks the end of the Drum Kingdom Arc, next chapter it's on to Alabasta.

'Till Next Time...

Peace!


	28. Chapter 28

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** Once again, I don't own One Piece, just this variation of the series.

**A/N: Sorry this is out a little later than usual. I was working on one of my many mid-term projects. It turned out well.**

**On to Alabasta:**

**-x-**

The Straw Hats and their guests had stopped to gather their supplies and were now on board the Going Merry. Everyone was gathered on the rear deck and was staring in amazement at the island at the miracle Dr. Hiriluk had made possible as the Going Merry slowly drifted away from Drum Island. Even out at sea, pink snowflakes fell from the sky and landed on the ship.

"Whoooa!" Luffy gasped.

"Oooo!" Usopp cooed.

"It's beautiful!" Vivi exclaimed.

"Yeah," Nami agreed. Sanji stood in between the two women and silently smoked a cigarette.

"Like a bunch of cherry blossoms," Zoro commented.

"And in a land of snow," Mr. 5 added.

"It's a miracle," Ms. Valentine remarked.

**Skish! Skish! Skish!** Ms. Goldenweek was painting the pink-covered island on a canvas Usopp had lent her.

"…" Chopper sat on the railing of the rear deck and stared at his home and Dr. Hiriluk's dream come true, Ricky leaned against the railing next to him, silently offering his support.

"Hey, do you think Chopper's okay?" Usopp whispered to Nami. "He looks a little down."

"He'll be fine," Nami replied, "He's got Ricky with him. The rest of us should just leave him alone for now."

"It's an emotional time,"Sanji resolved, "he's going on his first journey as a man. It's a rite of passage."

"And he's leaving Drum Island behind for good," Vivi added, "It's been his home his entire life."

"I'm leaving them," Chopper said as he continued to stare off at his old home, his mind buzzing with memories of his life on the island. "Both Doctor and Doctorine. My adventure is finally starting. Right now, on this ship." Ricky reached over and patted him on the back reassuringly as the Going Merry sailed further and further away from the island.

A little bit later, the Straw Hats began to celebrate their adventure and their new Nakama.

"SHISHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed as he ran across the rear deck with a pair of chopsticks stuck up his nose and the other end wedged in his mouth. "WOOHOOO!"

"Heh heh!" Zoro chuckled as he, Sanji, and Chopper, "These cherry blossoms are like party decorations!"

"Wahahahahaha!" Sanji openly laughed.

"Hey, come on Chopper!" Usopp called out to the reindeer who was still sitting on the rear railing. "Snap out of it! You can't just sit there in a daze all night long, ya know!" The marksman grabbed Chopper and pulled him off of the railing then offered him a mug of grog, "Ya wanna a drink?"

**WHAP!** Sanji knocked Usopp aside as he threw his arm over Chopper's shoulders, "Come sing a song with us!" the drunk cook offered.

"Here!" Luffy called out as he offered a new pair of chopsticks to Chopper, "shove these chopsticks up your nose! Go on!" Chopper slipped away from the rowdy pirates, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji were all clearly drunk while Luffy was being his normal rambunctious self. Ricky had disappeared and the three Baroque Works Agents were staring at the four pirates in surprise.

"Okay… I know they weren't this strange when we left Little Garden," Mr. 5 stated.

"Back then they were just happy to be alive," Ms. Valentine attempted to rationalize their behavior. "Now they're celebrating a new addition to their crew."

Ms. Goldenweek was holding a mug of grog and was staring down into it, "This stuff makes everyone act weird," she gave the drink a tentative sniff. "A rowdy bunch like them should stick with tea."

"Oh, lighten up!" Ms. Valentine replied as she snatched the mug away from Ms. Goldenweek, "it's a party!" Before the other two agents could stop her, Ms. Valentine downed the grog and joined the Straw Hats in their celebration.

**Whap! **Nami surprised Chopper when she placed a hand on his shoulder from behind, "They're a handful," she told him while smiling reassuringly. "I hate to tell ya, but your new Nakama is about as crazy as they come."

"My… Nakama?" Chopper repeated, it was still hard for the reindeer who had only had two people he had considered himself close to in his lifetime to believe that he had finally found people that accepted him for who he was.

"That's right," Nami replied, "These guys can really be a lot to handle, but now that you're one of us, you're gonna have to get used to it."

"CARUE!" Vivi exclaimed as she hugged her duck, "What in the world were you doing frozen in the river like that?" When they had returned to the ship after stopping for some supplies in Big Horn they were shocked to find Carue frozen in a block of ice.

"Quaaa… quuaaaa…" Carue whimpered.

"Heh heh! That bird!" Zoro chuckled, "a thousand berries says he slipped and fell into the river! He's a clumsy one!"

"Be quiet Mr. Bushido!" Vivi scolded him as she wrapped a blanket around her duck.

"Quuuaa… quuuaaaa… quack-quack… quack!" Carue quacked, Chopper listened with interest then turned to the others.

"He says that Zoro was swimming in the river and disappeared," Chopper translated, "and that some guy named Mr. 5 told him to go and find him. So he jumped into the river and ended up getting frozen in it."

"SO THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Nami shouted as she hit Zoro on the back of the head from behind, **BONK!**

"YOU JERK!" a flushed Ms. Valentine stomped over to Mr. 5 and socked her partner in the face. **POW!** Mr. 5 went flying across the deck and hit the far wall. After being sick and coming so close to death, it appeared that Nami and Ms. Valentine were now back at full strength. Although, Ms. Valentine seemed to be a little drunk.

"So you were really able to understand everything that Carue was saying?" Vivi asked Chopper.

"Yes," Chopper replied, "I'm still technically half-animal by nature. So I can understand what they say."

"You can talk to animals?" Vivi realized.

"Oh wow, Chopper!" Nami exclaimed. "Between your medical skills and talking to animals you've got some amazing talents!"

Chopper blushed and started doing a giddy dance while saying, "Don't be silly you jerk, flattering me like that isn't gonna make me happy or anything!" the reindeer insisted.

"He sure looks happy," Luffy and Usopp chorused as they stood beside the giddy reindeer and watched him dance… then attempted to imitate it.

"Hey, what did you mean about Chopper's medical skills anyway?" Zoro wondered.

"Chopper's the best doctor in the world," Ricky stated as he came around to the rear deck with two mugs and a bottle of sake in his hands and a barrel tucked under his arm. "That old witch taught him everything there is to know about medicine and he was taught to dream by the quack that made those cherry blossoms. The two combined make the greatest doctor ever."

"Impossible!" Zoro retorted, "Chopper, are you seriously a doctor?"

"No way!" Usopp gasped.

"Wow, cool!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Wait… why're _you_ surprised?" Ms. Valentine asked as she pointed her now empty mug at the rubber pirate. "You were there too."

"Really Luffy, if you didn't know that what did you think Chopper was when you asked him to join us?" Nami asked the Captain.

"A talking-transforming-reindeer-monster," Luffy answered.

"An emergency food supply," Sanji offered.

"GAAAAHH!" Chopper shrieked in terror and jumped behind Ricky, he 'peeked' out from behind the one-eyed pirate's legs.

"Sanji… we'll eat _Usopp _before we eat Chopper," Ricky bluntly informed him.

"WHAAAAAAATT?" Usopp screamed in terror. "I DON'T WANNA BE EATEN!"

"With the fights Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji are bound to get into we'll need someone to patch them up when it's over," Ricky pointed out, "Chopper will be more useful."

"Please… tell me you're joking…" Ms. Valentine requested. If Ricky really was willing to resort to cannibalism, why would he eat his crew when he had three former enemies to choose from?

"I don't joke," Ricky bluntly stated.

"PLEASE DON'T EAT ME!" Ms. Valentine screamed.

"WE NEED FISHING POLES!" Usopp shouted, "LOTS AND LOTS OF FISHING POLES! If you have lots of big fish to eat, then you won't eat me!"

"Well there's a good idea," Ricky remarked, "you've been talking about making fishing gear for a while now but have never really gotten around to it. Now you have some motivation. To be honest, I don't exactly _want _to resort to cannibalism. That's why you're only our last resort."

**ZZIP! **Usopp ran into the storage room.

"OH NO!" Chopper suddenly exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Chopper," Ricky reassured him. "We aren't going to eat him. That was just a threat I had no intention of carrying out."

"It's not that, I…" Chopper started to say but was cut off by Ms. Valentine.

"Oh pheeew," the flushed blonde agent sighed in relief. "That was a close one. Cause if you were gonna resort to eating a crew member, I don't know what you would've done to me." She snatched a new mug of grog from Zoro and began to drink from it.

"I think she's had enough," Ricky commented.

"She's only had one," Ms. Goldenweek stated.

"She's always been a lightweight no matter what she weighs," Mr. 5 informed them. "She's your problem now." With that, he walked off the rear deck and descended through the flap in the main deck down into the men's quarters.

Nami looked back at Chopper, "What were you going to say?"

"I was in such a big hurry I left my medical bag behind!" Chopper exclaimed, "It had all my tools in it, and the research from the Twenty MDs!"

"Your bag?" Nami repeated as she pulled out a blue backpack with a white 'x' on the front of it. "But isn't this it?"

"Huuh? That is my bag!" Chopper realized.

"It was in the back of the sleigh," Nami stated.

"How's that?" Chopper wondered.

"What do you mean?" Nami questioned. "Weren't you the one who packed the sleigh and got it ready for the trip?"

Chopper thought back, he hadn't had time to pack when he left. Doctorine had gotten mad and started attacking him. She threw all sorts of weapons at them and chased them until they reached the ropeway. Chopper knew that he hadn't packed his medical bag, and that only left Doctorine. Tears welled up in Chopper's eyes as he realized that Doctorine had packed his bag and loaded it into the sleigh, somehow knowing that Chopper would be leaving with the pirates.

"Doctorine must've known what you were planning to do even before you decided to leave the island with us," Nami realized. "What a kind woman."

"Nah, she's still a witch," Ricky replied he turned away from the others who had gone back to the celebration while Nami and Chopper had been talking. Zoro was attempting to wrestle his mug away from Ms. Valentine but the blonde was too attached to it and was clutching it to her chest.

Ricky put his barrel down next to Chopper and placed the sake bottle on top of it then put the two mugs down on the deck and fished into his pocket and produced two saucers before he sat down on the other side of the barrel from Chopper.

"Here's the deal little guy, in order for us to become brothers, we have to share a drink together." Ricky opened the sake bottle and poured some out into the two saucers.

"Ricky…" Nami started to say in a disapproving tone.

"Nami, he's a man now," Ricky pointed out. "Sharing your first drink is an important part of a man's life." Nami sighed and looked away while Ricky turned to Chopper and picked his sake saucer up off of the barrel. "Hold it carefully, you don't want to break it with your hooves." Chopper mimicked Ricky and picked up his saucer then sniffed it, "Cheers, little brother."

Ricky and Chopper raised their saucers and slowly drank the sake, Chopper wasn't used to the taste and cringed a little but was determined to get it down. When they finished Ricky reached his arm around Chopper and patted his far shoulder, "There you go, now we're brothers."

Chopper beamed, "That wasn't so bad… but it didn't taste so good."

"Sake tends to have a strange taste if you aren't used to it," Ricky explained, "that's why I brought this." Ricky removed the sake and the saucers from the barrel and broke the top opened to reveal the grog inside. He poured some grog into the two mugs and slid one over to Chopper. "This is grog from the North Blue, my favorite kind. It's a little potent but it tastes good. I can easily down an entire barrel of this stuff in one go." Chopper raised his mug and sniffed it, he smiled slightly and took a sip while Ricky did the same.

Ricky lowered his mug after two sips but found Chopper still drinking, "Uh… you might wanna slow down a little…" Ricky advised. But Chopper kept drinking and eventually finished the entire mug.

"Teeheehee!" Chopper laughed, "That's really –" **HIC! **"– good! Now I know why –" **HIC! **"– Doctorine likes to drink so much!"

"Looks like you have a low tolerance," Ricky noted, "you'd better get something to eat or you're gonna end up like Ms. Valentine." The blonde in question was now flushed bright red, she and Luffy both had chopsticks shoved up their nose and were doing a goofy dance together. Ricky nudged Chopper over to the others so he could join the celebration.

Usopp had emerged from the storage room in time for Luffy to shove chopsticks up his nose too and he was forced to join Luffy and Ms. Valentine in their chopstick dance. Zoro and Sanji were in the middle of a food fight of some kind, both were clearly drunk because a sober Sanji would never waste food. The fight appeared to have started when Zoro called Sanji "dartboard-brow" and Sanji retorted by calling the swordsman "moss-head". Vivi was currently attempting to nurse her frozen duck back to full-health while Ms. Goldenweek was silently sitting off to the side attempting to paint it all on a large canvas.

Nami sat down in Chopper's vacated spot next to Ricky and watched the celebration, "Do you think he'll be okay."

"TEEHEEHEE!" Chopper laughed loudly as he stuck chopsticks up his nose like Luffy, Usopp, and Ms. Valentine were.

"I think he'll fit in just fine," Ricky replied with a small smile.

"Oh, there's something I need to do now that the adventure's over," Nami realized.

"Oh? And what's that?" Ricky inquired.

Nami leaned over the grog barrel so her face was right in front of his. To his credit, Ricky didn't back down. But because he hadn't, and due to his already limited frame of vision, he failed to notice Nami's fist, **POW! **Ricky was caught off guard when Nami's fist impacted with the right side of his face and knocked him out cold.

"HEEEYY!" Ms. Valentine handed her chopsticks off to Usopp and stomped over to Nami. "I thought you were gonna kiss 'im, not knock 'im out! Why'dja do that?"

"He's been taking care of us and hasn't slept in three days," Nami reminded her. "I'm making sure that he gets some sleep like I said I would. He's a light sleeper so I figured that knocking him out for a few hours would be the easy solution."

The drunk blonde stared at Nami then down at Ricky, "Ya could've let 'im enjoy da party!" she argued. "Wake 'im up with some mouth-tah-mouth!"

"I'm not doing that!" Nami protested.

"Okay, then I'll…"

"YOU'RE NOT DOING IT EITHER!" Nami snarled.

Usopp stood on top of the galley with a mug raised overhead, "LISTEN UP STRAW HAT CREW!" he called out to the others. "I PROPOSE A TOAST TO OUR NEW NAKAMA CHOPPER!"

"TO CHOPPER!" Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Sanji, and even Vivi, Carue, and Ms. Valentine cheered.

Ms. Goldenweek smiled as she sat to the side and continued her attempts to capture the joyous celebration in a painting.

"TEEHEEHEE!" Chopper laughed, "THIS IS THE MOST FUN I'VE EVER HAD!"

**-x-**

"I wonder if they've made it off the island yet," Dalton commented as he and Dr. Kureha stood at the peak of Drum Rock. The cherry blossoms had faded and the full moon once again shined from above. "You know that reindeer friend of yours is a first-rate doctor with a first-rate heart. I'm very glad to have known him."

"Those cherry blossoms of Hiriluk's really did lead to something miraculous," Dr. Kureha said. "Hmph, but who would've thought the miracle would be that clumsy reindeer going out to sea with a group of pirates? That kid, acting like he's a grown man all of a sudden."

"I have a feeling he'll make a fine ship's doctor," Dalton replied.

"So what are your plans now that Wapol is gone from the island for good?" Dr. Kureha inquired.

"For a long time I worked as the Captain of the Guard under Wapol's tyrannical rule," Dalton said. "That's something I still need to make amends for. I was thinking about leaving this country… and trusting the citizens to make a better land for themselves without me here as a reminder."

"I see," Dr. Kureha stated, "is that what you've decided to do?"

"No," Dalton answered, "I realized that leaving here isn't the way to make up for past mistakes. This country is rid of its corrupt monarch. Its citizens are preparing to build a new country that's all their own. I think that if I stayed here… I could help them build it into the country it's meant to be. Maybe that will help, by washing away some of the guilt that I carried around with me for so long."

"Well, it seems to me that you certainly do carry the strength of heart to take care of this country," Dr. Kureha told him.

"Strength of heart is needed to look after a country," Dalton replied. "And it can be difficult to come by but I once saw it from a girl who was no more than ten years old at the time."

**-Dalton's flashback from six years ago-**

"Grrrr… the World Summit again," Wapol grumbled as he walked with Kuromarimo, Chess, and Dalton following behind him. All the Kings from the major kingdoms of the world had come together to discuss the pressing issues of the world and how they would combat them. "I'm tired of coming to this thing every year."

"Absolutely right, sir," Kuromarimo quickly agreed.

Dalton stopped and stared at a nearby stream, _"I wonder how much longer Drum Kingdom can continue like this," _Dalton thought to himself. _"The rift between the monarchy and the citizens keeps growing."_

"Oh look," someone called out as a tall man with long curly black hair, a pointed nose, and a black beard like an Egyptian pharaoh walked passed. He was wearing colorful but thick cloth robes and was flanked by two men wearing similarly heavy but less colorful clothing, "It's the King of Alabasta, Nefertari Cobra."

"A King who is known throughout the world for his benevolence and wisdom," Dalton remarked as the King of Alabasta and his two guards went passed.

**-x-**

"Dragon the Revolutionary…" a man sitting at the head of a long table lined with Kings stated as he held up a picture of a black haired man with a red tattoo going down the left side of his face. "This man's beliefs are very dangerous. As world leaders we should be aware of the threat he poses to our countries. In as little to five or six years he will become a prominent enemy opposed to our interests."

"Aaaaaah!" Wapol yawned as he picked his nose with his pinky finger, "Well I don't know about the rest of your dumb countries… but mine's governed too well for the citizens to be led astray by some revolutionary. Go ahead and capture him if you want, but leave me out. It's ridiculous!"

**WHAM! **Nefertari Cobra shot up to his feet and slammed his hands on the table, "YOU FOOL!" Cobra shouted, the King of Alabasta's sudden shouts caused Wapol to fall out of his chair "WHY DO YOU THINK WE'VE ALL GATHERED HERE AT THE WORLD SUMMIT? Just act responsibly for once!"

"NO ONE TALKS TO ME LIKE THAT!" Wapol snapped before he promptly stormed out of the meeting.

**-x-**

"Well that summit was as unenjoyable as all the rest of 'em," Wapol remarked as he left the meeting with Kuromarimo, Chess, and Dalton once again following behind him. He stopped when he spotted someone, a ten year old blue-haired girl who was standing next to a tall man with his hair in rollers. "That girl! She's that idiot Cobra's daughter!"

Wapol chuckled to himself as he walked over and then swung at the daughter of the man that had humiliated him, **WHAP! **"OOPS! MY HAND SLIPPED!" Wapol shouted.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Dalton yelled in alarm.

"PRINCESS VIVI!" the man with his hair in rollers exclaimed as he knelt down next to the blue haired girl.

"Oh excuse me!" Wapol called out, "if I'm not mistake, you're the Princess of Alabasta Kingdom. Wow! It must be really embarrassing to have such a pathetic father!"

"DAMN IT, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" the roller-man roared at Wapol.

"No, stop Igaram!" the ten year old pleaded with the man as she got up off of the ground. "I'm fine." Vivi turned to face Wapol, a bruise was already starting to form on her forehead from where Wapol had hit her. She took a deep breath and smiled at the King of Drum Kingdom, "My apologies. I didn't look where I was going, sir."

Wapol and Igaram both growled while Dalton stared at Princess Vivi in surprise, "That is quite a child," he commented. "at a World Summit like this where all the most powerful leaders are gathered, tensions tend to run high. The slightest argument can trigger an all-out war. Knowing that, she refused to make a scene. She's so young to be so wise." The ten year old Princess of Alabasta had shown more maturity and restraint the then full-grown King of Drum Kingdom.

"What an annoying brat!" Wapol scoffed as he, Chess, and Kuromarimo walked away. "Let's go Dalton!"

"Forgive us," Dalton apologized to Vivi and Igaram on behalf of his King before he walked off.

A moment later, Dalton came across Vivi and Igaram again. Now that the Princess was out of the public eye, she was crying while Igaram attempted to comfort her, "It hurts," Vivi cried.

"You made me so proud today Princess Vivi," Igaram told her.

**-End Flashback-**

"That Princess had great strength of heart indeed," Dalton concluded, "and that hasn't changed. She's remained strong all these years. She would make anyone proud."

"Dalton, please," one of the Twenty MDs called out from where the entire group stood behind the man. "The desire to care for our country hasn't faded from within us either."

"Allow us to do something," another doctor requested. "We want to help build a new country."

Dalton turned and smiled at them, but he turned serious when he spotted Hiriluk's black flag flying from the top of the castle. "Hiriluk… this country will be reborn as you always wished it to be. Just like your son, Chopper."

"**DALTON! YOU NEED TO HEAR THIS!" **a civilian soldier called out as he came running out of the castle carrying a sheet of paper in his hand. "I just remembered something important that I forgot to tell you!"

"What is it?" Dalton asked.

"Take a look at these," the man instructed as he handed a pair of wanted posters to Dalton. They were of 'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy and his First Mate 'One Eye' Ricky. They were worth a combined total of fifty million berries. "It's them! That's the Straw Hat Pirate that defeated Wapol. We're sure of it!"

"You mean they have a bounty of fifty million berries on their heads?" Dalton asked in surprise. "Are you certain?"

"Goodness," Dr. Kureha remarked, "They're quite a band of rogues, aren't they? Heeheehee!"

"Where'd you find this?" Dalton asked the man as Dr. Kureha came over to get a better look at the two wanted posters.

"Um… well…" the civilian soldier stammered, "I forgot to report this to you, Dalton, I'm very sorry. I guess it all happened about a week ago. These three seemingly random travelers showed up in Robelle Town. Strangely, it was a day without any snowfall. We have no idea where on the island they landed, anyway, the leader told us something…"

**-Flashback from a week ago-**

Three people stood in the middle of the street in Robelle Town. The leader of the trio was a man that stood at 6'1" and wore a long black cloak, a ruby necklace, and a black hat lined with rubies and two faces on the front, one was smiling and one was frowning. His messy black hair and freckles could be seen from under the brim of his hat.

The second member of the trio was a man that stood at 5'11". He wore a tan fedora hat, a long tan trench coat, beige pants, and black boots. He had short brown hair, a short beard and mustache, and a large gun was strapped on his back.

The final member of the trio was a woman that stood at 5'8". She wore a long green coat with a hood that hid her face. A pair of green eyes could be seen staring out from inside the darkness of the hood. A bow and a quiver of arrows were on her back in an 'x' shape.

"I'm looking for a man called 'Blackbeard'," the black-clothed leader stated. "I've heard he was here."

"He was," the civilian replied, "but that was nearly a year ago. He's long gone now."

"I see," said the stranger, "then I have just one more question. Have you seen two pirates come through this area recently? One with a straw hat and the other with red hair and an eye patch?"

"I haven't seen anyone like that," the civilian soldier admitted.

"Well… if the duo I described do show up… deliver this message," the stranger requested. "I will wait for them in Alabasta for ten days, and no more. Don't forget." The stranger and his two silent partners turned and headed off.

"HEY! HOLD ON A SEC!" the civilian soldier called after the strangers. "YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOUR NAME!"

"Oh yes, I forgot about that," the stranger realized, the trio stopped and the leader turned around to face the civilian soldier again. "The name's Ace. If you tell those pirates, then they'll know who I am." With that the trio started off again.

"**HEY, CATCH THEM!" **a restaurant owner shouted. "THEY ATE AND DIDN'T PAY AT THE RESTAURANT!"

"DAMN IT, ACE!" the green woman shouted, "YOU SAID YOU'D TAKE CARE OF IT!"

"JUST GIVE 'EM THE MESSAGE!" 'Ace' hollered as the trio took off running.

"Sorry for the trouble!" the tan man called out. The civilian could only stare after the strange trio in surprise.

**-End Flashback-**

"So they'll be waiting in Alabasta for ten days," Dalton commented, he looked thoughtful but then he noticed Dr. Kureha staring at one of the two wanted posters in particular. "Excuse me Doctor, but is there something wrong? You look puzzled."

"Tell me something Dalton," Dr. Kureha said, "have you ever heard of a man **Gol D. Roger**?"

"Gol D.?" Dalton repeated, the only person that came to mind was the former King of the Pirates "You mean _Gold_ Roger?"

"I guess, is that what he goes by now?" Dr. Kureha inquired, she stared down at the Wanted Poster of Monkey D. Luffy. "From the looks of this, the guy Chopper left this island and headed out to sea with is no ordinary pirate. **The Will of D. lives on.**"

**-x-**

The next day, the sky was clear and the cold weather associated with Drum Kingdom faded away leaving the day warm and sunny. The Going Merry was now following the Eternal Post to Alabasta but along the way, the Straw Hats and their guests were enjoying the nice weather. Ricky had awoken and was standing on the deck in front of Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, Carue, and Ms. Goldenweek holding a deck of cards. Nami had talked Vivi into joining her on a lounge chair off to the side, Sanji and Ms. Valentine were in the galley, Zoro was sleeping on the deck off to the side, and Mr. 5 was sitting against the railing pretending to not pay attention to Ricky's card tricks.

"Okay, for my next trick, I need an assistant," Ricky said, "Chopper, come here." The reindeer stood up and approached Ricky. Ricky fanned out the cards and turned his head away so he wasn't looking at them. "Pick a card, any card. Show it to the others but don't let me see it."

Chopper pulled the seven of hearts out of the deck and showed it off to the others, even Mr. 5 who was 'casually' looking in their direction. Ricky looked over at Chopper and the back of the card he was showing to the others, "Everyone remember that card," Ricky instructed, "and Chopper, please slide your card face-down back into the deck." Ricky held the deck of cards loosely in his hands and allowed Chopper to slide his face-down card back into the deck.

"And now… I'll shuffle the deck a couple of times…" Ricky narrated as he rearranged the deck of cards by quickly cutting and shuffling it, then turned back to Chopper. "Chopper, I need you to do one more thing for me. Tap the top of the deck with your hoof." Chopper reached out and tapped the top of the deck as instructed.

Ricky picked the top card up off of the deck and showed it to everyone to reveal… the seven of hearts. "Is this your card?" Ricky asked with his signature sly grin.

"It is!" Chopper squeaked, he, Luffy, Usopp, Carue, and Ms. Goldenweek applauded while Mr. 5 just grunted and looked away. Ms. Valentine came out of the galley holding a tray and walked over to the group.

"Um… I made a snack for you guys…" Ms. Valentine told them as she showed off her tray that was lined with tangerine slices and had a big bowl of chocolate sauce in the middle. "And…"

"YEAAHH! FOOD!" Luffy cheered, **WHAP!** Ricky's arm flashed out and he caught Luffy by the wrist.

"She wasn't done yet," Ricky scolded Luffy, "let her finish, then you can stuff your face." Luffy stared intently at the tray while the others all returned their focus to Ms. Valentine.

"Right… uh… I just wanted to thank you guys for what you did for me," Ms. Valentine continued. "If it wasn't for you getting me to that doctor, I would've died on Little Garden tomorrow. So… um… thank you. I owe you a lot."

"Don't worry about it," Ricky reassured her. "We would've helped anyone in your position."

"Can we eat now?" Luffy asked.

"Just… let me say one more thing, please?" Ms. Valentine requested, "Seeing all of you fighting so bravely for your dreams… gave me the courage to finally pursue mine. You see… I love chocolate. And I love making things with it. I'm… I'm going to become a Chocolate Lady… I'm going to try and open a café where I can sell the treats I make. I know it's not as glamorous as becoming the King of the Pirates, or becoming the miracle cure, or finding the One Piece… but it's something I've always wanted to do. And thanks to you guys, I'm finally going to try and pursue my dream."

"Hmph," Mr. 5 grunted as he got up and then descended down into the men's quarters.

Ms. Valentine frowned at her partner's dismissal of her dream, "That's the response I got the first time I told him…"

"So how's this chocolate stuff work?" Usopp inquired.

"Since you love chocolate so much, I bet it's super awesome!" Luffy exclaimed.

Ms. Valentine smiled and showed off her tray, "What I made here is a chocolate dipping sauce. You take a piece of tangerine, dip it in the sauce, and then eat it. It's a fun snack for a nice day like today." Ms. Valentine placed the tray down on the deck and Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, and Carue quickly converged on it. Ms. Goldenweek gave Ms. Valentine a curious look before she joined the pirates and the duck in trying the chocolate.

"WHHOOOAA!" Chopper exclaimed. "I've never had anything this sweet before!"

"THIS IS AWESOME!" Luffy shouted.

"HEY! STOP HOGGING IT ALL!" Usopp complained.

"Looks like your chocolate's a success, Ms. Valentine," Ricky observed.

"Mana," Ms. Valentine said in a whisper.

"Huh?" Ricky asked.

"My name… it's Mana," Ms. Valentine told him. "After seeing what you Straw Hats are capable of, I'm done with Baroque Works. Even if I wasn't, Mr. 0 would just have me killed. I don't need a codename if I'm just making chocolate… so please… call me Mana."

"Alright then," Ricky agreed, "looks like your chocolate's a success, Mana." The blonde smiled but then noticed that Nami was standing near her. She was smiling evilly.

"Nice snack you've got there," Nami commented, today she was wearing a faint pink blouse with thin vertical purple strips, a short violet skirt with two white circles on each side, and her usual pink sandals, "I'm surprised Sanji let you use the galley."

"At first he insisted that he could do any cooking on the ship," Mana admitted, "but I managed to convince him to let me have a turn easily enough."

"Well… whatever you did to him, he wasn't able to tell you that those are _MY_ tangerines," Nami commented. "You have to ask _MY _permission to use or eat them, not Sanji's."

"But… I…" the blonde stammered.

"Then there's the matter of you wearing _MY_ clothes," Nami added, she eyed the blonde's outfit. She wore one of Nami's skirts, it was yellow with white circles on the sides, she also wore a yellow sleeveless shirt with the word 'Love' on it in white which also belonged to Nami. The outfit was completed with Mana's white heels. "I allowed you to borrow my clothes when you were sick because I was sick too and knew what you were going through. But you seem to be healthy now, so you don't have an excuse to help yourself to the clothes in my closet."

"I… I'm sorry…" Mana attempted to apologize.

"I don't give my stuff away for free," Nami told her, "for fifty thousand berries we'll call it even. Consider yourself lucky that you didn't borrow my underwear."

"Um… okay," Mana agreed, "I borrowed some money from Ricky when we stopped for supplies in Big Horn. I used it to buy milk for the chocolate… I have enough left to pay you, even though I wanted to use it for something else."

"You still can," Nami informed her, she threw her arm over the blonde's shoulders and turned her evil grin towards Ricky who was still standing next to them. "When you convinced us to bring these three along, you assured us that you'd take FULL RESPONSIBILITY for them while they were on the ship. That means, YOU have to pay me the fifty thousand berries that she owes me for using my clothes and tangerines."

Mana's eyes went wide while Ricky stared hard at Nami who flashed him a cheeky grin, "There's no talking your way out of this one, foxy!" Nami taunted him, "we made it clear when we left Cocoyashi that those tangerines are MINE. I had that skirt she's wearing before I even agreed to join the crew. You lose this round, NOW PAY UP!"

A tick mark appeared on Ricky's forehead as he reached down into his bottom left pocket and pulled out fifty thousand berries. His arm visibly shook as he held the money out to Nami. And just like that Nami tied up the Swindling War, Nami – 2, Ricky – 2

Nami snatched the money away from Ricky then held it up in front of his face, "You'd better kiss this money goodbye," she suggested, "cause you're never gonna get it back! Go on, kiss it goodbye." Ricky's eye twitched as he humored Nami and kissed his money goodbye.

"HEHEHEHEHE!" Nami laughed, "IT'S MINE NOW! I'm not gonna spend this! I'm gonna hang it on the wall down in my room with a big sign under it that'll say 'Money I swindled from Ricky'! That way anyone who goes into my room will see it and know that I swindled you out of it!" Nami took her newly won money and kissed it, Mana blushed when she realized that Nami had kissed the same spot she'd forced Ricky to. "If you'll excuse me, I've gotta go and hang this on my wall." The navigator headed towards her room with a noticeable bounce in her step.

Mana looked at Ricky apologetically, "I'm sorry… I didn't know the tangerines were hers," she apologized, "And I thought it was okay to borrow her clothes since I've been borrowing them for the last three days."

"Don't worry about it," Ricky said through gritted teeth, "I'll just have to get her back." It was then that Ricky and Mana noticed that everyone else had been staring at them through the whole ordeal.

"RICKY!" Luffy gasped, "NAMI SWINDLED YOU! THAT MEANS…" **WHAP!** In a flash Ricky had his hand clamped over Luffy's mouth.

"Don't you DARE mention _that_!" Ricky warned him.

Ricky removed his hand from Luffy's mouth to reveal his brother's giddy smile, Luffy reached out and patted Ricky on the back, "Congratulations!"

"Luffy… he just got swindled," Usopp felt it necessary to point out, "you're supposed to console him, not congratulate him!"

Ricky glared at Luffy, "Not a word," he hissed. Luffy shrugged and headed off for his special seat on the figurehead while Ricky stomped over to the mast and climbed up to the crow's nest.

Chopper looked over at Usopp, "What just happened?"

**-x-**

Back on Little Garden the Land of Giants, the Swanda, the ship of Mr. 2 Bon Kurei, was docked on the inland river. The ship was white and had a white swan with two puff balls on the sides of its head as a figurehead, and a swan's tail for the stern and rudder. The sails were pink, and a large compartment in the top deck was painted a darker pink.

On shore, the shrill voice of Mr. 2 rang out as he punished one of his men. "UN!" **THWAK!** "DUEX!" **THWAK! **"TRIOS!" **THWHAM!**

"I'm sorry Mr. 2, Mr. Bon Kurei… sir…" the man wheezed his apology.

"WOULD YOU IDIOTS QUIT PLAYING AROUND!" Mr. 2 Bon Kurei scolded his men. "DAMN IT! ARE YOU COMPLETELY CLUELESS? DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHO I AM? I AM BON KUREI! A Baroque Works Officer Agent! I strike fear into the heart of anyone who sees me!" It wasn't exactly fear that Mr. 2's eccentric appearance struck into the heart of anyone who saw him.

He was a tall, thin man with short black hair but that was all that was normal about him. He wore an excessive amount of make up on his odd face which consisted of two beady eyes that were brought out by blue eye liner, pink blush on his cheeks which went around his hooked nose, and red lipstick on his large toothy mouth. On top of his head was a headband with two puffballs on the sides, the same that the swan figurehead of his ship was wearing. He wore a ballet costume which consisted of a blue blouse with light blue swans doing down the front, a pink belt, and a blue striped ball for shorts. Mr. 2's long hairy legs came out from two legs holes and went into a pair of pink ballet slippers. Over the ballet outfit he wore a long pink coat with "Okama Way" written on the back, above the writing was the white feathery body of a swan, its white wings were spread out passed Mr. 2's shoulders, the swan had two heads, each looking in a different direction and both necks were hooked in a fashion that made them resemble the number '2'. The Officer Agent known as Mr. 2 Bon Kurei was known as an Okama, or a transvestite, and his unpredictability made him a threat to allies and enemies alike.

"Hey you, Navigator!" Mr. 2 addressed a battered-looking green-haired man. "Tell me something…"

"Yes sir…" the navigator agreed, he was bleeding from the mouth after being attacked by Mr. 2.

"Does that little pea brain of yours remember what the Boss' exact orders were?" Bon Kurei asked. "

"Yes, Mr. 2," the navigator answered, "the orders were to kill Mr. 3 on his way along the direct route between Little Garden and Alabasta."

"Okay then," said Mr. 2, "Maybe you're not entirely useless, now are you?" **WHAP! **Mr. 2's hand lashed out and grabbed the navigator by the throat, **WHAM!** The man was slammed back against one of the giant trees while Mr. 2 strangled him, "Taking a direct route means that you travel in a straight line, doesn't it, Navigator? That's why we went STRAIGHT from Alabasta to Little Garden, isn't that right?" **WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! **Mr. 2 continued to strangle the navigator but began slamming him into the tree he was leaning against. "But something seems to have gone wrong with the plan, hasn't it, Navigator? We've reached Little Garden without so much as seeing Mr. 3 on our way here! Now to me, that seems to indicate that you FOOLS missed Mr. 3's ship entirely!"

"No sir… that can't be true…" the navigator gasped.

"Hmmm, it sounds like you're questioning my intelligence," Mr. 2 remarked as he leaned his head in close to the green-haired navigator's.

"Not at all, sir!" the navigator groaned.

"Be quiet you!" Mr. 2 scolded him before he finally released him and finally allowed the man to fall to the ground.

Bon Kurei turned and addressed his other men, "All we had to do was kill the pathetic Mr. 3! It should be an easy mission! And one we have no excuse to fail! We must complete the mission soon, if we don't, then Mr. 1 and his partner will be sent out to make sure _I _end up dead! CLEAR ENOUGH FOR YOU?" All of Mr. 2's men flinched from the loud shout, there was no telling what the eccentric officer agent would do to them. "Now, if you don't want to answer to me, you'd better get to work, lookin' for that Mr. 3!"

Mr. 2 Bon Kurei and his men quickly boarded the Swanda and set off. "I WANT THIS SHIP GOING AS FAST AS IT CAN, YOU IMBICILES! WE'RE HEADING TO ALABASTA IMMEDIATELY!" Since they had missed Mr. 3 going from Alabasta to Little Garden, Mr. 2 hoped to catch him going back the other way from Little Garden to Alabasta… the same route that the Straw Hats were heading on.

**-x-**

In an undisclosed location on Sandy Island in the Kingdom of Alabasta, Mr. 0 sat in the dark next to a tank with GIANT crocodiles swimming in it. Each of the enormous reptiles had a banana on top of its head.

"What's this?" Mr. 0's deep gravelly voice called out. "Pirates are attacking a town inside the kingdom? Don't they know this country's protected by Crocodile?"

"Who can tell what they're thinking," Ms. All Sunday replied as she stared through a window. The tall, dark-haired woman folded her arms across her chest, "A country where riots are brewing may be considered an easy target."

**Tmp! Tmp! Tmp!** Ms. All Sunday turned and saw Crocodile leaving the room, "You'll go?" she inquired.

"Naturally," replied Sir Crocodile the Warlord of the Sea, "I do have a public duty to uphold."

"How very kind of you, sir," Ms. All Sunday remarked.

"Yes, I'm a kind man," Crocodile replied, "We Warlords are charged with protecting the public from pirate threats. We are heroes to these people after-all."

Crocodile was a tall man that stood at eight foot three with slicked back dark purple hair. His skin had a grayish tint to it and his handsome face had a scar going horizontally across it under his sunken eyes and across his nose. He wore an orange shirt with a thin black lines going vertically and horizontally across it, fancy black pants and shoes, and had numerous rings on his right hand. His left hand was gone, in its place was a golden hook.

This was the face of the enemy, Sir Crocodile the Warlord of the Sea AKA Mr. 0 the President of Baroque Works. The handsome man posing as Alabasta's hero was actually orchestrating its demise. And he was awaiting the Straw Hats in Alabasta.

**-x-**

Drum Kingdom has been left behind, now the Straw Hats are heading for Alabasta. But they'll have to deal with Mr. 2 who his following their route and Mr. 0 who is awaiting them at their destination. Next chapter, you'll get an even closer look at Sir Crocodile, Alabasta's Hero.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	29. Chapter 29

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** Once again, I don't own One Piece, just this variation of the series.

**Sir Crocodile, Alabasta's Hero:**

**-x-**

"And suddenly… A GIANT SAND DRAGON BURST OUT OF THE SAND AND ATTACKED US!" Usopp screamed as he stood on the main deck later that same day and told another of his farfetched stories to the crew. Ricky, Zoro, Sanji, Vivi, Mana, and Mr. 5 were sitting around in a circle playing cards.

"Uh-huh, a sand dragon," Ricky repeated distractedly before he put down his cards. "Read 'em and weep." There was a collective groan from the other card players.

"Damn it!" Mr. 5 complained, not even bothering to listen to Usopp's story, "That's the fifth hand in a row!"

"Sorry," Ricky apologized, "I've been winning card games all my life. It's not exactly something I can turn on and off. If it'll make you feel better I'll start throwing more hands."

"I say we get Miss. Nami back out here," Sanji suggested, "at least she can keep him in check."

"Yeah but between the two of them none of us would stand a chance," Zoro pointed out. "Our only hope would be them abandoning the game to attack each other."

"Nami's still in her room framing Ricky's money on her wall," Vivi informed them, "her laughter was starting to get unsettling, that's why I came out here."

"Ricky, you should hit a casino," Mana advised, "with your luck you could make a fortune."

"One of my old Nakama and I used to do that all the time," Ricky admitted, "but I always preferred bars with drunken pirates over casinos with rigged games."

"And that's when we realized that there were TWO SAND DRAGONS!" Usopp called out.

"Two sand dragons?" Ricky questioned casually, "really?"

"Really!" Usopp insisted, "Look! We have pictures!" Usopp pointed to Ms. Goldenweek who was standing beside him holding a canvas. It depicted a muscular Usopp with a long blue cape and a staff-like slingshot that was about as tall as he was standing in between two big purple lizard-like dragons.

"Those actually look remarkably like Sandora Dragons," Vivi remarked as she looked at the painting and then gave the artist a hard look, "How did _you _know w hat they looked like?"

"I didn't," Ms. Goldenweek admitted, "I just painted what he told me to. His stories are a little farfetched but they make interesting artwork. I painted this one for him too…" Ms. Goldenweek pulled another canvas out from behind the first one, it depicted the muscular Usopp with the blue cape riding on the back of a giant condor while using his staff-sized slingshot to lasso the giant bird's neck.

"Just don't show those to Chopper," Ricky warned her, "or someone will _actually _start to believe Usopp's tall-tales."

The reindeer in question was up on the front deck with Luffy and Carue staring out ahead of the ship as they continued their course towards Alabasta. Luffy was in his special seat on the figure head while Chopper and Carue were behind the front railing on either side of him. They were all sporting big giddy smiles.

"This is amazing Luffy!" Chopper commented, "The sea seems to go on forever!"

"Yeah, it's huge," Luffy agreed, "And pirates are the ones that get to have great adventures on it all the time!"

"Incredible!" Chopper gushed, "Being a pirate must be really great!" A shadow suddenly fell overhead and the three of them looked up to see a bird flying over the ship. "What is that thing?"

"It's a seagull," Luffy decided.

"THAT'S NOT A SEAGULL!" Mana yelled, as they all stared up at the bird that was easily a third of the size of their ship. "IT'S A GIANT… con… dor…" As one, everyone on the main deck turned and stared at Ms. Goldenweek's painting of Usopp and the condor.

"Maybe we _should_ start listening to Usopp's stories," Zoro muttered.

"HEEEEY! SEAGULL!" Luffy called up to the condor.

**WOOOOOSH!** The giant bird swung around and swooped down over the ship causing waves to splash up over the railing in its wake.

"QUUUUAAAACK!" Carue shrieked in terror.

The condor ascended back up into the air and Chopper and Carue were left staring at the now-empty figurehead. "Where'd Luffy go?" Chopper wondered.

"YAAAHOOOOO!" Luffy cheered from overhead. Everyone looked up and saw the captain clutched in the condor's beak.

"That moron's about to become that bird's dinner," Sanji grumbled.

"Want me to bring it down?" Mr. 5 offered.

"Keep your fingers out of your nose!" Zoro ordered.

"Luffy can handle it," Ricky resolved, "Usopp, how'd you beat your condor?"

"He rode on its back and lassoed its neck," Ms. Goldenweek answered for him.

"LUFFY!" Sanji shouted up at the captain, "LASSO ITS NECK AND BRING IT DOWN!"

**WOING! **Luffy yanked himself out of the condor's mouth and flipped onto its head, then twisted his arms together before he grabbed it around the neck and jumped off. "GUUUUM… GUUUUUM…" Luffy's arms began unwinding causing the condor to spin around in the iar as he dropped down towards the ship.

"SCATTER!" Zoro yelled.

"HAAAAAMMMMMEEEEEEERRRRR!" **WHAAAM!** Luffy came down and slammed the condor down onto the main deck, knocking it out cold.

**Krek!** It was then that Nami finally came out of the storage room, "Hey Ricky I just finished…" she trailed off when she spotted the giant bird on the deck with Luffy sitting on top of it. Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Vivi, Carue, Mana, Mr. 5, and Ms. Goldenweek were all scattered around the deck.

"Hey Sanji!" Luffy called out to the cook, "Can we eat this?"

"Uhh… it may take a while to prepare," the cook admitted, "but I think I can prepare it."

"Where's Ricky?" Nami questioned as she stared around the deck for any sign of the first mate.

"**I… hate… birds…" **Ricky's muffled voice came out from under the unconscious bird.

"Quaaaa…" Carue whimpered.

"I'm sure he didn't mean you," Vivi consoled her duck.

**-x-**

In Alabasta Kingdom, a commotion was arising in the port city of Nanohana. It mainly had to do with the pirate ship anchored at the shore. The figure head was of a pig and the stern was decorated with a pigs tail. The Jolly Roger had a pig nose and a leaf on top of it. The citizens screamed as the pig-pirates ran amok in the sand-filled desert city.

But the civilians panic died down when they saw Crocodile standing on the top of a tall building surveying the chaotic city.

"It's Crocodile!" a woman exclaimed, "he's here! He's here to save us!"

"Huh?" snorted the fat pig-nosed pirate captain. He had gray hair and beady eyes and wore a purple pirate captain's coat while wielding a sword. "Crocodile… one of the Seven Warlords?"

"Calm down ignorant peasants!" Crocodile called out to the civilians from his perch on top of the tall building. "I only came to your pathetic little town for that pirate's head!"

"He's so brave!" a woman swooned.

"And modest," a man added, "he comes to save us and won't take any of the credit. LET'S HEAR IT FOR CROCODILE!"

"Crocodile the Guardian Angle of Alabasta!"

"Crocodile the King of the Desert!"

"Kuahahahahaha," Crocodile laughed, "you peasants can call me whatever you want. But _you_… you pirates should have stayed out of this country. Now you're gonna pay."

"Hey! Hey!" one of the pig-pirates protested, "I think you're underestimating us a bit!"

"You can't take us all on!" another pig pirate called out.

"THAT'S RIGHT!" the captain of the pig-pirates exclaimed. "You're just a government dog! Who do you think you are acting like a hero!"

"All those who wish to live, lie down now," Crocodile instructed the citizens before he leapt off of the top of the building his was standing on and came flying down towards the pirates.

"HAAA! WHAT AN IDIOT!" the pirate captain commented, "Perfect for target practice! If we take out this guy every last berri in this town will be ours!"

**TMP!** Crocodile landed in the middle of the crew of pirates… **SHUNK! SHUNK! SHUNK! SHUNK! SHUNK! …**and was immediately stabbed by five different swords.

"HAR HAR HAR!" the Captain laughed, "Now there are only _six _warlords!"

But despite being stabbed, Crocodile didn't show any pain. He just looked bored with the whole situation as he raised the golden hook that was in place of his left hand up over his head.

**SHHHWWWWWWOOOOO!** A strong wind picked up and the previously blue sky was suddenly filled with sand as the sand in the streets of the desert city swirled around Crocodile and the pirates. The civilians remained down on the ground as the sand picked up and formed a small tornado around Crocodile and the pig-pirates momentarily hiding them from view. **SSSSHHHWWWWOOOOOOOOOO!**

When the sand finally settled, Crocodile was left standing tall with his hook still poised over his head. The body of the pig-Captain laid at his feet, the once fat pirate captain was now nothing but a skeleton covered in a waxy layer of skin. The expression on its face was a look of horror.

"I'm a different breed of pirate, _swine_," Crocodile growled at the unmoving captain and his crew. He gathered up the pig pirates' treasure and headed off into the desert.

The citizens got up and saw that their hero Crocodile had saved them again and began cheering. "CROCODILE! CROCODILE! CROCODILE!" They were still cheering when the King's forces finally arrived.

"Looks like he beat us here again," the captain of the King's forces noted. They had come all the way from the capital city only to find that the pirate threat had already been dealt with.

**-x-**

The King's forces returned to the Royal Palace in Alubarna the capital city of Alabasta and reported what they had found in Nanahana to the king.

"It seems he's always one step ahead of us," King Nefertari Cobra commented. He had long curly black hair and a black beard like a pharaoh.

"By the time we arrived the pirates had already been taken care of," Chaka, the captain of the King's forces reported. He had dark skin as well as black hair and a wide nose that made him look like a wild dog.

"I see, but as long as the citizens are safe, there is no need to worry," King Cobra resolved, "Crocodile has been a great help."

This was a regular happening in Alabasta Kingdom. Crocodile would eliminated pirate threats before the King's forces could even show up and the people would cheer him for his accomplishments. The people and the King had no idea that their hero was conspiring to take over the country.

**-x-**

A day later, the Going Merry was continuing its course towards Alabasta. Nami and Vivi stood together outside of the galley. The navigator was holding a map and the Eternal Pose that was leading them to Alabasta Kingdom.

"There's no mistaking it," Nami remarked, "I hope you're ready, Vivi. We've almost made it to Alabasta."

"_Father, I'll be there soon,"_ Vivi thought to herself after three long years she was finally coming home to save her country.

"Don't you lie to me Luffy!" Sanji growled from on the main deck as he glared at the captain. "Tell me what you know right now." Sanji knelt down and grabbed Luffy's face, "Don't look away from me, I want you to look me in the eyes right now and tell me the truth."

"No idea what you mean Sanji," Luffy said while waving his hand dismissively and attempting to whistle innocently. "I don't know anything, no clue."

"Then let me ask you," Sanji requested, "how did enough food for twelve which i carefully divided up so it would last all the way until we reached Alabasta suddenly go missing in the middle of the night?" Sanji grabbed Luffy's face as he attempted to look away, "Lying is pointless, so just tell me the truth. You have a terrible poker face."

"That's cause our Captain can't lie to save his life," Ricky pointed out as he sat against the main mast, Zoro was sprawled out on the deck next to him fast asleep.

"You're next on my list, One Eye!" Sanji growled.

"Zoro and I were up late last night trying to learn a new technique," Ricky defended himself, "we didn't eat anything."

"I thought I told you to get some sleep," Nami reminded Ricky.

"Well I _normally_ don't sleep much," Ricky pointed out, "when you knocked me out I got caught up with the days worth of sleep I missed. Now I'm back to my regular light sleep schedule."

"Well, unlike Luffy, you _can _lie," Sanji reasoned he looked back over at the rubber pirate in question. "Hey Luffy, it looks like you have something around your mouth there."

"GAAAH! LEFTOVERS!" Luffy shrieked.

"I _WAS _YOU!"Sanji yelled. **THWAK!** The cook kicked Luffy and sent him flying across the deck, Mr. 5 dove to the side to avoid Luffy as he went crashing into the wall next to the door to the anchor room.

"Jerk," Sanji grumbled before he turned to address Nami, "Miss. Nami, we need to do something. We need a better way of keeping the food safe from Luffy. Can we _please_ buy a refrigerator with a lock?"

"You'll have to ask the _Financial Manager _about that," Nami replied.

"I'll see about getting us one at the next available opportunity," Ricky told him, he looked over at Usopp, Chopper, and Carue who were fishing over the railing while eating 'leftovers' of their own. "Our lives may depend on it."

"WELL! We really do need to catch something for Sanji," Usopp called out loudly as he swallowed the meat he was eating and adjusted his grip on the newly made fishing poles.

Sanji walked over to the three fishermen, completely ignoring Mana and Ms. Goldenweek who were sitting near the door to the storage room enjoying a snack of their own.

"So how's the fishing going?" Sanji inquired causing the trio to jump in surprise.

"Uh… well…" Usopp stammered while he, Chopper, and Carue attempted to look innocent. The cook reached out and placed on hand on Usopp's head and the other on Carue's head, **WHAAAM! **Sanji smashed Usopp and Carue's heads together sandwiching Chopper in between them. The three fishermen fell to the deck in a heap.

"Pathetic," Sanji muttered, "I can't take my eyes off of anyone."

"Hey, since we're going to be arriving in Alabasta soon, I think we should probably discuss what's going to be waiting there for us," Ricky reasoned.

"Well, if you're going to have this conversation, I'm not going to be here," Mr. 5 announced, he got up and descended down into the men's quarters.

"We're about to discuss information that could get you killed," Ricky informed Mana and Ms. Goldenweek. "You might want to leave like he did."

"You're welcome to help yourself to the tea in the galley," Sanji offered. Ms. Goldenweek got up and headed up the steps into the galley but Mana stayed seated where she was.

"I'm already on Mr. 0's hit list for failing two high-priority missions," Mana pointed out, "I might as well give him a reason to send people after me."

"Then the first thing you'll need to know is that you're boss' name is Sir Crocodile," Ricky explained, "one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. He's been based in Alabasta for the last few years and is seen as a hero there, gallantly defending the country from pirate attacks."

"That explains why he has anyone who learns his identity executed," Mana realized. "If it got out that he was using a criminal organization to incite a civil war and take over the country, his reputation would be ruined."

"And no one's realized what Crocodile's doing yet," Vivi continued, "not the people, not even my father."

**Whap!** Luffy got up and punched his open hand, "Right! Then all we have to do is beat up that Crocodile-guy," Luffy resolved.

"Yes, but in order to do that we have to avert the civil war in Alabasta and get Baroque Works out of the picture," Vivi told him.

"Then what is Baroque Works?" Chopper inquired as he, Usopp, and Carue pulled themselves up off of the ground.

"Oh, that's right, you don't know about them yet," Usopp realized, "to be honest, it's kind of confusing with all the codenames and stuff…"

"Actually, our system is quite simple…" Vivi started to say but Mana cut her off.

"If you don't mind _Miss. Wednesday_, I think I can provide a better description," Mana took over. "At the top of the organization is **Mr. 0 ** the **President **and **Ms. All Sunday **the **Vice President. **Under them are five **Officer Agents** most of them have a female partner that compliments their abilities. As Officer Agents our job is to complete the most important missions. No one's ever seen **Mr. 1 **and **Ms. Double Finger** before but I hear rumors that they both have deadly Devil Fruit Powers. Everyone knows about **Mr. 2 Bon Kurei**, he's unpredictable and wears make up and a ballet costume so he acts as his own partner. You've already dealt with **Mr. 3** and **Ms. Goldenweek **they were an artistic duo. After them comes **Mr. 4** who really slow but really strong. His partner is **Ms. Merry Christmas**, a grouchy old lady. From what I hear she has a Zoan-type Devil Fruit Power and that their teamwork is unmatched. And finally there was me and my partner, **Mr. 5 **and **Ms. Valentine** we acted as a demolition team. He uses his bombs to blow stuff up, I crush it with my Kilo Kilo Fruit Powers."

"We can attest to that," Usopp piped up.

"Next come the **Frontier Agents**," Mana continued, "I think I heard Ms. Goldenweek say that her last mission with Mr. 3 was to eliminate **Mr. 6 **and **Ms. Mother's Day **so you don't have to worry about them. After them comes **Mr. 7 **and **Ms. Father's Day** and then there's **Mr. 8 **with **Ms. Monday **and **Mr. 9 **with your friend **Ms. Wednesday**. **Mr. 10**,** Mr. 11**, and** Mr. 12 **are paired with **Ms. Tuesday**, **Ms. Thursday, **and **Ms. Saturday **respectively."

"The Frontier Agents are tasked with collecting funds for the organization," Vivi clarified, "I believe Mr. 10, Mr. 11, Mr. 12 and their partners are all stationed at a similar town to **Whisky Peak** called **Luness**. Mr. 6 and Mr. 7 probably had their own town to collect bounties in too."

"That's why I was so surprised to see you on Little Garden, _Mr. 10_," Mana said to Ricky with a pointed look.

"What about that chicken and the monkey that I fought?" Sanji asked.

"Those are the **Unluckies**,"Mana said, "**Mr. 13 **is the otter and **Ms. Friday** is the vulture their job is to relay communication between the agents and the boss and to punish lower ranking agents for failing missions. But those are just the number agents. Under the Officer Agents are **two hundred** men called **Billions **and the Frontier Agents have **eighteen hundred **agents called **Millions. **All together, that's the secret criminal organization known as Baroque Works."

"Let's see… two hundred and eighteen hundred…" Usopp mumbled as he tried to do the math.

"THERE ARE _TWO_ _THOUSAND_ OF 'EM?" Chopper shrieked.

"TWO THOUSAND!" Usopp yelped.

"Sorry," Mana apologized sheepishly.

"Alright, I think I understand," Luffy announced, "When are we gonna get to Alabasta so I can beat up Crocodile?"

"I don't think he got it at all," Ricky remarked, "we'll just have to point him at an enemy and tell him to attack."

"If Baroque Works sole objective is to take over Alabasta then I can guess what that must mean," Zoro commented.

"The rest of the Officer Agents and their subordinates… are probably…" Sanji continued.

"On their way to Alabasta as we speak," Nami concluded.

"Yeah," Vivi answered. A dark shadow was looming over Alabasta as the Going Merry continued to get closer to it. But thanks to some inside intel, the Straw Hats finally knew what was awaiting them.

**-x-**

**Okama Way Days:**

**-x-**

Later the same day, Luffy, Usopp, and Ms. Goldenweek fishing, the quiet was disturbed by Luffy's stomach rumbling.

"Awww, the fish aren't biting," Luffy complained. "I'm so hungry." He was starting to regret eating all the food the night before.

"You do realize that this is your fault!" Usopp snapped, "you ate all the bait that we had! The fish aren't ever gonna bite if we don't give them a reason."

"She ate some too," Luffy said as he pointed accusingly at Ms. Goldenweek.

"She only ate what was stuck to the lit!" Usopp defended her.

"How's it going?" Vivi asked as she came down the steps and walked up behind Luffy and Usopp. "Did you catch anything yet?"

"QQUUUAAAACCKK!" Vivi shoved her way in between Luffy and Usopp and saw her faithful duck tied up in all three fishing lines dangling over the water as bait.

"CARUE!" Vivi shrieked in surprise.

"Do you think we could catch a shark?" Luffy wondered.

"Don't know," Usopp replied, "I really wanna catch a Sea King."

"I just hope we catch _something_," Ms. Goldenweek spoke up.

"STOP FISHING WITH MY DUCK!" Vivi scolded them, then emulating Sanji, she smashed Luffy and Ms. Goldenweek's heads together, sandwiching Usopp's in the middle. **WHAM!** The new trio of fishermen dropped to the deck while Vivi leaned over the side of the ship to free Carue from the dangling fishing lines.

**SPLOOSH!** Vivi yelped and jerked back in surprise when a swordfish as big as she was came flying up out of the water. It flew over her head and landed on the deck and didn't move.

**SPLA-SPLISH!** Ricky and Zoro flew up out of the water and landed on the railing, both of the swordsmen were shirtless and dripping wet, Ricky had _Akaikyuuketsuki _at his side while Zoro had used _Wado Ichimonji. _

"Looks like a swordfish was no match for two swordsmen," Ricky casually remarked.

"WHOOOA! COOL!" Luffy exclaimed as he, Usopp, and Ms. Goldenweek pulled themselves up and stared at Ricky and Zoro's catch.

"OI, COOK!" Zoro called out, "WE GOT DINNER!"

Sanji came out of the galley followed by Nami and Mana, the cook eyed the big fish but Nami and Mana appeared to be paying more attention to the two shirtless swordsmen.

"I gotta get me one of those," Mana mumbled, her face was pink as she stared at the wet swordsman, the sun overhead reflected off of the water that was still dripping off of them and made their muscular bodies give off a natural shine. Beside her, Nami's eyes were locked with the bite mark scar on Ricky's right shoulder.

"Let's get it into the galley," Sanji resolved. "I think we can manage to get it through the door."

"I caught the thing, the rest is your job," Zoro stated as he walked passed the fish and laid down on the deck for a nap. Ricky shrugged and he and Sanji hefted the fish up and managed to maneuver it into the galley, Nami and Mana quickly followed after them.

"Let's catch something _even bigger_ then what they did!" Luffy encouraged Usopp and Ms. Goldenweek, the three of them got back on the railing and resumed fishing with Carue as bait.

Vivi, glared at them and stomped over to the trio that was fishing with her duck, looking to stop them one and for all. But she stopped when she suddenly spotted something.

"What's that over there?" Vivi wondered as she stared at what appeared to be a green could floating on the water ahead of them.

"It looks like cotton candy," Luffy commented.

"You wait here, I'll go get Nami," Vivi decided, she ran up the steps and went into the galley. Sanji was cooking the swordfish and was being assisted by Mana. Ricky, Nami, Chopper, and Mr. 5 were all seated at the table. "Nami, there's something wrong! You have to come quickly!"

Nami, Sanji, Chopper, Vivi, and Mana left the galley leaving Ricky and Mr. 5 sitting alone at the table in the galley.

"I know I'm not going because I don't want the swordfish I went through all that trouble of catching to get ruined," Ricky stated, "why're you still here?"

Mr. 5 frowned and replied, "I've learned from my time on this ship that if I don't get here early for my portion, your idiot captain will eat all the food."

**-x-**

"Oh yeah, I see it," Nami observed as she leaned against the railing of the Merry and stared at the green cloud ahead of them. "That's nothing to worry about, just a little steam."

"You're saying that steam's coming up out of the ocean?" Vivi inquired as she, Sanji, Chopper, and Mana stood around Nami.

"Uh-huh," Nami confirmed, "It's a hotspot, that's all."

"What's a hotspot?" Luffy asked from the railing where he was still fishing with Carue.

"An area of the sea where magma's near," Nami explained, she pointed out at the steam cloud, "below the steam over there is an undersea volcano."

"So you're saying that there are… volcanoes… underneath the sea?" Chopper questioned.

"That's right," Nami answered. "In fact, there are actually more volcanoes under the sea then there are on dry land."

"Oooooo," Usopp cooed as he pictured the undersea volcano in his head.

"So I guess we can't eat it," Luffy realized.

"There'll be a brand new island there thanks to the volcano," Nami informed them, "but the process will take thousands of years."

"OOH NAMI!" Sanji swooned, "You're amazing! Is there anything you don't know!"

"I wonder if I can live that long," Luffy thought out loud.

"I'd plan on dying sometime before that," Usopp replied.

"QQQUUUUUAAAAACK!" Carue shrieked as he continued to dangle over the water as bait.

Ms. Goldenweek abandoned her fishing pole and pulled a canvas out from her backpack and began painting the green steam cloud.

"Sanji! Can we eat that fish now?" Luffy demanded, "I'm hungry!"

"I'll get back to work on it," Sanji resolved.

"I'll help you," Mana offered as she followed him back into the galley. The Going Merry continued its path and sail straight ahead into the green cloud. Everyone started gagging and cough as they sailed through the green cloud.

"Yuck! It's sulfur!" Usopp complained.

"I can't see anything!" Luffy called out, "there steam everywhere!"

"Just bear with it!" Nami instructed, "we should be out of the steam soon."

**-x-**

Not far from the Going Merry, Mr. 2's ship the Swanda was approaching the same green cloud.

"Excuse me, Mr. 2!" Akumai called out as he and the green haired navigator stood on opposite sides of Mr. 2 and his captain's chair. "There's a bunch of smoke at twelve o' clock!"

"I'M NOT AFRAID OF SOME SMOKE!" Mr. 2 declared, "KEEP GOING! No matter what we've got to take care of Mr. 3 or else the next target is going to be _me_!"

"YES SIR!" the navigator agreed, "WE'RE GOING IN!" The Swanda stayed its course and sail straight ahead into the green steam cloud. Mr. 2's navigator clearly wasn't as skilled as Nami, everyone screamed as they sailed through the cloud and eventually the Swanda came out the other side unscathed. "WE MADE IT THROUGH!"

But it was then that Akumai and the navigator noticed that Mr. 2's chair WAS EMPTY!

"AAAAAAHHH!" Akumai screamed, "MR. 2 HAS COMPLETELY DISAPPEARED!" They ran off in search of the Officer Agent but he was nowhere to be found on the ship.

**-x-**

Luffy and Usopp stared in surprise at their 'catch'. Mr. 2 Bon Kurei was clinging to Carue.

"Eep!" Ms. Goldenweek squeaked and dove behind her canvas.

"QUUUUAAACK!" Carue shrieked.

"Oh really, this is getting out of hand!" Mr. 2 exclaimed, "One of these days I need to stop jumping on every random duck I see!" Ms. Goldenweek's pink hat flew out from behind her canvas.

"What is that?" Usopp wondered as he and Luffy stared at the strangely-looking man.

Mr. 2 let go of Carue and fell down into the ocean. **SPLASH! **"AAAAH! HELP ME PLEASE! GET ME OUT OF HERE! I CAN'T SWIIM!"** GLUG!** The man disappeared below the surface, Luffy and Usopp shared a brief look before Carue went under after him.

**-x-**

A couple minutes later, Mr. 2 was dripping and panting on the deck of the Going Merry with Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp and Chopper staring at him. Ms. Goldenweek was hiding behind Usopp, her hat was gone and her wavy reddish-brown hair hung loosely down to her shoulders. It covered most of her face which now featured some freckles made of paint.

"I thought I was a goner there," Mr. 2 gasped, he looked at the Straw Hats and smiled, "HEEY! You saved me! Swan thanks!" Mr. 2 held his hand up in front of his face in a some kind of salute. "I never imagined that my life would be saved by a group of complete strangers! Thanks again, I'll never forget your kindness! Although… could I trouble you for a bowl of soup?"

"NOW WAY!" the Straw Hats all shouted.

"WE'RE STARVING TOO!" Zoro snapped.

Vivi leaned against the railing outside the galley and stared at Mr. 2 and had the strangest feeling that she should know who he was.

"Oh hey," Mr. 2 called out when he noticed Vivi looking down at him. "You are soo cute! I could just eat you up! MWAH!" The strange man blew Vivi a kiss causing her to shudder. Behind the Princess, Ricky was peering through the window of the galley door.

**-x-**

"Hey, I think there's someone out there," Ricky observed from the door. "It looks like an Okama in a ballet costume."

**KREESH!** Mana dropped the plate she was holding and rushed over to the door and stared out at the deck, "THAT'S MR. 2!" she shrieked.

"WHAT?" Sanji yelled, "WE'VE GOTTA GO OUT AND HELP! Miss. Nami, Miss. Vivi, and Miss. Goldenweek are out there!"

"NO!" Mana shrieked as she positioned herself in between the two pirates and the door. "Don't go out there! You can't let him see you. Mr. 2 is known for never forgetting a face. If he sees you, he can report you back to Mr. 0. You'll be able to help your friends better from in here."

"Why are you telling them this?"Mr.5 growled, "You're betraying Baroque Works!"

"SCREW BAROQUE WORKS!" Mana snapped. "THEY SAVED MY LIFE! I won't allow him to get them in trouble after all they've done for me! But if you'd like to reveal to an unstable higher-ranked Officer Agent that's looking to _kill you _that you're on an enemy ship, BE MY GUEST!" Mr. 5 quieted and just glared at his former partner.

"Well… it doesn't look like he's recognized Ms. Goldenweek yet," Ricky noted as he stepped passed Mana and looked out the window.

Sanji came over and stared out the window with Ricky, both pirates were looking through the small circular window with their good eye. "I don't like this," the cook growled.

"Mana's right," Ricky told him, "we can do more for them if he doesn't know we exist. And if he tries anything funny, Luffy and Zoro should be able to handle him."

Mana pulled herself onto Ricky's back and stared passed the two pirates out the window. Her body was _conveniently _pressed up against Ricky's bare back.

**-x-**

"So… you really can't swim?" Luffy questioned.

"That's right," Mr. 2 replied. "You see, I ate a Devil Fruit so I can't swim even a little bit."

"What kind of Fruit?" Usopp inquired with the disguised Ms. Goldenweek still hiding behind him, unlike Chopper she knew how to 'peek' properly.

"Well, since I can't go anywhere until my ship picks me up… I guess there's no harm in a little fun," Mr. 2 reasoned. "ALRIGHT! As a thanks for saving my life, I'll show you! PREPARE TO WITNESS MY POWER!" **WHAM!** Before any of them could react, Mr. 2 slammed his right hand into Luffy's face and sent him flying across the deck.

"WHY YOU!" Zoro growled as he drew his sword and prepared to attack.

"WAIT! WAIT! Hold on a second!" Mr. 2 called out… in LUFFY'S voice! "This is all just a little fun, remember?" Zoro stared in shock, Mr. 2 looked JUST LIKE LUFFY! His face looked like a monkey, his hair was short and messy, he had a scar under his left eye, and his body had become lankier. Mr. 2/Luffy still remained clothed in his odd ballet outfit.

"HEY! THAT'S ME!" Luffy realized as he stared at his strangely dressed double.

"SHISHISHISHISHI!" Mr. 2/Luffy laughed completely matching Luffy's voice, "And if I touch my face with my left hand…" **SWISH!** Luffy's face was gone and was replaced with Mr. 2's odd make-up covered face and called out in his higher pitched voice, "I'm back to normal! And that is the power of the Clone Clone Fruit that I ate."

"Amazing!" Nami gasped.

"The body and the voice matched perfectly!" Usopp exclaimed. Ms. Goldenweek backed away as Mr. 2 walked over to the others and touched Usopp, Nami, Chopper, and Zoro's faces.

"You see, I didn't really need to hit you," Mr. 2 explained before he touched his face with his right hand.** SWISH! **Mr. 2 turned into Usopp, complete with the darker skin tone and of course the long nose. He continued in Usopp's voice, "All I have to do…"

**SWISH! **Mr. 2 turned into Zoro, complete with short green hair and tanned skin, he kept talking in Zoro's deeper voice, "Is touch my right hand to you…"

**SWISH!** Mr. 2 was now Chopper, complete with brown fur, antlers, hooves, and blue nose. "As you can see, I can mimic _anyone_," Mr. 2 said in Chopper's even higher pitched voice.

**SWISH!** Mr. 2 turned into Nami, "That's not all, I can change bodies too…" **Swiff!** Mr. 2 pulled opened his ballet blouse to reveal that he was _all _Nami.

"WHOOOA!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper exclaimed while Ms. Goldenweek pouted as she stared down at her own much smaller chest.

**WHAM! **"STOP THAT!" Nami yelled as she hit Mr. 2 on the head for showing them _her _body.

**-x-**

"I take that back… _Nami _can handle him if he tries anything funny," Ricky amended.

"He just showed them Nami's marvelous chest…" Sanji mumbled before he broke out into tears, "AND I DIDN'T GET TO SEE!"

"Quit crying," Ricky ordered, "we're supposed to be scouting for weaknesses."

Sanji's face turned serious, "Right," he agreed, "I'm thinking, I'm thinking."

**-x-**

"Uh guy, are you okay?" Luffy inquired as he, Usopp, and Chopper knelt down next to Mr. 2 who was still on the ground sporting a big lump on his head where Nami hit him.

"Ugghh…" Mr. 2 groaned as he sat up, he spotted Ms. Goldenweek, "How about you dear?"

"No thanks," Ms. Goldenweek quickly answered.

"Have I seen you somewhere before?" he inquired.

"No," Ms. Goldenweek lied before she hurried over to Nami and Zoro and hid behind the navigator, at the moment she looked like the more vicious of the two.

"If it upsets the women… maybe I shouldn't demonstrate my power anymore," Mr. 2 reasoned.

"NO WAY! PLEASE, DO MORE!" Luffy urged him while beside him Usopp whistled and Chopper cheered.

"Okay, if you absolutely insist I guess I can show a little more," Mr. 2 conceded.

"He's easily persuaded," Nami grumbled as she stood next to Zoro with her arms folded across her chest. She looked behind her at Ms. Goldenweek. "What's with you?"

"Later," Ms. Goldenweek whispered without taking her eyes off of Mr. 2.

"I get the feeling that they _all _know something we don't," Zoro stated as he looked passed Vivi at the window in the galley door and saw Ricky, Sanji, and Mana looking out of it.

Nami looked where Zoro was looking and her eyes narrowed. Ricky held a finger to his mouth in the universal 'quiet' sign.

"For my next trick, I'll show you my Memory Feature!" Mr. 2 announced. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper all cheered as Mr. 2 began cycling through faces that he'd previously touched. **SWISH! **Mr. 2 became a rat-like man with beady eyes, bucked teeth, and two dots on his forehead. **SWISH! **Next, he was a man with pointy hair, a stubbly beard, and a round nose. **SWISH! **Next he was a round-faced man with a curly black mustache and black rings around his eyes. **SWISH!** He had a regal face with long black hair, a pharaoh-like beard.

"AAH!" Vivi gasped as she recognized the face of her father. **SWISH! **The King of Alabasta's face was replaced by a brown-haired man with a rectangle face and long eyelashes. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper all cheered. **SWISH!** Mr. 2 returned to normal and soaked in their praise while doing a pirouette.

"Well, did anyone enjoy my very special secret talent?" Mr. 2 inquired. "It's quite impressive but I almost never show it off!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper jumped up and joined arms with Mr. 2 and the four of them danced together. Mr. 2 had shown them incredible things – Nami's chest being one of them – and had won them over.

"Oh whatever," Nami groaned as she looked off the side of the ship and spotted the Swanda. **SKISH!** Mr. 2 noticed his ship too and leapt from the middle of the deck and landed gracefully on the railing.

"It's time to say goodbye already, what a shame!" Mr. 2 sighed.

"NO, YOU CAN'T LEAV!" Usopp protested. "PLEASE DON'T GO!"

"Try not to be sad," Mr. 2 consoled him, "journeys must always include farewells. And yet, I will never forget you or today. It's been brief… but true friendship isn't determined by time." Mr. 2 flashed them a thumbs-up sign and a toothy smile. "DON'T CRY FRIENDS!" Mr. 2 leapt from the Going Merry onto the Swanda.

"BYYYYEEEEE!" Luffy called out as he, Usopp, and Chopper leaned against the railing.

"QUICKLY, LET'S BE GOING!" Mr. 2 ordered his men.

"Yes sir, Mr. 2, Mr. Bon Kurei sir!" Mr. 2s men chorused as the Swanda sailed off.

"MR. 2?" Usopp repeated.

"That guy… is… Mr. 2?" Vivi questioned.

"Vivi!" Luffy complained, "you mean you didn't recognize him just by looking?"

"I've never met Mr. 2 or Mr. 1 and his partner," Vivi admitted, "I don't know much about any of them. Or what their powers may be. Though I have heard rumors about them all… I've heard about Mr. 2… apparently he's a very tall ballerina who talks like a woman and he always wears a swan coat."

"You didn't know?" Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp chorused, that seemed like a pretty accurate description to them. Vivi just looked worried.

"Is something wrong Vivi?" Luffy asked.

"I saw something in his memory," Vivi answered, "in the faces that he showed us. One of those faces belonged to my father… Cobra Nefertari, my father, the King of Alabasta."

"That's not good," Zoro realized, "if he can mimic the face of a King that easily, Mr. 2 has the potential to cause a lot of trouble."

"Looks like we let a really bad guy get away today, huh," Usopp said.

"So that guy's our enemy?" Usopp questioned.

"Seems so," Nami answered, "AND YOU CAN COME OUT NOW!" **Krek!** The galley door opened and Ricky, Sanji, and Mana came out.

"WHAT PART OF HE WEARS MAKE UP AND A BALLET COSTUME DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?" Mana demanded. "How could you have _not _recognized him?"

"Well _someone _did," Zoro pointed out as he eyed Ms. Goldenweek.

"We came with you so we _wouldn't _be killed by someone like him," Ms. Goldenweek reminded them, "I wasn't going to call attention to someone looking to _kill me_ while he was on the ship."

"Having someone like him on the other side is _not _a good thing," Nami noted, "if he finds out we're the ones Baroque Works is after he can use his powers to turn into any one of us. We won't even be able to trust our friends."

"Luckily, I spotted a couple of weaknesses," Ricky informed them. "When he transformed, his clothes always stayed the same. And he didn't recognize Ms. Goldenweek in her disguise so that means if someone alters their appearance he won't be able to remember or mimic it." Ricky looked over at Zoro, "Does that give you any ideas?"

"Gimme some time and I'll come up with something," the wary swordsman replied, "It's actually a good thing that we ran into Mr. 2 when we did because now we can prepare a strategy and beat him at his own game."

**-x-**

On his ship Mr. 2 was doing a pirouette. "Un… Deux…Trios… uh… what's four again?"

"You sure seem to be in a particularly good mood Mr. 2," the navigator pointed out.

"GAAAA HAHAHAHAHA!" Mr. 2 laughed, "I just so happens I made some friends today!"

The Straw Hats have gotten a taste of what awaits them in Alabasta. First was their 'friend' Mr. 2, next was the mysterious Ms. All Sunday, and finally was the 'hero' Mr. 0. But now they were ready to face them.

**-x-**

Next chapter the Straw Hats finally land at Alabasta.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	30. Chapter 30

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of its characters. However, I _do_ own Ricky, Ollie, and Han. Just not the characters the latter two are based off of.

**Landing in Alabasta:**

**SPLOOOSH!** They had been sailing along like normal when suddenly the ship started shaking. Waves rose up into the air, the sign of something BIG coming out of the water. The water fell away to reveal a GIANT SEACAT! The monster towered over the ship and had the face and front paws of a cat, one of its catlike ears was pierced with a big golden ring. A fish-like spine went down the seacat's back and its belly was covered in scales. The lower half of the seacat was below water but it comprised of a whale-like tail.

"THAT THING IS HUGE!" Mana exclaimed.

"AAAAAAHHH!" Usopp and Chopper screamed together, "IT'S A SEA MONSTER!" Usopp, Chopper, and Ms. Goldenweek all ducked behind Ricky.

"It's cute," Ricky remarked as he stared up at the giant sea cat while the other three used him as a meat shield.

"ARE YOU NUTS?" Usopp demanded.

"I _happen _to think that cats are cute," Ricky defended himself.

"_Do _you?" Mana questioned with a curious look in Nami's direction.

The navigator wasn't paying attention to the sea monster, instead she was focused on the Eternal Pose in her hand. "We're on the right track," Nami noted, "Now if we could just get there alive, that'd be great."

"IT LOOKS LIKE FOOD TO ME!" Zoro shouted as he and Luffy ran up to the front deck. Zoro drew his three swords while Luffy growled and pulled back a fist.

"YEAH! LET'S GO!" Luffy agreed. The swordfish that Ricky and Zoro had caught didn't last long when there were nine people, a reindeer, a duck, and Luffy eating it. Now the pirates, princess, and agents were hungry again. "FOOD FOR MEEEE!"

**Reow! **The seacat saw the two pirates looking to eat it and backed away from the pirate ship. Luffy and Zoro stared in surprise as the Going Merry continued sailing and went right passed the monster cat.

"HEY! IT'S GETTING AWAY!" Zoro yelled.

"REVERSE! PUT THE SHIP IN REVERSE!" Luffy ordered.

"IT'S A _BOAT_, WE CAN'T DO THAT!" Usopp snapped.

Luffy and Zoro ran across the ship to the rear deck and glared at the sea cat as the Going Merry sailed away from it. Sanji came running out of the galley.

"HEY! DON'T LET IT GET AWAY!" the cook called out. "IF THE TWO OF YOU DON'T CAPTURE IT, I'LL KILL YOU!" Sanji stood in between Luffy and Zoro and the trio prepared to attack and eat the giant sea cat. "Now sea_kitten_ how do you think I should cook you?"

"DON'T!" Vivi shouted, she grabbed a broom and took down Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji with one swing, **WHAP-WHAP-WHAP!** The captain, swordsman, and cook all collapsed to the deck. The seacat dove into the water and swam away.

"Vivi… what're you doing?" Luffy complained, "I'm hungry!"

"Why? Just _why_?" Sanji whined, "It was food!"

"Because you can't eat a seacat!" Vivi scolded them. "I just can't let you, seacats are sacred animals in Alabasta."

"There are more animals in the ocean then I thought," Chopper commented as he, Usopp, and Ms. Goldenweek came out from behind Ricky.

"That's nothing!" Usopp boasted as he struck a heroic pose, "You should've seen the monsters in the Calm Belt! While we were there I was almost eaten by a giant frog! But I escaped and named it Gamakiiro!"

"Really?" Chopper and Ms. Goldenweek questioned.

"That one's actually true," Ricky admitted.

"Ugggghhhh…" Luffy groaned as he gnawed on the railing, "Our food got away…"

"Yeah, but don't worry Luffy," Vivi consoled him, "You'll be able to eat really soon."

"Yeah?" Luffy asked with stars in his eyes, "What kind of cat's gonna show up next?"

"Vivi!" Nami called out as she joined them on the rear deck, "the wind and weather seem to be stabilizing."

"We're entering the climate area of Sandy Island," Vivi told her, "Seeing a seacat come out of the water is proof as well."

"Those things behind us are all the proof I need," Zoro stated as he stared out behind them.

Everyone looked off the stern of the ship and saw a fleet of at least ten battleships sailing up behind them.

"That's a lot of ships," Luffy commented, "Who are they?"

"They're all flying the Baroque Works symbol!" Usopp whimpered as he stared through a pair of binoculars. On the main sail of each of the battleships was either the words 'Baroque Works' or a skull with purple wings over crossed swords, the Jolly Roger for Baroque Works.

"It looks like all of Baroque Works has started gathering in Alabasta," Vivi observed.

"Yup," Mana agreed, "those are the Billions; the elite underlings of the Officer Agents."

"Which means there are two hundred enemies waiting for us," Nami reasoned.

"This group will surely be a lot better than the bounty hunters at Whisky Peak," Vivi said.

Usopp ran over to the rear cannon and began aiming it at one of the battleships. "COME ON! LET'S BLOW 'EM ALL AWAY!" Usopp shouted.

"Don't Usopp," Ricky advised, "there's too many of them for us to fight now, especially on the water. If we fight them here the Merry would take a lot of damage."

"Oh… right…" Usopp relented, he didn't want the ship that Kaya had given them to get damaged so he stopped his attack.

"Don't bother with them, they're not worth it," Zoro decided.

"He's right," Sanji agreed, "We need to keep our eyes on the prize or we might lose this all together. After all, nine against two hundred sucks."

"Hey!" Mana protested, "I'd help you!"

"If it came down to dying or helping you, I would too," Ms. Goldenweek announced.

"Hmph," Mr. 5 grunted as he sat against the main mast.

"Still, eleven against two hundred aren't great odds," Ricky pointed out, "if we don't draw attention to ourselves by attacking them we'll be able to land safely." Ricky looked over at the trio of agents, "Now, we're going to discuss our strategy to combat Mr. 2, I need you three to go into the galley so we can keep it a secret."

**-x-**

A few minutes later, the three Baroque Works Agents were sitting in the galley. Ms. Goldenweek was at the table contently drinking a cup of tea, Mr. 5 sat across from her staring at Mana who was sitting against the door.

"What are you doing?" Mr. 5 growled at Mana.

"Making sure _you _don't eavesdrop on them," Mana replied with a hard look.

Mr. 5 glared at his partner, she'd gone from happily following along while he carried out their missions to outright defying both him and Baroque Works and believing in accomplishing her silly dream. He knew right then that she was a lost cause.

**-x-**

"Make sure to tie 'em tight," Zoro instructed as the Straw Hats, Vivi, and Carue sat out on the main deck tying white bandages onto their left arm. Zoro sat on the steps and pulled his bandage tight with his teeth. "We can't afford to be fooled by the enemy's disguises."

"This was a good plan," Vivi agreed as she tied a bandage onto Nami's arm, her own was already in place.

"Now we'll always know who our friends are," Nami reasoned, "just look for the bandage on their arm."

"I knew Zoro's paranoia would come through for us," Ricky commented as he sat by the mast while Usopp tied the bandage onto his arm, the sniper's bandage was already in place. Nearby, Sanji had taken pity on Carue who was tied up in a length of bandages and began tying the bandages around Carue's wing. Across the deck, a bandaged Chopper was tying the bandage onto Luffy's arm.

"Those Clone Clone Fruit Powers were dangerous," Sanji stated.

"You have no idea!" Usopp exclaimed, "they weren't just similar, they were _the same_!"

"We know that someone with his powers is among the enemy," Zoro reasoned. "So we need to be really careful and be on our guard at all times."

"So… what should I do to help against this guy?" Chopper questioned.

"Just do whatever you can do," Usopp told them. "You're not expected to do anything more. And if you get overwhelmed, then just run."

"Sounds like the pep-talk he's always giving himself," Sanji remarked.

"There's no shame in enacting a strategic withdrawal when you get in over your head," Ricky pointed out. "It happened to me a lot in the New World against the freakishly strong pirates that were there. But I was reassured by the fact that one of my many Nakama, a Division Commander, or even Pops himself would be there to help pick up the slack."

Chopper looked thoughtful, "Whatever I can do…" the reindeer looked up and smiled, "I got it!"

"I CAN SEE THE ISLAND NOW!" Luffy announced.

"Let's stop at a town called Nanohana," Vivi instructed. "We have to hide the ship."

"Okay," Luffy addressed the others, "no matter what happens on that island, remember, this thing on all our arms is a sign of our friendship." They all stood in a circle with the bandage on their left arm proudly on display. "Now let's land! AND THEN WE EAT… oh, and help Vivi."

"That's a side note?" Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper grumbled.

"Now remember," Nami instructed Luffy, "our enemy is a gang of assassins. Just try to think before you do anything stupid."

"Yeah, of course," Luffy agreed half-heartedly. "Really, I will. I promise."

"He won't," Ricky whispered to Zoro and Sanji, "so we'll have to be ready to deal with the results of our Captain's stupidity."

"With Luffy, that's a full time job," Sanji muttered.

Vivi stared down at the bandage on her arm and smiled, this meant that she was officially one of them. She wasn't just their friend anymore, they were treating her like part of the crew. The Straw Hats – Vivi and Carue included – had banded together and were now ready to face the problems in Alabasta.

**-x-**

Ahead of them was Nanohana. You'd never be able to tell that this was the town that had been attacked by pirates two days ago. Everyone was contently going about their lives. The buildings were all made out of large stone blocks, the streets were lined with stalls for the port town's large market. All the people wore desert clothing to combat the heat of the desert island.

The Going Merry was now docked at the shore nearby and the Straw Hats stood on board surveying the desert town.

"So this is an Alabasta town," Usopp commented.

"Is there food?" Luffy wondered.

"Now listen guys," Nami addressed the Straw Hats, "I want you all to do your best to control yourselves while we're here."

"OF COURSE, NAMI!" Sanji quickly agreed.

"You do realize the one who needs to here that warning the most has just abandoned ship," Zoro pointed out.

"NEEEED MEEAAAT NOOOOOOWWW!" Luffy shouted as he sprinted into the desert town in search of food.

"GET BACK HERE!" Nami screamed after him.

"He doesn't know the meaning of control," Usopp complained.

"When we need to find him, just look for the noisiest place in town," Ricky reminded him like he had in Loguetown. The other Straw Hats were wearing their usual clothing while Ricky was now wearing a black t-shirt with a red question mark on it as well as his cowboy hat as he slipped on his sunglasses and shouldered a bag that contained his money and sword before he jumped off the ship and down to the sandy shore.

"Yeah, that's our Luffy," Sanji agreed as he jumped off the ship after Ricky.

"Uh, I wish he'd just remember that he has a bounty on that rubbery head of his," Nami sighed, "Especially when we're in a big country like this."

"Forget about Luffy," Zoro said as he dropped a rope ladder off the side of the ship and climbed down it onto the shore, "He can take care of himself. Now let's go find some food, we can get to work after that." Chopper pulled on his blue backpack and emulated Ricky as he jumped off the ship and landed with the others.

"I guess I should tell you," Vivi said to Nami and Usopp, "Carue and I can't go with you. We'd both be way too recognizable here."

"No worries!" Sani replied, "I'll take care of all your shopping Ms. Vivi!"

"Um… guys?" Mana suddenly called out.

"What's wrong?" Vivi asked.

Mana pointed off the rear deck from where she was standing with Ms. Goldenweek and Mr. 5. "That's Mr. 3's ship." The Straw Hats looked where she was pointing and saw a small ship docked in a cluster of rocks. It had blue and white vertically striped sails, the wick-like '3' that marked it, the big sign that read 'Mr. 3' on the sides and the 'B.W.' on the white rear sail.

"It's not very subtle," Ms. Goldenweek admitted. "But it only works with Mr. 3's wax powers. It's a sure sign that he's here in Alabasta."

"So the bastard's here," Sanji repeated.

"Well this isn't good," Zoro grumbled. "He's seen most of our faces."

"Yeah, but even if he _is_ here in Nanohana, he won't risk a direct attack," Ricky pointed out. "That's not the way that he operates. He's probably lying low to keep from being killed for failing his mission."

"We'll investigate it for you," Mana offered as she leapt from the Merry onto the shore. Mr. 5 followed after her while Ms. Goldenweek climbed down the rope ladder.

"This is where we say goodbye to you Straw Hats," Mr. 5 stated, "So… goodbye." Mr. 5 folded his arms across his chest while Mana shook her head at him.

The blonde former agent turned to Ricky, Zoro, and Sanji, "I have a parting gift for you guys," she told them as she pulled out a bundle of black fabric. "Zoro, Sanji, put these on your preferred limbs, Ricky put them on your wrists and ankles." The three Straw Hats stared at her skeptically as Zoro slipped the black bands on his wrists while Sanji put them on his ankles and Ricky did both.

Mana leaned in and touched each of the bands, when she was done, Zoro's arms hung like a gorilla's and Sanji and Ricky had sunk partially into the sand.

"I saw you training to cut air one night and I think these will help," Mana explained. "Zoro and Sanji's both weigh a thousand kilograms and Ricky, your four weight five hundred. If you get used to wearing them, you'll be able to move your limbs faster when you finally take them off. I thought that if it could work with swinging a sword, then maybe it could work for kicking your leg, so I have the ankle bands for Ricky and Sanji."

Ricky's eye widened in realization, "We realized that cutting air was about the speed we swung with, not the strength we put it in. These will actually be a great help. Thank you."

"So it'll be like we're always training," Zoro realized, "thanks. Now we'll be able master this technique in no time."

"Thank you for your including me in your wonderful gift Miss. Mana!" Sanji swooned.

"There's just one catch," Mana told them with a grin, "I get a hug goodbye from each of you."

"You don't even have to ask!" Sanji exclaimed, he eagerly hugged his fellow blonde, and Ricky followed suit when they were done.

When Mana broke her hug with Ricky she looked over at Zoro and raise her arms expectantly, "Come on," she encouraged the reluctant swordsman, "Give Mana a squeeze." Zoro grumbled to himself as managed to lift his arms high enough to give the blonde former agent a brief hug. "And one for Chopper too," Mana added, she knelt down in front of Chopper and hugged him like he was a big plushie.

The blonde stood up and smiled at the Straw Hats, "I'll never forget you guys and everything you've done for me," Mana told them, "Good luck, and take care."

"As agreed, we'll stay out of the problems in Alabasta," Ms. Goldenweek stated, "thank you for getting us here in one piece. Goodbye." The artist waved to the princess and the pirates and headed off towards Mr. 3's ship.

"Finally," Mr. 5 grunted as he followed behind her. Mana shook her head and went with them.

"I've got it!" Usopp announced, "I know a way we can get Vivi and Carue through town without them being recognized." The sniper grinned, "Usopp has a plan!"

**-x-**

A moment later, the Straw Hats were making their way through Nanohana. Ricky was at the head of the group still wearing his sunglasses and cowboy hat. Nami and Chopper walked beside him while Vivi walked behind them wearing a hooded black coat that she had borrowed from Ricky. Zoro and Sanji walked behind her, the former carrying a bag that held his and Ricky's swords as well as the money he'd brought along for the trip. Usopp brought up the rear with a Carue-shaped bundle wrapped in a tarp on his back.

"And to think he wanted _us_ to get under that," Nami muttered in reference to Usopp's _brilliant_ plan for all of them to walk through town under the tarp. "Your plan was much better."

"All of us under that would've attracted more attention that we would have avoided," Ricky replied, "if we act casually, they'll think we're just passing tourists. With a market this big, they're probably used to having them." Ricky pointed to a stone ruin on the outskirt of the shopping district. "Let's get behind that wall."

The Straw Hats slipped around a stone wall, Usopp freed Carue from the bundle on his back while Vivi lowered her hood.

"Well now, it looks like you should be safe from prying eyes for now," Sanji told Vivi, but the Princess seemed distracted and didn't respond. "Hello there?"

"GAH, yes!" Vivi quickly agreed, "Sorry for that. I'm just really relieved now. If nothing else, from what I've seen so far, I know that at least this town is doing alright. I can't exactly start resting easy… but it's a good sign."

"I does seem like this is a very peaceful town," Nami admitted.

"Vivi, you said you have a plan for stopping the rebel army, didn't you?" Zoro questioned. Vivi nodded in confirmation. "What are you going to do? What do we need to do to help? If you really want to stop this thing before it starts you need to act quickly."

"I agree with that," Vivi said, "but the only agreement I made was for you to bring me here to Ala—" **BONK!** Nami cut her off with a hard tap to the forehead.

"Quit it," Nami scolded her, "you're still thinking like that? We traveled this far together after all. We're not gonna run away and leave you now."

"Yeah Vivi, come on," Usopp added, "you're practically one of us now."

"And I wanna see this Warlord of the Sea," Zoro stated.

"You didn't need to bring that up," Nami growled at him before she turned back to Vivi, "Now listen, we're not going to abandon you!"

"You see that thing on your arm right?" Ricky asked, "That means you're practically Nakama." He cast a glance at Nami, "You've seen the things we do for our crew."

"They're trying to kill us too," Sanji pointed out.

"Besides," Nami told Vivi with an evil grin, "If this country gets destroyed we'll be out a big reward for bringing you here, you understand?"

Ricky put a hand on Nami's back, "You can just tell her you care about her. No one will hold it against you."

"SHUT UP!" Nami snapped, she lunged at him and tackled him into the wall then started strangling him.

"Ugghh... See?" Ricky gasped as Nami squeezed his throat, "This is... how she treats... people she... cares about..."

Nami finally stopped strangling Ricky and looked over at Vivi, "So what's this plan of yours?"

"Northwest of the town we're in now is an oasis called Yuba," Vivi explained, "that's where the rebel army is based at the moment. I'd like to go there first in order to head off the rebellion. But, in order to get to Yuba we're going to have to cross through the desert first. We'll need all the necessary supplies to make it. We can find anything we need easily in this town but if Baroque Works is out there waiting for us…"

"If Baroque Works is the only obstacle, we shouldn't have a problem," Sanji reassured her, "they've never seen my face before."

"And I'm going too," Ricky added, "The only one whose seen me is Mr. 3 and I'm good at not calling attention to myself. If Mr. 3 _is_ out there and tries something, I'll make sure he's not a problem anymore."

"There's someone else too," Zoro spoke up as he smiled down at Chopper.

"That's right, Chopper!" Nami realized. The only Baroque Works Agents that knew he existed were the ones that had been on their ship.

"What do you say little brother?" Ricky asked, "Wanna go shopping for supplies?"

"Yeah, I've got it," Chopper agreed, "I want to do whatever I can to help."

"I taught him that!" Usopp bragged.

Chopper transformed into his Walk Point form, "I should bend in fine like this," he reasoned.

"Not quite," Ricky objected, "reindeer don't live in the desert. You'd be better off going in your human form and borrowing my coat from Vivi. Then you'll just look like a big hairy guy."

Chopper transformed into his big Heavy Point form causing Usopp to scream in terror, "AAAAH! MONSTER!"

"Here you go Tony," Vivi said as she took off Ricky's coat and gave it to the reindeer. Chopper quickly took off his hat so he could put the coat on and then he put his pink top hat on top of the raised black hood.

"How's this?" Chopper asked.

"Now that's what I call a brave reindeer," Usopp commented.

"Thank you for doing this," Vivi addressed them, "I really appreciate your help."

"Just leave it to us," Sanji reassured her.

"I made a list of everything we need," Vivi informed them, "Oh, and we'll need some clothes too. Normal clothes so we won't stand out."

"And perfume too!" Nami added.

"Of course!" Sanji agreed.

"We'll keep an eye out for Luffy too," Ricky assured them and with that he, Sanji and Chopper took off into town.

"Hey Ricky, where do you think Luffy went, anyway?" Sanji wondered as they walked away.

"Knowing him, he got lost and ended up in the middle of the desert," Ricky replied.

**-x-**

Ricky was right. Luffy had run straight out of the town and was now standing in the middle of the desert. "Hmm, there doesn't seem to be any restaurants in this place." Luffy looked around but all he could see was sand. "Aw man, WHERE THE HECK AM I?"

Luffy peered around a sand dune and spotted a stream of smoke rising up in the sky. "Hey… what's that?" The smoke was coming out of a chimney on top of a small house that was situated up against a cliff. The wheels in Luffy's head started turning as he tried to figure out what this meant. "That's smoke. If there's smoke… there's fire… and if there's fire… THERE'S FOOOOOD!" Luffy raced towards the house, his legs were moving so fast that he kicked up as cloud of sand in his wake.

**-x-**

**Dance Powder:**

**-x-**

Ricky, Sanji, and Chopper had made it into the food district of the Nanohana market. Ricky and Chopper enjoyed the smells while Sanji talked with a merchant. The cook turned around and held a stick of meat out in front of Chopper, "It's venison."

"EEP!" Chopper squeaked in terror and hid behind Ricky. It was comical for the villagers to see the eight-foot tall man in the hooded coat and pink top hat trying to hide behind the six-foot man with the sunglasses and cowboy hat while the five foot nine inch blond man in the suit brandished a stick of meat.

"Sanji, get that away from him!" Ricky growled.

"Calm down, I was only joking," Sanji reassured them as he handed the reindeer meat back to the merchant. "This is what's great about traveling around. They have all sorts of interesting ingredients to try."

**Sniff! Sniff! **"What's that smell?" Chopper wondered as he sniffed the air, his sensitive blue nose had picked up a foreign smell to the transformed reindeer.

"What's wrong Chopper?" Ricky asked.

"There's a strange scent mixed in with all of the food," Chopper told them.

Ricky and Sanji paused and took a whiff, "That's perfume," Sanji explained. "That shop over there sells it." The cook motioned to a store that was painted pink. The purple curtains that were hanging over the door of the store were pushed opened by a pair of brown haired women wearing revealing dancer girl outfits.

"Uhhh… I just don't like that smell at all," Chopper said, "Can we get out of here?"

"Actually Nami wanted us to buy some perfume," Ricky recalled, "Chopper, the reason you probably don't like the smell is because you're smelling it all at once. Some perfumes can be extremely potent, smelling multiple of them together could hurt even my nose after a while." Ricky and Chopper looked up and suddenly realized that they were alone, they looked back over to the perfume shop and saw Sanji flirting with one of the brown haired dancer girls.

"SANJI!" Chopper shouted at him.

A sly grin appeared on Ricky's face as he looked over at Chopper, "Wanna get him back for that venison thing?"

Chopper looked at Ricky and copied his grin, "Oooh yeeeaah,"

"Hello my darling, your outfit is ravishing," he complimented the dancer girl. Her long brown hair was tied back into a ponytail and she wore blue eyeliner and pink lipstick to highlight her face. "But nothing in the world could possibly compare to your amazing eyes and your beautiful smile." The dancer girl's friend who had a darker shade of brown hair and wore it as two pigtails frowned at being overlooked and stood nearby with her hands on her hips.

"Hey Cas, I wondered where you ran off to," Ricky's voice cut in. He walked over wearing a long black coat, his cowboy hat, and his sunglasses. Chopper was in his Brain Point form and was tucked under Ricky's arm. "Oh, hello ladies, I'm Jack, and this is my good buddy, Tony."

"HE'S SO CUTE!" the woman Sanji had been flirting with squealed. "CAN WE PET HIM?"

Ricky grinned, "Go right ahead," he encouraged them. The two women came over and began petting Chopper, the cook frowned as he was completely disregarded in favor of petting the cute reindeer in Ricky's arm.

When the two dancer girls finally finished petting Chopper, the darker haired one with pigtails handed Ricky a slip of paper.

"This is the name of the place we dance at," she informed him, "if you and Tony are going to be in Alabasta for a while, we'd be happy to see you again."

"But be sure to bring Tony," the lighter haired dancer girl with the ponytail added before she leaned in and quickly kissed Chopper on the cheek. The reindeer was already sporting a huge blush from all the attention he was receiving, but now his fur was practically pink.

As the girls walked away Ricky looked down at the still stunned Chopper, "And that, little brother, is why cute and cuddly will always trump sweetl and suavel."

Sanji glared at Ricky but then he smiled when he had an idea, "Hey… do you think I could carry Chopper… just for a bit?"

"You're not carrying Chopper just so you can pick up girls," Ricky stated, "we ruined your chances with those two as payback for the venison thing."

"Fine, no more venison," Sanji conceded. "And did you call me 'Cas'?"

"Short for Casanova," Ricky explained, "It seemed fitting."

"Can we… go now?" Chopper requested, "This perfume is getting to be too much."

"Miss. Nami asked us to get some for her," Sanji remembered.

Ricky put Chopper down then took the coat off and handed it to the reindeer, "Put this back on and wait here," he instructed. "Sanji and I will go in and be as quick as possible. Then we'll leave and get the other supplies."

"Okay…" Chopper agreed, "just... please hurry…this heat's starting to get to me." Ricky nodded and he and Sanji headed for the perfume shop.

"Hey," Sanji said, "do you think I could… have that paper she gave you?" Without a thought, Ricky handed it over. "Maybe after we save Miss. Vivi's kingdom I can stop there for a visit."

**-x-**

"Hmm…" Luffy said as he stood in front of the house out in the middle of the desert. "This doesn't really look like a restaurant." The building was only one story tall and was made out of tan blocks. On one side of the house was a huge metal funnel that led into a barrel with another bunch of barrels nearby. A large oven was built into the other side of the house and passed that a wooden shelf with an awning over it, the shelf was stocked with a bunch of sacks.

"IS ANYONE HERE?" Luffy called out. "HEELLOOO? I'M HUNGRY!"

Luffy looked up at the smoke coming out of the chimney, "A fire's going but no one's here," he noted, he took a look around and spotted the barrels. They each had a tap drilled into them. "HEY! WATER!" Luffy ran over to the barrels but was disappointed to find that they were empty. "Aww… come on, is a little water too much to ask?"

Luffy held his hands on top of his hat and backed away from the empty barrels, it was then that he spotted the sacks on the other side of the house. "What're those things?" Luffy wondered. "Can I eat it?"

**RRRIIIIP! **In no time, Luffy had torn almost all of the sacks open but the only thing inside was a strange green powder. "Aww… it's just green powder," he complained. "I wonder if its food. It doesn't look very tasty, that's for sure." Luffy dabbed his finger in the green powder and licked it off. "BLAAGGHHH! THAT'S SO GROSS! YUCK! WHO WOULD EAT THIS STUFF?"

Then Luffy spotted the oven, "Oh, that's perfect," he decided that he was going to rid the world of that disgusting green powder. Luffy quickly stuffed all of the sacks into the burning oven. "This stuff's obviously some kind of poison. BUT NOW IT'S GONE!"

Luffy turned and walked away from the house, he didn't notice that the smoke coming out of the chimney had turned green. **THOOOM! **Luffy heard the crack of thunder and looked up in the air to see a dark storm cloud up above the house. The green smoke was going up into it.

"What is that?" Luffy questioned before the storm cloud opened up and it started raining. It started lightly but then picked up until it was pouring and Luffy was quickly drenched. Luffy pulled his rubber mouth open and tried to drink the rain as it fell from the sky. "WOW! This is good! I found some water!"

**WHAM! **A sketchy looking man with graying black hair and a sword burst out of the house. He wore a blue and white striped hat and thick desert clothing. "WHAT'S THIS?" he demanded as he stared at the rain, then looked over and saw that all his sacks were gone. "AAAAAAAHH! THE BAGS WHERE ARE THEY?" The man turned to Luffy and held out his sword, "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO WITH MY BAGS? WHAT DID YOU DO WITH ALL THAT GREEN POWDER?"

"Oh that?" Luffy replied, "It's all burned up now."

"YOU _WHAAAT_?" the man shrieked, he dropped to his knees and started wailing, "MY PRECIOUS DANCE POWDER! IT WAS MY TREASURE!"

"Hey what's the matter?" Luffy asked as he walked over to the sobbing man wondering what he'd done wrong this time. "What're you so sad about?"

**SWISH!** The sadness turned to anger and the man swung at Luffy with his sword, but Luffy reacted quickly and jumped over the swing.

"YOU BURNT ALL MY POWDER!" the man growled. "DO YOU HAVE ANY CLUE HOW MUCH THAT COST ME?"

"No," Luffy admitted, "And why would you want the poison anyway?"

**SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! **"THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" the man screamed as he flailed his sword around at Luffy but the rubber pirate managed to noodle around all of the swings. "NOW SHUT UP AND GIMME MY DREAM BACK!"

Luffy jumped away from the man and stared at him in surprise, "Wait… that stuff was your dream?" he asked.

"That's right," the man answered. "That powder was going to help me achieve all my goals!"

"I'm sorry," Luffy apologized as he bowed to the man. He did a lot of stupid stuff but he'd never intentionally destroy someone else's dream without a good reason.

"SORRY'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" the man yelled. "YOU HAVE TO PAY ME FOR IT!"

"Can't do that," Luffy told him, "I don't have any money I can give you."

"BASTARD!" the man snapped as he swung at Luffy again, **SWISH!** Luffy ducked the sword.

The man lowered his sword and was depressed again and dropped to his knees, "I'd come so far…" he said mostly to himself, "I even built this cabin here…"

"Hey, don't be so down," Luffy attempted to console the man whose dream he had accidentally destroyed. "Can't you just buy some more?"

"It's not all that easy to get," the man explained, "The World Government has outlawed the powder. It's illegal to make or sell it."

Luffy was silent for a moment. Illegal, that meant the man wasn't _supposed_ to have that gross green powder... even if it was his dream. "Illegal?" Luffy repeated. The man flinched and covered his mouth, realizing he'd said too much. "Oh reeeaaally, so you're a criminal?"

"Haah haah," the man chuckled, "that's right…" he grabbed his sword and leapt up into the air and prepared to bring it down on Luffy's head, "NOW YOU DIE!"

**-x-**

"_This isn't good,"_ Chopper thought to himself as he staggered through Nanohana. The blaring heat from the sun overhead combined with his thick fur was almost too much for the poor reindeer. With the overpowering smell of all the perfume lingering in the air the reindeer had just staggered away from the perfume shop and now had no idea where he was. _"I think I'm starting to come down with symptoms of heat stroke."_

**Whap!** Chopper flinched when someone tapped him on the shoulder, **"Hey buddy, you dropped your hat." **Chopper turned around and saw a brown hair man with a short brown beard and mustache wearing a fedora hat and a tan trench coat holding out his pink top hat. Chopper took his hat back while the man's eye narrowed, "What's a yeti doing in a desert kingdom?"

**CHUK!** Chopper suddenly found himself staring down the barrel of a handheld cannon courtesy of Hannibal King… Monster Hunter.

"WWWAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Chopper screamed and transformed into his Walk Point form and then took off running away from the scary man with a gun.

Han stared after Chopper in surprise, "What the hell was that thing?" he wondered. His face hardened in determination, "Looks like I've got a monster to hunt." The monster hunter looked down at the tracks that Chopper had left in the sand and started following him.

**-x-**

"Hahh hahhh…" the sketchy man laughed, the rain had stopped and he and Luffy were sitting down in the wet sand outside his cabin. The man was sporting a purple lump on his forehead, a second one on his cheek, and a bloody nose. He hadn't fared well in his fight with Luffy. "My, you're certainly a strong one, aren't you?"

"Sure am," Luffy replied, "No one can beat me."

"I'm not surprised," the man commented, "your fighting style is very unique. Sorry about that."

"Oh, no, no, no," Luffy said, "I'm the one who burned up your powder stuff. _I'm_ sorry."

"Uh… no, why don't we just go ahead and say we're even," the man suggested. "Oh, and if you think you can avoid telling anyone about the water that'd be just great." The man clearly didn't want the fact that he had illegal powder getting out.

"Wait… what was that powder stuff?" Luffy inquired.

"What? You don't know?" the man questioned.

"Nope, but it sure was gross," Luffy admitted.

"Gaahhh…" the man gasped as he was reminded of Luffy eating his treasured illegal powder. "Well it's not food. It's a very special substance known as Dance Powder. It's all called Rain Summoning Powder. That's what caused the sudden downpour we just had." Luffy just stared at the man. "Uhh… would you like me to explain more?"

"Nah, I wouldn't understand," Luffy told him.

"I guess you wouldn't, would you?" the man joked. "Hahahahaha!

"SHISHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed good-naturedly. **BONK!** Then hit the man on the head. "Hey, don't be so rude, old guy."

"Like I was saying," the man groaned as he recovered from being hit _again_ by Luffy, "the Dance Powder is very special. It can be used to artificially produce rain. Dance Powder works like this…" The man began explaining how Dance Powder worked, but true to his word, Luffy didn't understand it and just nodded where necessary. "Well does all that make sense?"

"So… it's mystery powder," Luffy concluded.

"Yes… well done… that's it exactly…" the man said sarcastically as he hung his head and applauded half-heartedly. He'd just wasted his time with his long explanation.

"You being rude to me again, old man?" Luffy asked. "Why would you wanna use the powder to make rain in the first place?"

"You don't even know the first thing about this country, do you?"

"Nope," Luffy confessed, "I just landed here by boat."

"Well you see," he man explained, "here in Alabasta we're constantly battling drought." At Luffy's confused look the man elaborated, "Drought… is when there is no water and the land dries up."

"GRRR! I KNOW THAT MUCH!" Luffy snapped, **BONK!** He hit the man on the head again.

"Ughh…" the rude man grunted, "anyway… our country never gets much rain. But it's become much more scarce in recent years."

"That sounds bad," Luffy realized.

"And most of the oases have dried up," the man added.

"So just use the mystery powder then," Luffy told him.

"That's what you would think," the man said, "but as I told you, the World Government has now made Dance Powder _illegal_. Use of the powder is a crime punishable by execution. The powder is supposedly what started the country's rebellion. I don't know much about that though."

"So was it your dream to help to save your country by using that powder?" Luffy inquired, his respect for the rude old guy had grown but the man looked confused. "Earlier you said the powder was really important."

"Uhh… yeahh… but that wasn't exactly what I had in mind for it," the man confessed. "I thought by selling water in these hard times I could make a lot of money." Luffy's hopes were dashed when the man admitted that he was just a two-bit criminal out to make some quick money off of his fellow citizens while they continued to struggle with the drought.

"Oh well, I don't really care about that," Luffy bluntly told the man as he stood up and adjusted his hat. "I just need to find some place to eat."

"But but but but but… please don't tell anyone about this," the man pleaded, he didn't want to be executed even if his Dance Powder _was_ all gone. "Let's keep it between us, okay?"

"Sure, whatever," Luffy agreed, "It makes no difference." He probably forget all about it once he found some food.

"PLEASE DON'T TELL!" the man begged. "I'LL GIVE YOU ANYTHING YOU WANT!"

**POOF! **An imaginary miniature Ricky suddenly appeared and floated above Luffy's shoulder. "He did say _anything_," mini-Ricky advised with a sly grin. "And he doesn't know what you are."

Luffy smiled at the man, "Anything?" he asked.

A moment later Luffy was holding a bundle that contained most of the man's food.

"Well, it was fun," Luffy addressed the man, "And thanks a lot for the food weird old guy."

"Sure, I only hope you enjoy it," the man replied.

"Oh trust me, I will," Luffy assured him, he turned and walked while waving over his shoulder, "See ya around rude old guy!"

"Remember not to tell anyone, okay?" the man called after him.

"Yeah, you got nothing to worry about," Luffy reassured him. "Besides, I couldn't even turn you in if I wanted too." Luffy smiled over his shoulder at the surprised man, "After all, I'm a pirate. SEE YA! THANKS AGAIN FOR THE LUNCH!"

"Hey… not fair…" the man mumbled as he stared after Luffy. He'd given the strange boy food to keep quiet about his criminal activity when _he _was a criminal himself. It felt odd that a seemingly oblivious boy like him was capable of such an underhanded thing.

**-x-**

"WWAAAAAAHHHH!" Chopper screamed as he ran through the streets of Naohana to escape the scary man with the gun. Chopper ran passed two people loaded up with packs of supplies when one of them grabbed his backpack and pulled him back to them.

"Chopper what's wrong?" asked the familiar voice of Ricky. He was dressed differently now. He wore a red cloak lined in black over his normal clothes, and a black desert headpiece called a shemagh that covered his red hair and was wrapped around his neck to protect it from the hot sun. He wore his sunglasses and a red sash around his waist that went down to his knee.

"What'd you run off?" Sanji asked, "he was dressed differently too. He wore a desert cloak that was light blue on the top and one the sleeves and white as it went down to his feet as an almost-gown. There were two maroon suns decorating his sleeves and he wore a dark blue hood which was currently down.

"I was overwhelmed with the heat and smells I just staggered off," Chopper quickly answered, "I didn't know where I was going and the next thing I know his scary guy calls me a yeti and points a huge gun at my face!"

"Sanji and I finished the shopping while you were gone," Ricky informed him, "Change back into your small form and I'll carry you back to the others. That way he won't be able to follow your tracks." Chopper quickly shifted into his Brain Point form and Ricky picked him up and carried him and all of his purchases away. Sanji followed after him but neither of the pirates noticed that the weights on their ankles were causing them to leave DEEP tracks in the sand.

**-x-**

The two brown-haired dancer girls from earlier were walking down a sandy street together.

"What do you think Tony was anyway?" the darker haired one with pigtails wondered.

"I don't know," the lighter haired one with the ponytail admitted, "maybe some kind of raccoon? Whatever he was, he was really cute."

"I thought Jack was kind of cute too," the pigtailed dancer girl told her friend, "he had this mysterious foxy quality to him."

**WHAP!** The dancer girl was grabbed by the shoulders of her outfit and was pulled around to face a green clothed woman, a pair of intense green eyes bore out of the dark hood.

"What did you say?" the woman demanded. "About a guy named Jack?"

"Th-that h-he had a m-m-mysterious f-foxy quality t-to him," the dancer girl stammered.

"Did he look anything like this?" the woman asked as she held up a wanted poster.

The dancer girl stared passed the middle finger the pirate was giving her and studied his face, "Y-yes, that's him," she answered, "but he was wearing sunglasses so I didn't see the eye patch."

"So he's here," the woman whispered, a smile appeared on her shadowed face. Without another word she released the dancer girl, hefted a long sack back onto her shoulder, and walked off.

"Looks like Jack's a wanted man," the dancer girl with the ponytail pointed out. "You always did have a think for bad boys."

"Yeah," the dancer girl with the pigtails agreed, "but if he's wanted by _that _woman anyone in their right mind would stay away from him."

**-x-**

"I LOVE THIS OUTFIT!" Nami exclaimed as she surveyed the outfit that Ricky, Sanji, and Chopper had brought back for her. The navigator was dressed like a dancer girl. The front of her top was practically a bikini, it had a low diagonal cut that showed off her cleavage and was blue in color while decorated in purple waves and blue dots. The back of it was a pink cape that went down to the back of her knees. The bottom of the outfit was a white dress with a matching low cut lined in blue that went down below the navigator's naval. For accessories, she wore a fancy gold necklace, matching gold armbands just below her shoulders, fancy earrings, and I clip in her hair that had it pinned back with the exception of one orange lock that went down her face passed her chin. "Oh yeah, love it!"

Beside her, Vivi also wore a dancer girl outfit but hers was more conservative. It was a dark navy in color and was lined in purple while her cape was white. The cut of the skimpy top was rounder and now as low as Nami's and the waistband of her dress was straight instead of cut and the front had a dark blue flap that was lined in purple going down it. For accessories, she wore a gold bracelet on her right arm, a pair of tasteful earrings, and a simple necklace. Her hair was still in the same style that she usually wore it.

"Uh… I know I asked you to pick out some clothes for us but there are meant for dancer girls," Vivi said as she surveyed her own outfit.

"OOOH MISS. VIVI, YOU'RE A VISION!" Sanji swooned with hearts in his eyes.

"But commoners would wear this," Vivi attempted to explained.

"But aren't dancers common," Sanji countered with a big grin.

"WE'RE CROSSING A DESERT!" Vivi snapped.

"Hey, don't worry!" Sanji reassured her, "if you get tired, my darling, I'll just carry you. Wahahahahaha!"

"It's pointless," Vivi muttered.

"Don't worry," Ricky spoke up from where he was sitting against the wall with Zoro and Chopper eating the food they'd brought back. "I have some actual desert clothes for the two of you. Casanova over there insisted that he knew all your sizes by heart, so the only part in those outfits that I had was the jewelry."

"Heh heh," Zoro chuckled as he gnawed on a leg of chicken, "Casanova."

"Let's see then, let's take a look at you guys," Sanji said as he turned to face the male members of the crew.

Zoro wore a white desert robe over his normal clothes, it was lined in black and was covered in black triangle designs. On his head he wore an orange shemagh that was around his shoulders and covered the back of his neck.

Beside him, Usopp wore a pale green full length robe and a mustard yellow shemagh. His goggles were tied in the top of it.

"Compared to the lovely ladies, you look like sloppy bandits," Sanji commented.

"You might wanna look in a mirror," Zoro retorted.

"Hey Chopper, what're you doing?" Usopp asked as he looked over his shoulder at Chopper.

The poor reindeer was back in his Brain Point form and was clutching his hooves over his nose. Along with his usual maroon shorts he now wore a white t-shirt and an indigo desert robe lined in blue over it. Carue was beside him dressed in his usual with a small water barrel with a straw in it tied to his neck.

"It's that smell," Chopper complained.

"Is he not feeling well?" Nami asked in concern.

"The perfume is bad on Chopper's sensitive nose," Ricky explained. "Poor guy."

"This stuff?" Nami questioned as she held up a bottle of perfume.

"NOT THAT ONE!" Ricky suddenly exclaimed, with surprising speed due to the weights he was wearing he snatched the bottle away from her and stuffed it in his top right pocket. "That's strong one that Sanji and I got to use as a weapon."

"Is it that potent?" Usopp inquired.

"It'll curl _your_ nose," Ricky told him.

"This one is yours Miss. Nami!" Sanji said as he presented Nami with orange tinted glass.

"Citrus?" Nami read off of the label.

"A good perfume should compliment your natural scent instead covering it up," Ricky explained. "You smell like a combination of sea breeze, tangerines, and money. Although, I'm not sure exactly _how _a person can smell like money and this is coming from a guy that can actually sense it. Just use a light squirt of it so you don't end up making our doctor cry."

**Pish! **Nami lightly sprayed herself with the perfume.

"OOOH MISS. NAMI!" Sanji moaned, "YOU SMELL JUST LIKE AN ANGEL IN A FIELD OF FRESH FLOWERS!"

"You're an idiot," Zoro muttered.

"GRAAAAHHH!" Sanji snarled at him.

Chopper sat up and smelled the air curiously, **Sniff! Sniff!** "Actually… that one's not so bad," he admitted. "She smells like Nami… only stronger."

"See, perfume's not so bad when you just isolate one scent," Ricky pointed out. "You were overwhelmed because you were smelling it all at once."

"I'm sorry Tony," Vivi apologized, "but Nanohana is famous for its perfumes."

"At any rate," Usopp spoke up, "at least we've gathered all the supplies we're going to need to cross the desert."

"Yes, that's correct," Vivi answered, "but the trip through the desert will most likely be more difficult than any of you can even begin to imagine. There's no telling what might happen out there. One wrong step at any moment in a desert land like this one and there's no guarantee that we'll all survive. I'm still a little reluctant on asking you to follow me in such a dangerous place. But more than anything… I want to bring peace back to Alabasta. So I guess… I guess I don't have any choice but to ask…HELP ME! Please help me bring peace back to my country!"

"Well you finally said it," Nami commented, she winked and gave the Princess and thumbs up, "It's about time."

"There's no telling what might happen on the sea either, we're used to it," Sanji told her.

"And saving people's homes is kind of what we do," Ricky pointed out as he, Zoro, and Usopp stood up.

"Yeah, it'll be just like any other day," Zoro agreed as he sheathed his three swords at his side.

"Cool! I can't wait to see the desert," Chopper said.

"Quack!" Carue replied.

"OKAY YOU GUYS!" Usopp addressed the crew, "LET'S GO TO YUBA!"

"YEEEAAAHH!" the Straw Hats all cheered.

Vivi smiled happily at her friends, "Thanks."

"Wait a minute… someone's missing," Ricky observed.

"Luffy…" everyone else groaned. The pirate in question was still wandering the desert munching on a rice ball that the rude old guy had given him.

"THAT IDIOT!" Nami shouted. The Straw Hats were ready to head into the desert. Now they just needed their captain.

**-x-**

Next chapter, the Straw Hats discover that Smoker and his marines have made their way to Alabasta. Ollie and Han are already in Nanohana, but next time… Ace arrives.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	31. Chapter 31

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of its characters. However, I _do_ own Ricky, Ollie, and Han. Just not the characters the latter two are based off of.

**Author's Note:** Just in case you couldn't tell from last chapter, I've decided to include some of the Alabasta filler. I know the arc is already really long but I'm going to pick and choose the good filler to include. Why, you ask? MORE F-ACE TIME!

**Ace Arrives:**

**-x-**

"Where the heck is Luffy?" Zoro wondered. The Straw Hats were getting tired of waiting for their wayward captain. The last they'd seen of him was when he ran off in search of food.

"Let's go find him," Usopp suggested, "He doesn't know where we are anyway."

"Nah, I'll go find him," Ricky replied as he pushed himself off of the wall and stood up as waved his arms and legs still attempting to adjust to the five hundred kilogram bands he was wearing. "If you all stay here I'll be able to bring him back once I find him and we can set off without waiting to meet up again."

"In that case, _we'll _guard the supplies," Usopp decided as he, Chopper, and Carue formed a protective circle around the supplies that Ricky and Sanji had bought back.

"If anyone can find that idiot in a strange town it's you," Sanji reasoned.

"Try to keep him out of trouble," Vivi advised, "if word gets out that pirates are wandering Nanohana the royal army could be called in… or worse… Crocodile."

"Don't worry about it," Ricky reassured her, "I'm good at lying low."

"It's not _you _we're worried about," Nami pointed out. "Luffy can't seem to remember that he's got a thirty million berri bounty on his head."

"But he can usually get himself out of any trouble he gets himself into," Ricky reminded her as he picked up the bag that contain the money and his sword and headed off. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

**-x-**

A man walked down a street through the market district of Nanohana. He had short messy black hair and freckles that were mostly hidden by his orange hat that was decorated with two blue faces one smiling and one frowning two straps from the hat met at the man's chest in a bull's skull buckle. Around the hat was a string of large round rubies that matched a similar string that went around the man's neck He didn't wear a shirt exposing his lean muscular physique, eight-pack abs, and his two tattoos one was on his left bicep and read 'A' 'S' 'C' 'E' but had the 'S' crossed out, the second tattoo went across his back. It was a purple mark with two bones in the shape of a cross under a purple skull with a white crescent-shaped beard. He wore an orange elbow pad on his left elbow and black shorts that were laced with an orange belt that had a green and brown knife sheathed on it. There was a blue pouch strapped to his leg and he wore simple black shoes. The man walked casually and carried a small bag over one shoulder. This was none other than Portgaz D. Ace, Luffy and Ricky's older brother.

"Oh hello there young traveler!" a merchant called out to Ace, "I haven't seen you around before. Is this your first time here?" The man held out a shiny gold apple, "Would you care to take a look at this solid gold apple?" The man stepped into Ace's path to force and whispered to him, "I don't normally do this, but I can usually tell when someone has a discerning eye. This apple's magic. It's from an ancient ruin with just one bite you could live for a thousand years!"

"Thanks but no thanks," Ace politely declined, "I'm not really all that interesting in living for a thousand years. Just living today is good enough." Ace walked off leaving the merchant and a few readers staring after him in surprise.

"Care to hear your fortune, young man?" an old lady wearing the robe of a fortune teller offered further down the street.

"No thank you, but I do have one question," Ace replied, "have you seen these guys?" Ace produced and pair of wanted posters and showed them to the fortune teller.

"'Straw Hat' Luffy and 'One Eye' Ricky?" the old woman read off of the wanted posters.

"They might be in town here somewhere," Ace explained, "I've been looking for them for a while now."

"Well… I've never seen them," the fortune teller admitted, "but if you want to find them then I would suggest asking around at that restaurant at the end of the road. The owner seems to know everyone passing through."

"Thank you, ma'am," Ace said while bowing politely. "A restaurant… Hmm… I was just starting to feel a bit hungry anyway."

As Ace approached the restaurant he passed a girl with short dark blue hair and red framed glasses. She wore white pants and a purple shirt with 'Marines' written on the back. A sword was sheathed at her waist and she was holding another one in her hand while yelled at a sketchy-looking merchant.

"YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!" Sergeant Major Tashigi exclaimed. "Selling a sword like this for two hundred thousand berries is nothing short of STEALING! Come on! Do you even have a permit to sell these?"

One thing was clear: the Loguetown Marines had made it to Alabasta.

**-x-**

**CLICK! **Han King was kneeling over a set of tracks that looked like a coat being dragged through the sand by a four-legged animal when he suddenly found a gun pointed at his head.

Han turned his head and saw a marine standing behind him pointing two pistols at him. He wore the standard marine uniform consisting of the white cap and shirt and the blue pants. What distinguished him from an ordinary run-of-the-mill Marine was his green-tinted goggles an the green neckerchief depicting him as a Lieutenant.

"Hannibal King of the Whitebeard Pirates… you're under arrest," Lieutenant Devo of the Loguetown Marines announced.

"I'm a little busy right now," Han informed him.

"You're not the pirate I'm searching for either," Devo admitted, "but justice doesn't follow the schedule of a pirate. You're under arrest."

"You seem like a smart, dedicated marine," Han noted, Devo had to keep himself from disagreeing with the pirate out of principle, "Allow me to explain something to you… I'm a monster hunter before I'm a pirate. And I'm currently in the middle of hunting a strange yeti."

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Devo demanded, "Yetis don't live in deserts.'

"I know," Han agreed, "and that's why I felt that one's presence here was odd. It was wearing human clothing as a disguises which shows that it's intelligent. And when I confronted it, the monster shape-shifted and ran away. It could be some kind of strange Zoan or it might be something dangerous." Han stood up and turned around to stare at Devo. "Now you've got a decision to make. Do you arrest me and let this monster go free at the risk of it hurting someone? Or do you do your job as a Marine by allowing me to do _my job _of hunting this monster?"

Devo frowned, if an intelligent, shape-shifting yeti was loose in the town this was a cause for concern. It seemed logical to let a professional monster hunter hunt the elusive monster.

"Fine," Devo conceded, "For the sake of these people, I'll let you go this _one_ time. But if I ever see you again, be prepared to face justice for your crimes." The Marine Lieutenant holstered his gun and left Han alone.

"Now where was I?" Han wondered out loud as he knelt down over the track's he'd been investigating. "The trail seems to end here. Did it transform again?" Han's eyes narrowed as he studied the sand and noticed two sets of very deep footprints. "Or was it _carried_?" Han stood up and began following the tracks that Ricky and Sanji had left as a result of the weights they'd been wearing on their ankles.

**-x-**

Ricky stuffed the book he'd bought into his bag as he walked down the road in search of Luffy.

He was stopped when a familiar merchant called out to him. "Hello there young traveler, I haven't seen you around before. Is this your first time here?" The man held out the same gold apple from before, "Would you care to take a look at this solid gold apple?" The man leaned in close and whispered to Ricky, "I don't normally do this, but I can usually tell when someone has a discerning eye. This apple's magic. It's from an ancient ruin with just one bite you could live for a thousand years! What do you say to a thousand berries?"

A sly grin appeared on Ricky's face, "That's not real gold," he whispered to the man. "But I'll tell you what, for thirty thousand berries I _won't_ pull back the curtain over there that's hiding the guy with the gold paint."

"B-b-but that's all I've made today!" the man sputtered.

"Then it should be a small price to pay," Ricky reasoned, "what would you rather keep; your money or your integrity as a merchant? If I pull back that curtain and show everyone here that you're just a scam artist how do you expect to do business here ever again?"

The merchant glared at Ricky as he handed over his day's earnings. Ricky swiped the golden apple away from the man and waved over his shoulder at the man, "Enjoy the rest of your day."

**Chomp! **Ricky took a bite of the apple but promptly spat it out, **PTOOI!** "Bleeahhh… the gold paint makes the apple taste terrible!" he complained as he tossed the apple away.

Ricky suddenly stiffened when his treasure sense felt fifteen million, one hundred twenty-one thousand, two hundred ninety-five berries approaching him from behind. It was an amount that he only associated with one person.

Ricky slowly turned around and smiled when he saw a green clothed figure walking down the street toward him. The figure completely ignored the golden apple merchant and didn't stop walking until Ricky suddenly found himself face-to-face with Ollie Queen.

"Hey stranger," she greeted him, her smile lit up her shadowed face, "back from the dead?"

"Not quite dead, but I _was _in hell," Ricky admitted. He glanced around and noticed that there were people watching him. He quickly grabbed Ollie's wrist and pulled her down an alley beside a fortune teller's stall.

Ricky removed his shemagh and raised his sunglasses up his forehead while Ollie lowered her hood and they both dropped their respective bags. She looked just as he remembered. Her yellow hair was cut short and two locks went down passed her eyes and framed her face, she had pale skin but deep green eyes.

Before Ricky could say anything she lunged at him and threw her arms around him and buried her head in his chest. "I missed you so much," Ollie gushed, "you never made it a big secret that you would be leaving us to join your brother's crew… but I thought we still had a year left. You were such a big part of my life and then you were suddenly gone. And not gone to join your brother's grew… but dead gone. It was horrible. The last thing I said to you was 'I don't know why I even bothered'. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I bothered because you're my best friend in the whole world, I bothered because without you in my life my life isn't worth living. I'm so glad you're still alive."

Ricky rubbed her back consolingly and knew that after everything they'd been through together he owed her an explanation.

"I'm sorry," Ricky apologized, "Teach approached me about finding a Devil Fruit that he claimed was his destiny. He was acting really creepy but you know me, I can't resist going after a valuable treasure. I managed to convince him to bring someone else along and I was going to find someone when I ran into you. I know that you and I have been on plenty of treasure hunts before but I didn't want to get you involved with this one since was acting so weird. I needed someone strong enough to keep him in check so I went with Thatch."

"So… what did he do to you?" Ollie asked, "What happened?"

"I managed to find the Devil Fruit in a hidden chamber in a dark cave," Ricky explained, "Teach let it slip that it was called the Dark Dark Fruit and Thatch decided that we should show it to Pops first. It was late by the time we got out of the cave so we decided to stay at the island until morning. Teach killed Thatch to get the fruit and when I tried to keep it away from him… he cut my eye out, beat the crap out of me, and left me for dead."

Ollie stared at his eye patch and slowly reached out to grab it, demonstrating an immense trust for his former Nakama he allowed her to lift the eye patch off of his eye, revealing the 'x' shaped scar over his closed eyelid. Ricky tensed as Ollie reached up and lightly traced the scar with the tip of her finger.

Ollie pulled her finger off of his eye and frowned, "There's something you're not telling me," she realized, "something else happened that kept you from coming back to us, something horrible if it kept you from at least contacting us."

"You're right," Ricky agreed as he slid his eye patch back down over his eye. "But this is neither the time nor the place for that conversation. We _will_ have it, just not now and definitely not here."

"Do you wanna get something to eat?" Ollie offered finally breaking the hug she'd been giving him all this time. "We can catch up."

"I'm supposed to be looking for my brother," Ricky admitted, "Actually… he ran off in search of food. Maybe a restaurant would be a good place to look for him."

Ricky raised his shemagh and lowered his sunglasses while Ollie put her own hood back on. They picked up their bags and Ricky led her out of the alley and stopped when he spotted the old fortunate teller sitting at a stall beside it, "Hey, do you know of any restaurants that are nearby?" he inquired.

"You could try the Spice Bean down at the end of the road," the woman suggested.

"Thanks," Ricky replied as he and Ollie headed off in the direction the woman had indicated. As they went further down the road Ricky looked down in surprise when Ollie suddenly took hold of his hand in hers.

At his curious glance she said, "I just got you back, I don't want to let you go again so soon."

A deep raspy voice suddenly broke out from behind them, **"STOP RIGHT THERE, PIRATE SCUM!" **The grip Ricky and Ollie had on each other's hand tightened as they slowly looked behind them in time to see Marine Captain 'White Chase' Smoker running towards them. Smoker looked the same as he did in Loguetown, down to the last cigar stuffed in the strap around the sleeve of his coat. The Marine Captain had his jutte drawn and was prepared to fight.

**-x-**

**(A/N: I wrote this scene from Han's perspective because I thought it would be funnier.)**

Han followed the deep footprints to a ruin on the outskirts of the market district, and slowly made his way around the corner and saw saw three bandits, two dancer girls, a big duck – threat level: low, and an odd brown-furred creature with a familiar pink hat.

"YOU!" Han exclaimed as he drew his gun aimed it at the shape-shifting monster.

"AAAHHHHHH!" the raccoon-like monster screamed, "IT'S THE SCARY GUY!"

Han was caught off guard by the fact that the monster could not only disguise itself and shape-shift but _talk _– threat level: mega. Two of the bandits got up and stood in front of the monster, one was wielding two swords but had another sheathed at his waist and the other was standing in a deep set of footprints while in casual fighting stance, the third bandit, who had a long nose and goggles, grabbed the still-screaming monster and dove behind a large pile of supply-packs.

"You got a problem with our Nakama?" the sword wielding bandit demanded.

"Nakama?" Han repeated. Pirates were the only ones who referred to their crew as that. "What're you guys… pirates?"

"And if we are?" the blond man with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth challenged him.

Han thought for a moment, they were waiting here in Alabasta hoping to catch up with Ace's youngest brother and the kid. He didn't want to get into any unnecessary fights if he could avoid it. If the strange shape-shifting monster was a pet of this pirate crew then it wasn't a cause for major concern… unless the pirates were.

"I was concerned when I saw your yeti wandering through town," Han explained to the pirates, "I wanted to make sure it didn't hurt anyone."

"I'M NOT A YETI AND I'M NOT AN 'IT'!" the monster shouted from behind the supplies in a surprisingly high-pitched voice despite the large form it had previously been in.

"Hmm, what a strange little monster," Han remarked, before he looked back at the pirates, "If the monster's with you and you're not causing any trouble then there's no problem here."

"Causing problems for these people is the _last _thing that we want to do," the dancer girl with long blue hair assured him.

"Then you have no problems with me," Han resolved as he lowered his gun. "To atone for the inconvenience, allow me offer you this piece of advice: lay low, there are marines here."

"M-m-marines?" the pirate with the long nose stammered from behind the supplies.

"Sorry to trouble you," Han apologized, "but if you don't want to end up in cell, I'd suggest exercising caution…" Han pointed at the tiny monster, "especially you." Han turned to leave when he heard the other dancer girl speak up.

"Where the heck are they? How long could it really take for Ricky to find him?"

Han stopped in his tracks and spun around, "Did you say 'Ricky'?" Han repeated, he dug into one of the pockets in his trench coat and pulled out the kid's wanted poster, "_This _Ricky?"

"Y-yeah," the monster stammered, "What do you want with Big Brother?"

"Big Brother?" Han repeated. This had to be the kid's new pirate crew. But why the heck would he become brothers with a talking, transforming… actually that sounded a lot like something the kid would do.

"Wait…" the orange haired girl spoke up, "if you thought Chopper was a monster… and were hunting him… and know Ricky… that means you're Ricky's old Nakama, the Monster Hunter!"

"That's me," Han replied, "Hannibal King, at your service. If you don't mind me asking, where _is _the kid? Whitebeard gave us some time off so Ollie and I are here with Ace looking for him and Ace's youngest brother… your captain, I guess."

"Luffy ran off looking for food so we sent Ricky out to find him," the orange girl explained.

"But he's still around here somewhere," Han realized. "If you'll excuse me, I think my captain would be pleased to hear that his brothers are here in town, farewell for now." Han turned and headed off, this time in search of Ace. The first places on his list were any local restaurants.

**-x-**

Ricky and Ollie simultaneously let out a sigh of relief when Smoker ran right passed them and took down a trio of seedy looking men with one swing of his jutte. **WHAM!**

Smoker shook his head as he stood over the three unmoving men, "I've had it with this small-time scum," Smoker grumbled as he took two cigars in his mouth and lit them up, "Where the hell is Straw Hat? I _know_ he's heading here." Smoker hefted the three unconscious pirates up onto his shoulders and carried them off down the road.

"Friend of yours?" Ollie inquired.

"Never seen him before," Ricky admitted, having not been there for Luffy and Sanji's encounter with Smoker in Loguetown. "But he knows who Luffy is."

"He's with someone," Ollie observed as she stared down the street at the marine, "A swordswoman with blue hair and glasses. 'Marines' is written on the back of her shirt."

"Damn, that's Zoro's girlfriend," Ricky cursed, "That means Grumpy is the Captain of the Loguetown Marines, and if they're both here then so is that annoying Lieutenant I ran into."

"Wanna get closer so we can listen?" Ollie offered. Ricky nodded and they discretely followed after the Marine Captain.

**-x-**

"Hey Tashigi," Smoker called out to the Sergeant Major before tossing the pirates he'd caught on the ground. **FWUMP!** "Here. Idiot small time pirates, they made the mistake of thinking they could act like hotshots on my watch so I was forced to teach them a lesson."

"You're dedication is inspiring," Tashigi complimented him, "not a single pirate rouge will ever escape with you around."

"If you're done chattering," Smoker said, "have the Alabasta Royal Army take care of this scum."

"Yes sir!" Tashigi agreed.

"So far, I haven't heard anything about Straw Hat Luffy and the rest of them having landed on this island," Smoker stated. "But don't let your guard down. They'll show up I'm sure of it."

"Ah!" Smoker's ears twitched when he heard a gasp from a nearby alley. He charged over to it and stared in surprise when he saw a young man wearing desert clothes locked in a heated kiss with his blonde girlfriend.

They couple broke their kiss and Smoker stared hard at them. The blonde woman with short hair was blushing furiously while the man smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. Smoker noted the 'x' shaped scar over his closed right eye.

"Is these a problem, sir?" the man inquired.

"No, carry on," Smoker replied he turned and walked away from the duo, writing them off as a scarred rebel soldier catching up on lost time with his girlfriend. "Damn kids."

"So they followed us here from Loguetown so he could catch Luffy," Ricky whispered to Ollie as he quickly pulled his eye patch and sunglasses back down over his eye.

Ollie was leaning against the wall next to him with a smile on her face. "I see you're still a fan of emergency diversion number three," she noted.

"_I'm_ still a fan of it?" Ricky repeated, "_I'm _not the one who started using _tongue_."

Ollie shrugged, "He was standing right there, I wanted it to look real."

Ricky shook his head, "Wherever Luffy is, I hope he's alright.'

**-x-**

"UUUGGGGGHHH…" Luffy groaned as he staggered through the desert, a stick he'd found was currently embedded in the sand supporting all his weight. The food he'd gotten from the rude old guy was long gone and now he was hot and hungry. Luffy's dry tongue out of his mouth as he made his way through the sand. "I'm so hungry… uhhhhh… that little bit wasn't enough fooood…" **GRRRRUMMMBBLLEE! **Luffy's stomach started making noises, he was starving. "Ughh… where's the town? Where's a restaurant? Can't a guy get any food in this desert place?"

Luffy blearily stared through the desert haze ahead of him and over the large expanse of empty sand spotted… buildings? Hunks of meat suddenly appeared over the buildings and Luffy was once again full of energy.

"FOOD!" he exclaimed. The rubber pirate dropped his stick and took off running for the town, "I'M COMING FOOOOOD!"

**-x-**

"What's all the commotion about?" Smoker asked Tashigi when he spotted a crowd gathered outside a restaurant at the end of town. Smoker turned to a villager, "You, what's going on?"

"I heard that some guy just dropped dead at the counter," the man explained. "He was in the middle of a conversation with the owner when he just keeled over. Some people think he accidentally ate a Desert Strawberry."

"What's that?" Tashigi inquired.

"A species of poisonous spider that look like red strawberries growing in the desert," the man told her, "anyone who eats one will suddenly die a few days later. The infection spreads throughout the corpse and is contagious so everyone's afraid to go near him. It's an incredibly deadly creature."

"I'll look into it," Smoker resolved, "Tashigi, get that scum to the Royal Army and keep an eye out for the Straw Hats."

"Yes sir," Tashigi agreed as Smoker headed towards the restaurant.

**-x-**

Around the corner, Ricky shook his head and gave Ollie a pointed look, "You're not the only one here, are you?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Ace and Han are here too," Ollie informed him.

"Well, now we know where Ace is," Ricky realized. "Who would've thought that I'd go out looking for my younger brother and end up finding my older one."

**-x-**

Ace was sitting on a stool at the counter of the Spice Bean restaurant. Two huge stacks of dishes were piled up beside him and he was currently face-down in his current dish of food. His right arm was still up in the air holding his fork which held a chunk of meat.

"You've gotta be careful in the desert," a villager commented, "Anything you touch can kill you. Look at the way his arm is still stuck up like that holding onto a bite of meat. That's proof of just how swift the Desert Strawberry acts."

**TONK! **Ace suddenly pulled his face out of his food and stared around him in confusion, there were little bits of food stuck all over his face.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" the villagers screamed in surprise. "HE CAME BACK TO LIFE!"

"Um… are you alright?" a woman wearing pink desert robes ask as she cautiously approached the previously dead man. "EEEEEK!" The woman let out a shriek when Ace forgot about his manner for the moment and grabbed the woman's dress and used it to wipe the food off his face, **SWUP! SWUP! **The woman ran away and Ace sat up on his stood.

"Sorry about that," Ace apologized to the restaurant, "I fell asleep."

"YOU WERE ASLEEP!" everyone else in the restaurant shouted together.

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!" one member of a trio of men that were standing next to Ace shouted. "YOU WERE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A CONVERSATION!"

"AND NOW YOU'RE JUST EATING LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED?" the second man demanded.

"Geez, what's all the commotion about anyway?" Ace wondered as he went back to the meal that had been interrupted by another strike of his narcolepsy.

"WE THOUGHT YOU HAD DROPPED DEEAAD!" the trio of men shouted in sync, "ARE YOU CRAAZZYYY?"

"Does this restaurant of yours do comedy skits or something?" Ace asked the owner who was standing on the other side of the counter staring at Ace in shock.

"Uh… nope, that isn't our thing," the owner said with a sweat drop on his forehead. He was a tall bald man wearing a white chef's hat and desert clothing. "We're just glad that you're alright."

"Tell me, mister," Ace addressed the owner as he place a pair of wanted posters on the counter, "have you by any chance seen these guys? They're a pair of pirates I'm looking for."

"**You've got some nerve eating in the middle of a public place like this,"** Smoker's voice cut through the restaurant. "Even for a Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Hello, Portgaz… D…. Ace…"

"AH! NO WAY!" the owner exclaimed, "NOT THE WHITEBEARD PIRATES!"

"I knew I've seen that mark on his back before," a villager whispered. "That weirdo's one of the Whitebeard Pirates."

"I'm curious," Smoker called out to Ace, "what's such a big shot pirate doing in this country?"

"I'm looking for someone," Ace answered, he adjusted his orange had the swiveled around on his stool to face Smoker, "My little brothers."

**-x-**

"GIIIIIIVVEEEE MEEEEEE FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!" Luffy hollered as he ran down the main street of Nanohana.

A merchant stepped into Luffy's path and held up a golden apple. "Hello there young traveler! I haven't seen you around before. Is this your first time here? Would you care to take a look at this solid gold apple?"

**CHOMP!** The merchant was cut off from his rehearsed pitch when he looked down at his hand and realized that it was empty. He looked up against and saw Luffy running off down the street.

"HEY! THAT COSTS THREE THOUSAND BERRIES!" the man shouted after him but Luffy was long gone. "What the hell is with people today?" After this encounter with a certain trio of brothers, he was off selling gold apples for good.

"What's with this weirdo town anyway?" Luffy wondered as he raced passed a fortuneteller, "There's some strange non-food smell all over the place." **SNIFF! SNIFF!** Luffy's nostrils grew to be the size of his eyes as he sniffed passed the lingering smell of perfume for food. Luffy's nose directed him to a restaurant at the end of the road, "THERE'S ONE! A RESTAURANT!"

**-x-**

"**GUUUUUM… GUUUUUMM… ROOOOCKEEEEET!" SHOOOOM!**

Ricky was still hiding out in the alley with Ollie when he heard a familiar voice and then saw a familiar rubber pirate go flying passed.

"Well, there goes Luffy," Ricky commented, "With Ace, Smoker, and Luffy in there things are about to get crazy." He looked over at Ollie, "You got your bow and quiver with you?"

"Of course," Ollie replied, as she held up her long back, "You came up with it, looking unarmed while no actually _being _unarmed." Ollie pulled open the drawstring of her bag and pulled out a metal bow and then a green quiver loaded up with arrows. Ricky grabbed his own bag and pulled out _Akakyuuketsuki_.

**-x-**

**Brothers' Reunion:**

**-x-**

Smoker and Ace stared down in the Spice Bean. Smoker was standing in the middle of the restaurant in line with the doorway glaring at the Whitebeard Division Commander. Ace was sitting casually on his stool grinning at Smoker.

"So… what do you want from me now, Captain?" Ace inquired.

"I'd just like you to come with my quietly," Smoker requested.

"No thanks," Ace replied, "I think I'll pass."

"Yeah, figured you'd say that," Smoker muttered. "I'm here in Alabasta trying to hunt down another pirate at the moment. To be honest I have no real interest in capturing you right now."

"Then just look the other way," Ace suggested.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Smoker refused. He clenched his right fist and his arm turned into smoke, **FWOOOSH! **"Not as long as I'm a Marine and you're a part of a notorious pirate crew."

"That's not much of a reason, now is it?" Ace teased him, then raised an eyebrow, "How 'bout I give you one?"

"**GIIIIVVEEEE MEEEEE FOOOOOODDD!"** **WOOOOOINNG!** Luffy came flying in through the open door of the Spice Bean and flew straight into Smoker. The smoke-man hadn't been expecting the sudden attack so he wasn't able to turn his back into smoke causing Luffy to slam right into him, **WHAM!**

"GAAAH!" Smoker groaned, his eyes went wide and his mouth gaped, his body bent backwards around Luffy as they went flying towards the counter.

Ace's eyes bugged out, he was so surprised when someone slammed into Smoker that he didn't use his Devil Fruit Powers _either_. **THWHAM! **Smoker and Luffy slammed into Ace and they smashed through the counter and then through the wall of the restaurant behind it, **KRASH!** Luffy jumped away while Ace and Smoker kept going and smashed through the wall of another building and then came crashing out the other side, **KRASH!** Smoker fell away from Ace and dropped to the ground but the Whitebeard Pirate kept going and slammed through another two buildings, **KER-RASH!**

"SHISHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed as he landed on his feet in the restaurant, oblivious to the two people who he'd just sent flying. "WOOO! FOOOOD! NOW I CAN EAT! FINALLY I'M STARVING! I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA DIE!" **Skish!** Luffy was instantly sitting on the stood next to the huge hole that that had been smashed in the counter"Hey, old guy, gimme food! Hurry… C'mon…" He grabbed a fork and knife and began banging them on the counter, **Klunk! Klunk! Klunk! **"Food! Food! Food! Now! Now! Now!"

The shocked owner placed some plates of food on the counter in front of Luffy and the rubber pirate immediately began stuffing his face.

"THIS IS AMAZING!" Luffy exclaimed. "THIS IS SERIOUSLY THE BEST FOOD I'VE EVER TASTED!"

"Uh… yes… thanks a lot…" the owner replied, still shocked at what he'd just seen. "But you see sir… it's just… well… you might wanna start running now…'

"Why is that?" Luffy asked as he forgot the fork and knife and began stuffing food into his mouth with his hands. **Munch! Munch! Chomp! Chomp! Gulp!**

"The guy you sent flying through the wall just now," the owner stated, "do you have any idea who he is?"

"Who sent someone flying?" Luffy inquired, he still hadn't stopped eating.

"You did," the owner told him.

"Really? Who was he?" Luffy inquired. The owner motioned to the hole in the wall next to him. Luffy leaned to the side and stared through the _tunnel _that was going out of the restaurant and through the two buildings behind it. "What's with all these holes? Kind of a weird decoration, don't you think? So why'd you do it?"

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO DID IT!" the owner and the trio of men that had shouted at Ace all screamed at the oblivious pirate.

"I did? Really?" Luffy questioned. **Munch! Munch! Chomp! Chomp! Gork! Gulp!**

**-x-**

**Krek…** "Damn it," Ace cursed as he pushed himself out of a pile of stone blocks and adjusted his hat. "So what _the hell_ was that?"

On the other side of the building, Smoker groggily sat up, "What just happened?" he demanded.

Ace stood up and walked through the tunnel he'd made in one building and then stalked across the alley into the next building. "This is ridiculous!" Ace muttered. "Just look at this place!"

Ace spotted a shocked family of three sitting at a table having lunch. "Oh, hi there!" Ace greeted them, then bowed politely, "Sorry, many apologies for disturbing your meal."

Smoker sat on the ground and lit up another pair of cigars. He still couldn't believe what just happened to him. He didn't notice Ace coming out of a building on the other side of the alley.

"What kind of world-class idiot would do something like this?" Ace complained as he stalked across the alley and stepped into the hole in the back wall of the restaurant. The remaining customers in the restaurant saw Ace coming and ran away screaming. Ace stopped and stared in surprise when he saw a familiar teen sitting at a stool at the bar."AH!"

Smoker stood up and walked through the building he'd been knocked through. He stared passed Ace hoping to see the bastard that had attacked him from behind.

"HEY LUF—" Aces started to call out but Smoker came from behind and slammed him down into the ground. **WHAM!**

"STRAAAAWWW HAAAAT!" Smoker bellowed as he stepped over Ace into the restaurant. He stood behind the counter and stared at Luffy as he sat at the counter still shoveling food into his mouth. **Munch! Chomp! Chomp! Munch! Gulp! **"I've been looking for you Straw Hat. I thought you'd be here, seems I'm correct." **Chomp! Chomp! Gork! Munch! Munch! Gulp! **Luffy just kept eating. "WOULD YOU _QUIT EATING_?"

**Munch! Chomp! Krunch! Krunch! Chomp! Gulp! **Luffy stared at the strange smoker and tried to place him. Smoker... smoke... THAT MARINE!

"'_Straw Hat' Luffy," the same man said as he stood blocking Luffy's path as he and Sanji ran down a raining street in Loguetown. "You're finally here. I'm Smoker and I already told you that you couldn't make it to the Grand Line without beating me first, didn't I?" __**FWOOOSH!**__ Smoker's arms turned into smoke then shot forward and grabbed onto Luffy and lifted him up into the air. "I ate the Smoke Smoke Fruit so my body can be smoke whenever I want!"_

**GACK! KOFF! KOFF! KOFF! **Luffy spat out his food and sprayed it all over the marine's face. "UR DAT MOKE DUY!" Luffy mumbled around is still stuffed mouth. "BAT'ER U NOOING HEO!" (Translation: You're the smoke guy! What're you doing here?)

"Grrr…" Smoke growled as he wiped the food off of his face then prepared to attack the only pirate that had managed to escape him at Loguetown.

"HOLD ON A SEC!" **SWUUP! **Luffy scooped up all the remaining food and stuffed it into his mouth. Luffy's rubber cheeks stretched around the food and swelled up so that they were each the size of his head. "FANKS BOR BA BOOD!" Luffy called out to the owner before he took off and ran out of the restaurant.

"STOP YOOOUUU!" Smoker hollered as he ran out after Luffy.

Ace pushed himself up off of the ground, then leapt up to his feet and ran after them, "HEY! WAIT UP LUFFY!" he called after his brother. "IT'S ME! HOLD ON A SECOND!"

The owner stared after them in shock, "They… didn't pay…" he muttered.

**-x-**

"_This is bad,"_ Luffy thought to himself as ran down the road, _"My Gum-Gum Attacks won't work on this guy at all! I just have to make a run for it now!"_

"TASHIGI!" Smoker screamed as he sprinted after Luffy.

"Yes sir?" Tashigi replied as she turned to face her superior. "Would you like a cool towel? It's quite refreshing. This desert kingdom is really hot!"

"CATCH THAT GUY!" Smoker yelled. "IT'S STRAW HAT!"

"Yes sir!" Tashigi agreed as she drew her sword _Shigure_ and went to attack Straw Hat. **WHUMP!** The clumsy Sergeant Major suddenly tripped over a leg that was suddenly stuck out in front of her and fell face-first onto the ground. Ricky stood over Tashigi with his shemagh down revealing his red hair.

"Sorry about that," Ricky apologized before he turned to face Luffy, "You okay, bro?"

"RIGGY!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Come on, let's get out of here!" Ricky instructed, he and Luffy took off running down the street through the crowd of people. Smoker ran passed his downed subordinate and continued chasing the two pirates.

Ricky led Luffy in a zigzag path through the crowd, "If we keep weaving through the people it'll be harder for him to catch us without hurting anyone."

"Buy'r u bubbin bo blow?" Luffy asked. (Translation: Why are you running so slow?)

"I'm currently wearing four weights that weight five hundred kilograms each," Ricky explained. "I'm overexerting myself just to keep up this quick pace."

"WHITE SNAKE!" **FWOOOOSH! **Smoker's arm turned into huge snake made out of smoke and went to bite down on the two pirates.

"Shit, he's a Logia," Ricky cursed, he grabbed Luffy by the arm and spun down an alley.

"Grr… no one's better at running away," Smoker growled.

**-x-**

Tashigi staggered back up and stared in the direction Smoker and the two Straw Hats had gone. "We can't let them get away!" the Sergeant Major exclaimed, "I've gotta call the other marines!"

**WHOMP!** Tashigi was struck across the back by a metal bow and went crashing down to the ground unconscious.

"Sorry, I can't let you do that," Ollie said as she stood over Tashigi. Ollie turned to Ace as he skidded to a stop next to her. "Those brothers of yours sure are a handful."

"Brothers?" Ace repeated.

"I met up with Ricky," Ollie explained, "We were staking out the restaurant while you three were inside. Ricky led your other brother off through the crowd so the marine would have a harder time catching them."

"That sounds like Ricky," Ace agreed, "Let's try to catch up." Ace ran across the road and jumped onto an awning over a stall and then bounced off of it onto the roof of a building, **WOING! WHUMP!** Ollie ran after him and followed the same path up to the rooftops. **BOING! WHUP!** The two of them ran across the roofs after Luffy, Ricky, and Smoker. "Keep your eyes peeled for Han."

**-x-**

Smoker continued chasing after Luffy and Ricky, he raised his arm and barked orders into the Transponder Snail on his wrist. "Lieutenant, I've found Straw Hat and One Eye. I'm chasing them east across the town. Send Squad One to me and cut them off with Squad Two at the east outskirts of the town."

"_**What about the other Straw Hats?" **_Lieutenant Devo's voice asked from the other end.

"We'll concentrate our efforts on Straw Hat and One Eye," Smoker told him, "pirate crews fall apart without their officers. We'll take out the two with bounties and cut off the head, if the rest of the crew is still here they'll be easy pickings."

"_**Yes sir," **_Devo agreed.

Smoker chased Luffy and Ricky right passed a stone ruin and completely missed the pirates peeking out from around the corner.

"I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY!" Smoker shouted after the two pirates.

"That's that Marine Captain we ran into in Loguetown," Sanji recalled, "He's got Devil Fruit Powers that let him turn himself into smoke."

"Then let's go after them," Zoro decided. "They'll need help."

"No!" Nami objected. "Ricky made sure Luffy didn't see us for a reason. They're leading the Marines away from us so we can escape. Let's get back to the ship and cast off, once they lose the Marines, Ricky can lead Luffy back to us with his treasure sense."

The Straw Hats gathered up all their supplies and raced through the town towards the shore.

**-x-**

Luffy and Ricky turned down an alley on the east side of Nanohana and saw nothing but sand on the other side. Luffy had swallowed his food and his cheeks were back to normal. Ricky was panting from exhaustion of running so far while lugging so much weight.

"Almost… there…" Ricky gasped.

Smoker rounded the corner with fourteen marines behind him, "I'VE GOT YOU NOW!" Smoker snarled, "WHITE BLOW!" **FWOOOOSH!** Smoker's arm turned into smoke and his fist flew after Luffy and Ricky.

Suddenly Lieutenant Devo and another fourteen Marines ran across the other end of the alley. "Well what do you know," Devo remarked," Straw Hat and One Eye, two pirates trapped like the rats they are."

"Not good! Not good! Not good!" Luffy exclaimed.

"**HEAT HAZE!" **a stream of fire came flying over Devo and his marines and collided with Smoker's fist of smoke. **FWOOOM! **When the combined blast of smoke and fire cleared away it revealed Ace standing out in the sand behind Devo and his squad of marines.

Luffy, Ricky, Smoker, Devo, and the twenty-eight other marines all stared out at Ace as the torrents of flames on his body died down until all that was fire were his fingers and thumb on his left hand, a patch on his right elbow and a smaller patch on his left knee. The flames from his fingers spiraled around Ace as he stood grinning out in the sand.

"Heh," Ace chuckled, "While you may have the power of smoke, mine is fire. A fight between the two of us would be pointless. It would probably go on forever."

"That you Ace?" Luffy asked. "Wow, you really did eat a Devil Fruit."

"Yeah, the Flame Flame Fruit," Ace replied. He ran forward, **SHWUP!** Then leapt over Lieutenant Devo and his Marines and landed in the middle of the alley with Luffy and Ricky. All the flames that remained on Ace's body was a small burning patch on his left forearm.

"Why are you helping them Portgaz?" Smoker demanded.

"Can't a guy help out his two kid brothers?" Ace questioned with a teasing grin. "Even you should get that Smoker."

"They're your brothers?" Smoker repeated, "Interesting."

"Thirty of them… three of us," Ricky counted, "we get ten each."

"**MONSTER BLAST!" BOOOOOM! **A cannonball exploded on the seven marines on Smoker's right side and sent the already unconscious marine hurling through the air.

"**POISON NET!" SHWUK!** An arrow split into pieces and a purple net sprang out and trapped the seven Marines on Smoker's left side, they flailed around for a moment but then their movements grew slower and they passed out from the herbal poison that lined the purple net.

Luffy, Ricky, and Ace stared at Smoker who suddenly found himself trapped between the three brothers and Han and Ollie who were now standing behind him with their gun and bow drawn.

"_Sixteen_ of them… and _five_ of us…" Ricky corrected himself, "Now _that_ hardly seems fair."

"Then I'll take Smoky and you two and deal with the others," Ace decided. **FWOOOSH! **Ace's body was enveloped in a aura of flames and he surged towards Smoker.

"WHITE SPARK!" Smoker shouted, his body became a dense cloud of white smoke and he flew towards Ace and collided with him. **FWOOOOOOOM!** Fire and smoke met and spiraled around each other creating a huge cloud that could be seen from anywhere in Nanohana.

"MEN, TAKE OUT STRAW HAT AND ONE EYE!" Devo ordered, he and his men aimed their guns and fired at Luffy and Ricky **BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!**

Luffy jumped in front of Ricky, "GUM… GUM… BALLOOOM!" **SHOOM! **Luffy's body inflated and the bullets impacted with him and bounced back the way they came. **WOOIINNG!** The marines all dove for cover to keep from being hit with their own bullets.

"Luffy, windmill!" Ricky instructed.

**Whup! Whup! Whup!** Luffy spun his rubber body around then reached behind him and grabbed onto Ricky. "GUUUM… GUUUM… WINDMIIIIILL!" **WOING!** Luffy unwound and swung Ricky around him before launching him into Lieutenant Devo as he was staggering up. **WHAM! **The Lieutenant was sent flying off into the desert and he disappeared in the horizon. **Twinkle!**

Devo's marines stood back up and stared in surprise, Ricky had ended up behind him while Luffy was still on their other side. Seeing how bullets didn't work against Luffy, they drew swords. "GUUUUUM… GUUUUUM…." **WOING! **Luffy shot his leg out and swung it around into the line of marines, "WHIIIIIIP!" **THWHAM! **With the one swing of his leg, Luffy took down and knocked out all fourteen of the remaining marines.

**SHOOM! **Ace and Smoker broke apart and jumped away from each other. "Told you it would be pointless," Ace reminded Smoker. The fight between fire and smoke hadn't yielded a victor.

Smoker realized that he was the last marine standing. He knew he was outnumbered five-to-one but he wasn't going to back down. His goal was to create justice at all costs, he wouldn't back down even if he was outnumbered by five powerful enemies.

"I'LL ARREST ALL FIVE OF YOU!" Smoker shouted."WHITE SPARK!" **FWOOSH! **Once again Ace's body became a cloud of white smoke and he flew towards Ace.

Ricky stood up an caught Ollie's eye he held up four fingers signaling for Attack Plan Four then pulled and a glass bottle out from his top left pocket and lobbed it up into the air.

**WHING! **Ollie fired an arrow and the bottle and it smashed through the glass bottle in midair, **KRESH!** The glass shattered and purple perfume rained down on the white cloud of smoke that Smoker had become.

"**KOFF! KOFF! GACK!" **Smoker began to hack and cough as he began choking on the potent smell of the Nanohana perfume. His body returned to normal and he attempted to escape the smell but he perfume had bonded with his body while he was smoke, there was no escaping it, HE _WAS _THE SMELL!

"Ace, he's wide open!" Ricky called out.

"FIIIIIREEEE… FIIIIIIST!" **FWOOOSH! **Ace shot his arm out for a punch and a column of intense orange flames shot out and impacted with the wheezing Marine Captain's chest. **FWOOOM!** Smoker blasted clear across the town and finally crashed down to the ground in the middle of the market district in the center of the town.

"Uh… sorry about that," Ace apologized as he bowed to the long-gone Marine.

"I hope that perfume wasn't flammable," Ricky remarked with a grin.

"WHOA! THAT WAS SOOOO COOL!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Are they really brothers?" Ollie wondered as she and Han stared at the odd trio in shock.

"They certainly don't act like it," Han remarked.

**-x-**

So Luffy, Ricky, and Ace finally reunite unforunately for Smoker, Devo, and the other Loguetown Marines. Next chapter, Ricky's got a story to tell his old Nakama and the Baroque Works Billions discover them as they're leaving Nanohana and try to take on the Brothers in Battle.

Also, I'll give an early release of the next chapter to the first signed-in reviewer who can recognize the significance of 15,121,295. No offense to anonymous reviewers… but if you're not logged in, I can't contact you to give you the chapter, can I?

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	32. Chapter 32

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of its characters. However, I _do_ own Ricky, Ollie, and Han. Just not the characters the latter two are based off of.

**A/N:** For those of you that would like to know what 15,121,295 stands for, here's the answer: 15,121,295 = 15121295 = 15/12/12/9/5 = O/L/L/I/E = OLLIE. Ollie currently has a piece of jewelry worth 15,121,295 berries on her person. Years ago, Ricky used his gem crafting talents to make it specifically for her and made it so the amount spelled her name. Ollie doesn't wear any other jewelry so whenever his Treasure Sense picks up that exact amount he knows it's her.

**Brothers in Battle:**

**-x-**

"Get everything stowed!" Nami ordered. The Straw Hats had made it back to the Going Merry and were getting it ready to cast off. "We're shoving off right way!"

"Aye-aye!" Usopp replied, as he, Sanji, Zoro, and Carue attempted to put away all the supplies they'd bought in Nanohana.

"But it took us so long to finally get here," Chopper pointed out as he followed Vivi down a set of steps, both of them were carrying large sacks of supplies. "And now we're leaving already?"

"Yes," Vivi answered, "but remember, we only stopped here to get the supplies we needed for the rest of the journey. And now that we have all of them we're going to head up river into the interior of Alabasta. Our next destination is Erumalu."

"HURRY!" Zoro urged the others as they hurried to get everything stored and the ship ready to set off, he raised the anchor while Sanji dropped the main sail, Usopp ran into the galley and took hold of the whipstaff.

"SET SAIL!" Nami commanded as she took her place standing on the deck outside the galley so she could properly navigate the ship.

"What about Luffy and Ricky?" Usopp asked. The Captain and First Mate were still absent.

"Our first priority should be to protect the ship," Nami reminded him. "If the Marines spot it, they'll destroy it so we can't escape. Either Ricky will lead Luffy to us or we can go back and get them once the commotion has died down."

"That idiot," Sanji muttered, "why'd he have run off and create such a huge commotion?"

"He's got Ricky with him," Zoro pointed out, "and Ricky's spent most of his life trying to keep that idiot out of trouble. Helping him escape some Marines should be easy enough, especially with those three Whitebeard Pirates in the town too."

And with that, the Going Merry set off without its captain or first mate.

**-x-**

Luffy, Ricky, Ace, Han, and Ollie stood in the alley having triumphed over Captain Smoker, Lieutenant Devo, and twenty-eight other Marines.

"Uuuggghhh…" Ricky groaned and collapsed to the ground. The other four rushed over to him in time to see him pulling the four five hundred kilograms bands off of him. "I ran all the way across town lugging two thousand kilograms with me."

"Since when do you use the metric system?" Ollie asked.

"A friend made them for me and two of my other Nakama to help our training," Ricky explained to his old Nakama, "She has Devil Fruit Powers that let her manipulate weight and she measures in kilograms."

"Rest up, kid," Han advised, "I'll hold onto them for you." Han picked up the weights with ease and slipped them on his arms. Ollie hefted his money bag onto her shoulder and slid it around to her back along with her quiver of arrows.

"Luffy," Ricky said to his younger brother, "these two are Han King and Ollie Queen my former Nakama. Han, Ollie, this is Luffy my younger brother and current captain, Monkey D. Luffy."

"Nice to meet ya," Luffy replied, he looked over at Ace and beamed, "HIYA ACE!"

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Ace commented.

"You could say that," Luffy agreed. "How many years has it been?"

"Three for you, one for me," Ricky informed him.

"It's good to see that you're not dead," Ace said, he seemed pleased to see his other younger brother but at the same time gave him a pointed look that said 'explain'.

"I was in a bad place for a long time," Ricky explained vaguely. "If you come back to the ship with us I'll explain where I've been all this time. This place is too public for that conversation."

Ace nodded before asking, "Can you walk?"

To find out for himself, Ricky slowly pushed himself up to his feet but staggered when he felt his overexerted body failing him. Ace caught him and carefully set him down so he was sitting on the ground. "I think I'll need a minute or two to recover," Ricky noted.

"Rest up for a little bit," Ace instructed, "we'll go after your crew when you've recovered enough to walk under your own power."

Ricky nodded and slid backwards until he was sitting against a wall. Han and Ollie came over and sat down beside him. Ace and Luffy grabbed a nearby barrel and started arm wrestling on it.

"You haven't changed much," Ace stated as he eyed Luffy while trying to force his arm down on the barrel. "You've gotten a little taller but your pretty much look the same. Ricky, on the other hand, cut his hair and lost an eye, he's changed."

"In my defense, I had my eye cut out by a madman," Ricky pointed out.

"Hey Ace," Luffy grunted as he attempted to force Ace's arm down onto the barrel, "remember how you used to sneak into the fields… eat a hundred watermelons… spit the seeds out like a gatling gun… and run away?"

"That wasn't me… it was you!" Ace objected as he began overpowering Luffy and pushed their arms upright and then began forced Luffy's arm backwards.

"How 'bout the time… we disguised ourselves… and tricked that guy into giving us… lunch money… for a bunch of… garbage that we found?" Luffy said as he recalled another 'memory'. Both his and Ace's face were turning red for exertion.

"THAT WAS RICKY AND SABO!" Ace exclaimed.

"Guilty as charged," Ricky admitted to Han and Ollie. "I rode on Sabo's shoulders with his hat on my head, we wore a big trench coat and I convinced the guy that a chunk of a broken statue we found was a priceless artifact worth two million berries."

Ricky slid up the wall to his feet and leaned shakily against the wall, he pushed off of it and slowly walked over to the barrel and kicked it. **THWAK!** **SPLOOOSH!** The barrel burst and the water inside came flying out leaving Ace and Luffy standing there with their hands clasped.

"It's a tie," Ricky announced as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Shishishi, just like old times," Luffy laughed.

"So where's your crew?" Ace inquired.

Ricky closed his eyes and sensed for the treasure he had stored on the ship and found that it was moving. "They made it back to the ship and set off," Ricky reported, "if we cut through town and start heading west we should be able to catch up with them."

"Our ship is in the same direction," Han informed him. "If we don't catch up with your ship we can always use ours to catch it."

"Then let's go," Ace decided, he led the way out of the alley with Luffy walking beside him and Han following behind them. Ollie watched as Ricky put his shemagh back on and replaced his sunglasses and the two of them followed behind the other three.

As the five pirates began to make their way through the town and a man with a big bushy brown beard wearing a white sailor cap watched them walked passed while hidden in the crowd. "That's 'Fire Fist' Ace," the man whispered to himself as he recognized Ace by the tattoo on is back depicting the mark of the Whitebeard Pirates. The man turned and ran off to tell someone what he had just witnessed.

**-x-**

Out at the shore, a ship marked with the signature blue seagull of the marines and the word 'Smoker' on the rolled up main sail was dead quiet. All the ship had been abandoned so the crew could achieve their objective of capturing the Straw Hat Pirates. The only person on board the ship was Mr. 11 who was still tied to the mast as a captured prisoner of Captain Smoker.

"Something big must be going on in town," Mr. 11 noted, "all the Marines on board wouldn't have left me and the ship unattended like this if there wasn't." The frontier agent chuckled to himself, "Ha ha, oh well, whatever it is it's given me a perfect opportunity to escape."

"**Mr. 11,"** came a voice. The agent looked up to see three men standing on the upper deck.

"Since you know my codename that can only mean that the three of you are with Baroque Works," Mr. 11 reasoned, "I'd guess Millions. HURRY UP AND UNTIE ME!"

"You're right about one thing," one of the men said, "We're with Baroque Works." He had medium length straight black hair which was under a green hat, a faded red t-shirt with 'Full Fledged' written on it in kanji, a fuzz white scarf, and a pair of blak shorts. This man's codename was Mr. Mellow. **(A/N: This is the only Billion actually named. All the others I made up codenames for.) **

"But we're in line to become number agents," the second man explained, "We're not Millions, we're _Billions_." He was fat and had a short scruffy beard. He wore a straw hat on his head, a black and yellow horizontally striped t-shirt, a pink scarf around his neck, and gray shorts. His codename was Mr. Bee.

"You are a number agent," the third man noted, "But it looks like you're barely one at that. A stronger agent would've never been captured by the Marines like this." His man had black hair which was fashioned as a Mohawk, he wore a loose black shirt with a light blue vest over it and a pair of tan shorts. A sword was tied to his back by a piece of rope that went around his chest. His codename was Mr. Mohawk.

"Can we discuss this later?" Mr. 11 snapped. "Like when I'm not tied up maybe? Help another member out before all those Marines come back."

"Ha ha, oh we'll help you alright," Mr. Mellow said. **Click!** He pulled out a pistol and aimed it at the frontier agent causing him to flinch. The Billion grinned as he continued, "Right off this mortal coil, that is. A Billion can get promoted to a number agent whenever there's seat to fill."

"**And your position is about to be emptied…"**A large man with long curly black hair, a unibrow, and a short black beard and mustache said in a deep raspy voice as he walked up behind the three Billions. He stood a good two heads taller than the other three and was a large burly man. He wore a tan collared button-up shirt which was undone to reveal his chest hair. Two swords and two spears were sheathed on his back, the red straps of the sheaths crisscrossed across his board chest. His codename was Mr. Unibrow.

"WAIT! NO! HOLD ON!" Mr. 11 pleaded. **BANG!**

A moment later, the four Billions jumped off of the ship onto the dock when a fifth man came running up to him. It was the man with the bushy beard and the sailor cap, he was a Baroque Works Billion known as Mr. Sailor. He wore bulky gray and blue desert clothing.

"HEEEY!" Mr. Sailor yelled as he ran up to the other four agents. "You won't believe it! 'Fire Fist' Ace is here!"

"What?" Mr. Mellow questioned, "'Fire Fist' Ace?"

"You mean the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates?" Mr. Bee asked.

"Hmm, if we can take someone with his reputation down we're guaranteed to become number agents," Mr. Unibrow reasoned.

**-x-**

Luffy, Ricky, Ace, Han, and Ollie were walking through a Nanohana alley under a series of clotheslines on their way to the shore.

"So, tell me about your crew," Ace requested as he and Luffy walked together at the front of the group. Ricky, Han, and Ollie followed behind them. "Who are they? What are they like?"

"Well, first there's a tough guy who carries around three swords and wants to be the Greatest Swordsman in the world," Luffy began to list his Nakama. "Then there's a navigator who likes maps, and tangerines, and money. OH! She even managed to…"

**WHAP!** Ricky surged forward and clamped his hand over Luffy's mouth, "I told you never to speak of it," he growled. He released Luffy, who shared a wide-eyed look with Ace.

Ollie's green eyes narrowed in the darkness of her hood, "What did she do?" she asked.

"Don't worry about it," Ricky waved it off as he fell back in between Ollie and Han.

"There's also a cook who makes really yummy food," Luffy continued, "there's a liar too, oh, and we just got a doctor who happens to be… a _reindeer_!"

"I actually met your crew earlier…" Han spoke up, "I tracked your reindeer back to where they were hiding out."

"So you were the scary guy…" Ricky realized, "I should've…" **Whump!** He was cut off when Ollie elbowed him in the side. Ricky looked over at her and she tilted her head towards the rooftops. Ricky looked up out of the corner of his eye and saw armed men lining the rooftops. Down the occasional alley that they passed he saw more armed men lying in wait. Ricky looked over at Han and the Monster Hunter nodded signaling that he'd noticed their pursuers as well.

"Sounds likes you've got a motly crew there," Ace commented, as he and Luffy continued walking oblivious to the Billions lining the alley they were walking through.

"We also have a princess and her giant duck," Luffy added. "Everyone on my crew is so interesting!"

"Sounds like it," Ace agreed, "but I'd wager my two kid brothers are the most interesting of all. But still, only a handful of people for a pirate crew, that's just like you."

"I'm still looking for a musician though," Luffy admitted.

"**Stop right there Fire Fist!" **Mr. Mellow called out as he and Mr. Bee stepped out of an alley ahead of Ace and Luffy. Twenty Billions flooded out from an alley behind them and separated Luffy and Ace from Ricky, Han, and Ollie. The Billions standing on the rooftops stood up and took aim. There were around seventy of the elite Baroque Works Henchmen surrounding them.

Mr. Unibrow came up behind Mr. Mellow and Mr. Bee. "You've got no place to run, Ace. You're head is mine. It's my ticket to promotion. PREPARE TO DIE!"

**-x-**

The Going Merry sailed west along the coast of Sandy Island. On board the ship, Chopper looked up at Nami, "Um… is it okay for a ship without its Captain on board?" he inquired.

"The first place the marines are going to look for us is the harbor," Nami explained. "Like I said, our top priority is to hide the ship."

"I know of a secluded cove that's up ahead," Vivi said, "we can anchor the ship there."

"Alright," Sanji resolved as he stood beside Vivi on the deck outside the galley, "so we lay low, let things cool down a bit, and then go back for Luffy and Ricky."

"Good grief," Usopp muttered as he leaned on the whipstaff, "that guy attracts trouble just like a dead guy attracts vultures."

"Yeah," Zoro agreed as he leaned back against the railing on the front deck, "that's the only reliable thing our captain ever does."

**-x-**

Luffy, Ricky, Ace, Han, and Ollie stood surrounded in an alley way in Nanohana. A group of twenty men surrounded Luffy and Ace while another twenty were around Ricky, Han, and Ollie, fifteen lined the rooftops and were armed with bows and guns, and another twenty were standing behind Mr. Unibrow looking to head the pirates off if they tried to escape.

"It's our lucky day boys," Mr. Unibrow addressed the other Billions. "This'll be easier than shooting fish in a barrel."

"Hey, look at that other guy," Mr. Mohawk pointed out, "Is it just me or does he look kind of like 'Straw Hat' Luffy?"

"Now that you mention it, it is him!" Mr. Sailor realized. "He's worth thirty million berries."

"And then there's the three Whitebeard Pirates behind them," Mr. Bee noted. Ricky's sunglasses and shemagh kept him from behind recognized and his position in between Han and Ollie had the Billion assume that he was a Whitebeard Pirate.

"They can't _not_ give us a promotion after this!" Mr. Mellow exclaimed.

"Well, well, it looks like your lucky day just got luckier," Mr. Unibrow remarked. "That big promotions only a hop, skip, jump and five severed pirate heads away!"

"Anyway, let's go find your ship," Ace said as he and Luffy walked passed Mr. Unibrow as if he wasn't even there.

Ricky, Ollie, and Han took a more concerned approach. Ricky stood back-to-back with Han, Ricky had _Akakyuuketsuki_ drawn while Han pulled two shotguns out from inside his trench coat. Ollie dropped Ricky's bag and stood in between the two with her bow loaded and trained on the Billions lining the roofs.

"HEY!" Mr. Bee shrieked as he and Mr. Mellow whirled around and aimed their guns at Luffy and Ace. "STOP YOU TWO! HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" Luffy and Ace kept walking, completely ignoring the twenty armed Billions that were standing in front of them attempting to block their path.

"Grr… you can't walk away from us!" Mr. Unibrow growled. "GET 'EM!"

"RAAAAAHH!" the Billions roared as they began their attack.

"EXPLODING VOLLEY!" Ollie called out as fire a bunch of arrows at the Billions lining the roofs on the left. **KA-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!** The arrows that didn't blow up on the Billions exploded on the rooftops and sent them flying off onto the ground below. Ollie spun around and took out the rooftop Billions on the right with another stream of arrows. **KA-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!**

**BOOM! BOOM!** Han fired his shotguns at the men in front of him but instead of exploding they shattered into sharp pieces of metal and embedded into the Billions. **KRESSHH! KREESSHH!**

"Red Blade… HURRICANE!" Ricky surged forward and took down a bunch of Billions with a spinning slash from his red sword, **SLA-SLISH!**

"WHAT'S GOING ON?" Luffy wondered as he swerved his rubber body around sword swings from the Billions attackng him.** SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!** He dodged a sword-strike from another Billion and thne jumped up and drove his feet down into his back, **WHUMP!**

**SWISH!** **THWAK!** Ace ducked under another sword strike and took down a Billiosn with a spinning sweep kick.

"HOLD 'IM DOWN!" One Billion shouted as he and bunch of other men dog-piled on top of Luffy and pinned him down to the ground.

**WOING!** Luffy rubber arms stretched up out of the pile of twenty men on top of him and grabbed one of the laundry lines. **SHOOOM!** Luffy shot himself up into the air and sent the men flying off in different directions.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Mr. Mellow shouted in alarm. "HIS ARMS STRETCHED OUT!"

"Aw man!" Mr. Bee gasped, "he must have Devil Fruit Powers!"

Luffy hung from the laundry line and the Billions below him opened fired their guns at the dangling pirate. **BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM! **The bullets flew into Luffy's rubber body and stretched it backwards.

"HAVE THESE BACK!" Luffy yelled, "CAUSE I DON'T NEED 'EM!"** BA-ZZZIIIING! **The bullets bounced off and went flying everywhere, the Billions were either hit with their own ammo or dove for cover. One bullet whizzed right passed Mr. Unibrow's face leaving a thin gash on his cheek.

"RRAAAAAAAHHH!" Mr. Unibrow roared as he drew one of his swords and charged at Luffy swinging his sword as he went. **SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! **Luffy back-pedaled and dodged the sword-swings. **WHAP!** Ace stepped in front of Luffy and caught Mr. Unibrow's sword in his bare hand.

**WOOOOIIINNNG! **Luffy stretched his arms out behind him. "GUUUUM… GUUUUUM…"

"HEADS UP!" Ricky called out, Han and Ollie leapt out of the way to dodge Luffy's extending fists but Ricky sheathed his bloody sword and grabbed onto Luffy's fist

**SHOOOOOOOM! **Luffy's arms came flying back with Ricky holding onto them.

**FWWOOOSH!** Ace's hand burst into flame causing the metal blade of Mr. Unibrow's sword to grow red hot. "YAAAAAHH!" the Billion leader yelped as his hands burned on the hot metal.

"RIIIIICKYYYY… CAAAAANNOOOOON!" Luffy ducked down and sent Ricky flying over his head,** WHUP!** Ace ducked too and Ricky flew over him and slammed metal-boots first into the stomach of Mr. Unibrow, **THOOOOM!** Mr. Unibrow was sent flying down the alley, out of Nanohana, and off into the desert, his large body disappeared in the horizon. **Twinkle!**

The Billions were left staring shock at what had happened to their leader.

"Hah-ha, just like old time," Ricky laughed as, Luffy, and Ace stood together in the alley. Without another word the three of them resumed walking and headed for the shore. Ollie and Han shared a surprised look, Ollie picked up Ricky's bag and the two of them hurried after the three brothers.

"DON'T BE SCARED MEN!" Mr. Mellow called out to the remaining Billions.

"Yeah, he's right!" Mr. Bee agreed, "The rank of number agent is riding on this!"

**-x-**

"HERE WE ARE!" Luffy called out when he spotted the ocean. They walked in between two buildings and down some steps leaving them standing on a stone ledge overlooking the store.

"You see your ship?" Ace inquired.

"If not, ours is actually a little bit west of here," Han stated.

"**YOU CAN'T GET AWAY FROM US!"** Mr. Mellow shouted as he and the remaining thirty Billions gathered at the top of the steps.

Ace turned to face the Billions, "You clowns just never learn."

"OH! THERE IT IS!" Luffy exclaimed as he spotted the Going Merry sailing passed a ways off the shore. Luffy waved to his crew, "HEY! OVER HERE YOU GUYS! WE'RE HERE!" **WOOOOIIINNG!** Luffy stretched his arm out over the sea and he grabbed onto the railing of the Going Merry.

"C'mon Ricky!" Luffy said as he grabbed Ricky by the shirt, "GUUUUM… GUUUUMM… ROOOOOCKEEEEET!" **SHOOOOOM!** Luffy and Ricky went flying over the ledge and rocketed over the ocean towards the Going Merry.

"Luffy, Ricky, you go ahead and we'll…" Ace looked back and realized both his brothers were gone. He looked over at his two Nakama, "Let's make this quick."

"It was nice of them to all stand in a tightly-packed group for us," Ollie remarked.

**-x-**

"HEY! There's Luffy and Ricky!" Sanji observed when he spotted Luffy's hand on the railing and followed it back to the rubber pirate it was attached to and saw Luffy and Ricky coming flying towards them. Chopper ran over and stared off the ship at the two pirates.

**WOOOOINNG! **"HEEEY GUYS!" Luffy greeted his crew as he and Ricky came flying over the railing and slammed into Sanji and Chopper, **WHAM!** The four of them ended up in a heap at Nami and Vivi's feet.

"Sanji! Tony! Are you okay?" Vivi asked in concerned.

"Oh, Luffy and Ricky came back," Usopp noted as he came out of the galley and stared down at the pile of pirates on the deck.

"Yeah, the hard way," Zoro mumbled.

**-x-**

"FIRE GUN!" **FWOOSH! **Ace's two index fingers became flames and shot small bullets of fire at the Billions' feet, **BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM!**

While the Billions were dancing to avoid Ace's flaming bullets Han loaded a large round into the cannon-sized gun strapped to his back while Ollie loaded three arrows into her bow.

"MONSTER NET!" **SHUUUWUK! **A large net exploded out the nozzle of his gun and snared all of the Billions that were conveniently gathered in close quarters in between the two buildings.

"SLEEPING ARROW!"** Shunk! Shunk! Shunk! **Ollie fired her arrows but instead of hitting the men trapped in the big net, the arrows embedded in the ground around it. Upon impact the arrows released a green gas that flowed into the net and knocked the bound men unconscious.

"Let's get our ship and go after them," Ace resolved as he led the way back to their ship leaving the thirty Billions sleeping while trapped in Han's net.

**-x-**

"SHISHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed as he sat up, "SORRY GUYS!"

Sanji grabbed him by the front of his shirt and started shaking him, "Yeah you're sorry!" Sanji snapped, "the sorriest excuse for a Captain that's ever sailed the sea _moron_!"

"Hey, we're here, aren't we?" Ricky pointed out as he handed Chopper his pink top hat which had been knocked off in the crash.

"At least you're back," Nami resolved, "Now we can get back to the reason we came here."

**-x-**

**Bond Between Brothers:**

**-x-**

"Hey, where's Ace?" Luffy wondered as he got up and stared off the side of the Merry in search for his brother. The rest of the crew was all gathered on the small deck outside the galley.

"You mean you guys ran into him?" Zoro inquired, he looked over at Ricky, "We met that Monster Hunter former crewmate of yours earlier. He mentioned your brother was here."

"And he tried _hunting _me!" Chopper exclaimed.

Ricky patted Chopper on the back, "Don't worry, I'll set him straight," he assured him.

"I don't see 'em," Luffy commented as he stared towards the shore.

"Wait… you didn't just leave them there did you?" Usopp asked.

"Don't worry, Ace is really strong," Luffy said. "When we were younger, I was never able to beat him in a fight. And this was way back in the days before he had Devil Fruit Powers."

"You mean there's a flesh and blood person that you couldn't beat?" Nami questioned.

"Big brother of a monster is an even bigger monster," Usopp muttered.

"Ricky could beat him sometimes though!" Luffy added.

"Our two older brothers gave us a combined fifty fights against each of them per day," Ricky explained. "Luffy took the first forty and wore them out with his Gum Gum Powers. I'd take over for the last ten. I'd usually lose the few but by the last three fights they'd be exhausted and I'd just be starting to get tired so I could usually capitalize and win those."

"But I bet now I could kick his big butt," Luffy boasted as he leaned back against the railing.

"I'd like to see you try and back that claim up," Zoro retorted.

While they were talking a small carrier ship about half the size of the Going Merry pulled up alongside of them. The ship was made of metal and the deck was flat with a track going through the middle. The ship had moved through the water with the aid of two propellers that were powered by a below-deck motor. The helm of the ship was a small cubicle on the port side of the stern that had a mechanical fishing pole in front of it. In the middle of the starboard side was a metal hatch that led below deck.

**Skish! "So… exactly whose butt's getting kicked?" **Ace asked as he leapt from the ferry and landed on the railing of the Merry. **TMP! **Ace landed on top of the railing in a crouch while Luffy was startled and flumped onto the deck.

"Oh, hey Ace!" Luffy greeted his big brother. "This is my Nakama."

"Nice to meet you," Ace said to the Straw Hats with a polite bow, "And thanks for looking after my kid brothers. I know they're a handful."

"Oh no, not at all," the Straw Hats chorused in reply.

"Come on, be honest," Ace prodded them, "this is Luffy and Ricky we're talking about. Just one of them is bad enough. You've gotta deal with the two of 'em. Aren't they a bit of handful?"

"Not at all," the Straw Hats answered in sync.

"You're good people," Ace commented.

"Well, sit down and relax," Sanji offered as he held up an unlit cigarette, "I'm sure you guys have lots of catching up to do. I'll make some tea."

"No," Ace declined, "that's thoughtful, but I wouldn't want to impose." **Fwoosh!** Ace stuck out his finger and lit Sanji's cigarette for him.

"He's not exactly what I expected," Sanji admitted.

"I'll say," Zoro agreed.

"He's polite, helpful, and gracious," Usopp pointed out, "the polar opposite of Luffy! There's no way they can be brothers!"

"You don't have to be related, or even alike to be brothers," Ricky said. "Right Chopper?"

"Right!" the reindeer chirped.

"Still," Usopp insisted, "I wish I had a wonderful brother like that."

"Brother?" Sanji repeated, "I wish I had a wonderful _Captain_ like that."

"Sanji!" Vivi scolded him, "He's kidding."

"SEE! I told you they were interesting!" Luffy reminded Ace while sporting a big giddy smile.

"**You guys haven't seen Ace passed out with his face buried in a plate of food,"** Ollie's voice cut in. The Straw Hats looked over at the main deck and saw her leaning against the main deck, she'd jumped on board their ship while the Straw Hats were distracted with Ace. "And you've never had to deal with Ace running out on a food bill."

Ollie lowered her hood and waved to the Straw Hats, "Greetings all, I'm Ollie," she introduced herself, "Ricky's former crewmate."

"IT'S A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU MISS. OLLIE!" Sanji swooned upon confirming that she was indeed a woman. The bulky green cloak made her seem androgynous.

"Whoa buddy calm down," Ollie advised, "you're embarrassing yourself."

"Heh heh," Zoro chuckled, "I like this one."

"I tied our ship to yours," Ollie informed the Straw Hats while motioning to the rope she'd wrapped around the mast and tied with a hook, the line led back the mechanical fishing rod of the carrier ship. "Hope you don't mind."

"**Hey, kid!" **Ricky turned around at the sound of Han's voice and nickname for him and saw the monster hunter standing on the deck of the carrier pointing to one of the black hands on his wrist, "Take your weights back. I'm not gonna make the jump while wearing them." Han tossed the first band over to Ricky which he caught and slipped back onto his right ankle.

"Why is he holding your weights?" Nami inquired.

"I overexerted myself running away from the Marines," Ricky explained as he caught the next band and put it on his other ankle. "He held them for me while we caught up with you."

**Whap!** Nami slapped him on the back of the head, "Idiot," she scolded him. "You shouldn't have pushed yourself that hard. We would've gotten away anyway."

"He pushed himself so he could ensure your and the rest of his Nakama's safety," Ollie pointed out as she glared at Nami. "Since when does that constitute hitting him?"

"Calm down, Ollie," Ricky instructed as he slipped one of the bands on his left wrist. "That's the way Nami is. I'm used to it."

"You shouldn't have to be," Ollie stated.

Ricky shrugged and caught the last band then slipped it on. **SKISH!** With no more weights holding him down, Han jumped from the carrier and landed on the railing next to Ace. **Tmp! **Han sat down and raised a hand in greeting to the Straw Hats.

"Hello again," he greeted them.

"Oh right, you've met them," Ricky realized, "that reminds me." Ricky bent down and picked up Chopper. "_This_ is Tony Tony Chopper. He's a reindeer that ate the Human Human Fruit which allows him to transform and do anything a human can. He's our ship doctor and was trained by a witch with over a hundred years' medical experience and a miracle maker who made cherry blossoms bloom in an island of snow. He's going to become a doctor who can cure anything. _And_, he's my new little brother. So no more hunting him."

"Ricky, he's…" Ollie attempted to point out.

"Gonna be the greatest doctor in the world," Ricky interrupted.

Han smiled and shook his head, "Considering what I've seen of your other two brothers, this doesn't surprise me. I promise not to hunt your new brother anymore."

"You always did insist that you were the middle child in our family," Ace commented, "now I guess it's official, although, you're _still_ the only one of us without a hat."

"I'll have you know, that I _do _have a hat now," Ricky informed him, "Ollie, gimme me bag." Ollie threw Ricky's bag to him and Ricky pulled his black and red cowboy hat out from it. He grinned at Ace and put it on his head. "See? I was just waiting to find the right one. Usopp won a marksmanship challenge which allowed me to win it from Daddy 'the Father' in a bet." Usopp's chest puffed up and he struck a 'cool' pose.

"Good, at least you have one now," Ace resolved before he looked passed Ricky at the rest of the Straw Hats. "Would you mind terribly if we borrowed your galley for a while? Ricky has a story to tell us."

"Go right ahead," Sanji agreed.

"I guess there's no point in putting this off any longer," Ricky reasoned. He turned around and headed for the galley with Ace and Han following him.

Ollie went after them but paused at the doorway, she glanced at Nami and looked her up and down, then smirked and headed into the galley with a shake of her head. **THUD!** The door slammed shut leaving the four former Spade Pirates alone in the galley.

"What… the hell… was that?" Nami growled as she stared at the closed door, she clenched her fists and stomped down to the main deck and slipped into the storage room.

**-x-**

"So what's this top secret story?" Ollie asked as they sat at the table in the galley.

"I should probably get Ace and Han caught up with where you are," Ricky pointed out as he took off his sunglasses and set them on the table, revealing his eye patch. "It goes like this: I went with Teach to find a Devil Fruit and brought Thatch along as backup because Teach was acting really weird. I found it of course but Teach let it slip that it was called the Dark Dark Fruit. Thatch was uneasy about it and wanted to show it to Pops before anyone ate it. Teach didn't like that so he killed Thatch to get it. I was holding the chest that held the fruit and witnessed the whole thing. Teach found me offered to let me join the crew he was planning on forming called the Blackbeard Pirates. I refused and kicked some of his teeth down his throat in response and then ran for it. Teach managed to catch me and proceeded to beat the ever-loving crap out of me when I doubted his dream of becoming King of the Pirates. He cut my eye out in the process and left me for dead."

Ricky paused and raised his eye patch to show the 'x' shaped scar to Ace and Han. **Fwooosh**… Ace's fists burned in barely restrained anger.

Ricky covered his eye and continued, "When I woke up, I sensed another dark treasure hidden somewhere on the island. I was stranded on a strange island with nothing else to do so I went to find it. I did. It was down a deep hole in the same chamber I found the Dark Dark Fruit in, it felt like I was climbing down to hell itself. In a small chamber at the bottom of the hole I found a blood red chest and inside it… was a red eye."

"Ricky… NO!" Ollie gasped, when she realized where this was going. Ace's fists were clenched as he stared hard at Ricky.

"I lost an eye and found one," Ricky explained, "It seemed like I was meant to have it. I put the eye in and it started talking to me and told me about its powers of telekinesis, telepathy, and enhanced vision. I was still emotionally distraught over Teach's Nakamacide… I wasn't thinking straight. The eye is pure evil and it used its powers to control my body. I didn't know what was happening until it was too late. My last few seconds of control were spent trying to keep the eye from murdering Shane. I failed. It killed Shane and I could do nothing but watch as it went on a murderous rampage as Red Eye."

Ricky raised his eye patch again but this time he opened his right eye to reveal the Eye of the Devil to his older brother and former Nakama. Ricky quickly lowered the eye patch again and once again covered the eye.

"After almost a year in my own personal hell, I managed to get free," Ricky said. "I took advantage of the eye's low alcohol tolerance by getting wasted at the Baratie and covering it with an eye patch. You see, it doesn't work when it's covered. I staged Red Eye's death and slipped out through the hole I blew in the wall. I made it to Shell Town and spent a month there recovering from the emotional trauma I had been through and relearning who I was. Luffy recruited me as his first mate just as we always planned and worked together to free Zoro from the Marines."

Ricky wordlessly got up from the table and walked over to the whipstaff, he jumped up and then drove his feet down on the floor as he came down.** WHOMP!** The added two thousand kilograms of weight made Ricky hit the floor hard and made the resulting sound louder, thus earning a started yelp from someone in the storage room below them.

"NAMI! Quit eavesdropping!" Ricky called down through the floor.

"**You never said it was a private conversation!" **Nami's muffled voice argued through the floor, **"And you were telling them things I already know!"**

"Well I'm telling you _now_!" Ricky snapped. "This is a private conversation between me and my former Nakama. If you don't want me to lose all respect for you, honor the fact that I caught you listening and stop doing it."

**WHAM!** The door to the storage room slammed as Nami stomped out, Ricky peeked through the window in the galley door to confirm that Nami actually had left the storage room and her glaring at him through the window while standing out in the middle of the main deck with her arms folded across her chest.

Ricky shook his head and turned back to Ace, Han, and Ollie. Han grinned, "Sounds like you've got a little spitfire there, kid," he remarked.

"Ugghh… You have no idea," Ricky groaned, "that girl's gonna be the death of me." He sat back down at the table and noted that Ace was smiling and Ollie was frowning.

"I'm happy to see you've recovered from such a traumatic experience," Ace commented. "I know you'd never kill anyone without a reason. I must've been horrible for you to have to go through that. But now that you know what the eye can do, I know you won't let it control you again. Your will's too strong."

"I actually managed to fight off the Eye's control for twenty minutes while I flew halfway up the side of one of the Drum Rockies," Ricky informed him.

"See, knew it," Ace insisted, "You'll eventually take control of the eye. But for now, I'm happy that you're still alive."

"Although," Ollie added, "would it have _killed you_ to send us a message saying you were okay?"

"If I _had_ you guys would've set off to find me, right?" Ricky inquired. The trio nodded. "I wasn't ready to see you guys again after everything I'd seen myself do. My Nakama out there helped me come to terms with the fact that the only thing I did wrong was put in the eye."

"I would've done the same thing in your shoes, kid," Han admitted, "You lost an eye and found a new one, it would've seemed convenient. But it still would've been nice to know you were okay, then Ollie wouldn't have spent so much time drinking herself to death." Ollie glared at Han but flinched when Ricky gave her a hard look.

"So I die and you just give up on everything, huh?" Ricky questioned.

"My best friend went off and _DIED_!" Ollie defended herself, "What did you want me to do?"

"I would've wanted you to live the adventure-filled life you always dreamed of having," Ricky told her. "If I _had_ died and you _did _end up drinking yourself to death, I would've kicked your ass if I found out you spent the rest of your life drowning yourself in booze."

"I was mourning," Ollie said in a quiet voice. "I missed you."

"She took it the worst," Han informed him, "Old Man Whitebeard was really pissed. He personally led Division Two in an attack on Marine Base G-5. We used it as an opportunity to vent our frustrations." Han shook his head, "Poor bastards still haven't recovered from it."

"Why did Pops lead Division Two?" Ricky asked while staring at the Division Two Commander.

"Ace has been hunting your murderer for the last year," Han explained. "This is actually the first time Ollie and I have seen him since it happened."

"You're being awfully loose-lipped today," Ace said with an irritated look at Han.

The monster hunter shrugged, "_Someone's_ gotta fill the kid in on what we've been up to."

Ace looked over at Ricky, "And _someone's _gotta bring Blackbeard to justice."

Ricky nodded, "Just… be careful, okay?" he requested. "If he committed Nakamacide to get that Devil Fruit it's no doubt powerful. And now he's probably formed a pirate crew with a handful of fate-junkies like him."

"I heard a rumor that Blackbeard was cited in a place called 'Yuba'," Ace informed him. "That's why I' m here in Alabasta. These two came along hoping to you'd land here."

"Yuba?" Ricky repeated, "I think that's where Vivi said we were heading."

"**RICKY!" **Usopp suddenly screamed through the door, "WE'VE GOT A _BIG _PROBLEM!"

Ricky stood up, "Duty calls," he announced as he headed for the door, Ace, Han, and Ollie got up and followed him. "What's the problem?"

"Oh, I don't know," Usopp replied sarcastically before jabbing his finger out in front of the boat, "HOW 'BOUT _THAT_!" Up ahead of them was a blockade of five galleons each of the sails bore the symbol of Baroque Works.

"THOSE ARE THE BILLIONS' SHIPS!" Vivi exclaimed.

"Aww… those guys again?" Luffy complained.

"Looks like they woke up from their nap," Ollie observed.

**-x-**

"ARE WE GONNA LET THEM ESCAPE FROM THE BILLIONS?" Mr. Mellow called out to the Billions as he struck a heroic pose on the top deck of the battleship he was in command of.

"NO WAY!" the Billions chorused as they ran around the deck and prepared for battle.

"WE'LL SHOW THEM WHAT BAROQUE WORKS BILLIONS ARE MADE OF!" Mr. Bee announced, "FULL SPEED AHEAD!"

**-x-**

"Leave it to me," Ace volunteered, "I'll handle it." Ace, Han, and Ollie leapt from the Merry to their carrier boat. Ace jumped onto a small raft-like boat that was resting in the track running through the middle of the carrier's deck. Ollie took the helm and pulled a lever, **SHUNK!** A metal paddle shot out of the track behind the raft. Han turned a crank by the bow and lowered the railing lining the front of the ship until it was below the deck. **Chuka-chuka-CHUNK! **

"RAILING'S CLEAR!" Han announced.

"LAUNCHING!" Ollie exclaimed as she pushed the lever she'd pulled back the other way, **SHOOOOM!** The metal paddle flew through the track and launched the raft Ace was standing on off the front of the ship.

"WHOOOOOAAA!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper all gasped as they saw Ace land in the water on his one-man boat, **SPLOOSH!**

"Our shipwright Deuce made that ship for the sole purpose of launching the one Ace is on," Ricky explained. "The one Ace is riding is called the Striker, it's designed to run on Ace's Flame Flame Fruit Powers."

"Is he really going all by himself in that dinky boat?" Nami asked.

"I wouldn't worry about him," Zoro stated, "they don't make just anyone a Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates."

The Striker was the size of a canoe, the bow of the raft was bent upward making it the shape of half a crescent. The top of the boat was painted yellow while the bottom was dark. Ace stood in a trench in front of a hollow tube, on top of the tube was a mast with a single sail, coming out of the side were two paddle wheels, and coming out from the back was a metal engine.

**FWOOOOSH!** Ace's feet burst into flames the fire was channeled through the tube and powered the paddle wheels and the engine. **WHHRRR… WHHRRR… WHRRRR! **Ace slipped his hands in his pockets as he surfed towards the five Baroque Works Battleships.

"FIRE FIST IS HEADING RIGHT TOWARDS US!" Mr. Mohawk observed as he, Mr. Mellow, and Mr. Bee took charge on the lead battleship, the other four were all following in their wake.

"LET HIM COME!" Mr. Mellow ordered, "Our ships will make matchsticks out of his!"

**SKISH! **Ace launched himself off of the Striker and into the air but as Ace went up, the ship went down and started sailing under the line of battleships. **SHOOO!** Ace flew over the first battleship causing the Billions to stare up at him in surprise. **FWOOOOSH!** Ace's legs ignited and the torrent of flames rocketed him over the other four battleships in the line.

"BLOW HIM TO PIECES MEN!" Mr. Bee ordered.

"HE'LL SINK LIKE AN ANCHOR ONCE HE HITS THE WATER!" Mr. Mellow called out.

**SPLISH!** The Striker popped up out of the water behind the line of battleships and Ace landed safely on top of it, **TMP!**

**FWOOOSH! **Ace's right fist became a ball of hot flames, he pulled it back and then lashed out for punch. "FIIIIIREEE… FIIIIIIISSST!" **FWWWOOOOOOM! ** A column of flames burst out from his fist and plowed through the first battleship. **BOOOOM!** The powerful torrent of flames kept going and burst through the next battleship and kept going through the line until the intense flames engulfed the entire line of ships, **BOOOM-BOOOOM-BOOOOM-BOOOOM!**

The flames died down until they were only on Ace's fist. He stood on the Striker and adjusted the brim of his orange hat with the tip of his flaming index finger and grinned at the wreckage. He'd reduced the five battleships into nothing but flaming kindling with just one attack.

"And _that_ is why we call him 'Fire Fist'," Ricky informed the Straw Hats.

"WHOOOOAAA!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper exclaimed with stars in their eyes, "SO COOL!"

**-x-**

In the middle of the Nanohana town square, Smoker had finally regained consciousness and was sitting on a low stone attempted to ignore the smell of the potent perfume that he'd been infused with. Lieutenant Devo sat next to him and was having his ribs bandaged, he'd been found out cold in the town east of Nanohana called Katorea.

Sergeant Major Tashigi ran over and saluted Smoker, "Captain Smoker, we…" Tashigi trailed off and sniffed the air, "What's that smell?"

"Just deliver your report!" Smoker growled.

"Sir, we've combed the entire city, sir," Tashigi reported. "Straw Hat Luffy and his crew are nowhere to be found."

"Hmph, I didn't expect them to stick around," Smoker grunted. "Damn that Fire Fist. Just when we finally had them cornered he and those other two Whitebeard Pirates showed up."

"I identified one of those pirates as the former King of Spades, Hannibal King," Devo reported, "That makes the woman Olivia Queen the former Queen of Spades. They both joined the Whitebeard Pirates with their then-Captain 'Fire Fist' Ace."

"With the way One Eye and Queen worked together that makes him the former Jack of Spades," Smoker reasoned.

"So One Eye is a former Whitebeard Pirate…" Devo realized, "he's a lot more dangerous than we first thought. Is that why Fire Fist helped him?"

"No, he said Straw Hat and One Eye were both his kid brothers," Smoker recalled. "The three Whitebeard Pirates aren't our primary target."

"**CAPTAIN SMOKER!"** Petty Officer Masshikaku came running over and saluted the Marine Captain. "I'm sorry sir, but it appears that Mr. 11 was killed on board the ship while we were off searching for the Straw Hats, who we still haven't located yet."

"Call off the search for 'Straw Hat' Luffy," Smoker ordered, "I have a pretty good idea where he's headed. He's after Crocodile, I'm sure of it."

"Why Crocodile?" Tashigi asked. "He's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, a pirate given government approval."

"I find all of the Seven Warlords despicable," Smoker stated, "But Crocodile's the worst."

"But he's an ally of the Marines and the World Government…" Devo pointed out.

"Crocodile may have the powers that be fooled, but not me," Smoker replied, "They're delusional if they think giving him a sanction will make him obey. He's a pirate. There's one thing you two always need to remember: once a pirate always a pirate. They never change. Crocodile will lead us to him, Straw Hat will show up wherever he is and I'm sure we'll find out what's going on when we get there. There'll be no mistake for him, not this time."

**-x-**

Luffy, Ricky, Chopper, Ace, and Ollie were sitting around the table in the galley.

"So why'd you take our fingernail?" Luffy asked, he and Chopper stared intently at Ollie put the finishing touches on three palm-sized pieces of white paper.

"I'm making something called a Vivre Card," Ollie explained. "It's a special piece of paper made from a person's fingernail that will always point towards them. You're lucky one of my Nakama on the Whitebeard Pirates taught me how to make them." Ollie handed Ace, Ricky, and Luffy their respective Vivre Cards.

Ace tore his in half and gave the pieces to Luffy and Ricky. Luffy did the same but gave the two parts of his to his two older brothers. Ricky tore his into quarters and gave one part to Ace, on part to Luffy, and one to Chopper. The final one was snatched from his hand by Ollie.

Ollie pulled her cloak opened and stuffed Ricky's Vivre Card into the v-cut neck of her shirt, "Consider it my fee," she stated, "and since Ace is on a manhunt, _someone_ from the Whitebeard Pirates should be able to keep track of you."

"I guess you're right," Ricky agreed as he pulled his tool pouch out from his top left pocket and slipped Luffy's Vivre Card in one side and Ace's in the other.

"Whooooaaa…" Chopper gasped as he held his quarter of Ricky's Vivre Card in his hoof and watched as it tugged towards his big brother.

"These Vivre Cards symbolize our bond as brothers," Ace announced, "And now no matter what happens we'll be able to find each other."

Luffy gave an enthusiastic nod, "So these are really important," he realized, "I'll have to find a way to keep 'em safe."

"Luckily, Vivre Cards are fireproof and waterproof," Ricky informed him, "the only thing you have to worry about is if it starts burning up on its own. That means the person's dying." Ricky turned to Chopper, "Can I borrow your stitching needle and some thread? I'll sew your Vivre Cards into your respective hats."

"Oh, good idea," Chopper said, "then we'll never lose 'em." The reindeer got a needle and some thread out of his blue medical bag and handed Ricky his pink top hat and Ricky's Vivre Card. Ricky stitched the paper into the underside of the brim directly under the white 'x' on the front. Next Ricky took Luffy's straw hat and sewed his Vivre Card into one side of the brim and Ace's into the other. Finally, he sewed his and Luffy's Vivre Cards into the brim of Ace's orange hat.

"Hey Luffy, Ricky mentioned that you guys were heading to Yuba," Ace recalled. "Would you mind if we tag along?"

"Oh, is that where we're going?" Luffy questioned, "SURE YOU CAN COME!"

And so, with Ace, Han, and Ollie in tow, the Straw Hats are finally ready to set out for Yuba so Vivi could meet with the rebel army and stop the civil war tearing her country apart.

**-x-**

Next chapter the Straw Hats and the three Whitebeards begin their journey across the desert. On their first stop they find the Kung-Fu Dugongs and the 'Green City' of Erumalu.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	33. Chapter 33

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of its characters. However, I _do_ own Ricky, Ollie, and Han. Just not the characters the latter two are based off of.

**Kung Fu Dugongs:**

**-x-**

North of Nanohana across an expense of desert was the city of Alubarna, Alabasta's Capital. A group of around twenty weary-looking citizens wearing heavy desert clothing were making their way up a long flight of nearly three hundred steps to the Royal Palace. The large, majestic building was made up of large blocks of – alabaster – stone and overlooked the entire city.

Two guards armed with bladed staves came running down from the top of the steps and met the group of civilians. "HOLD IT!" one of the guards ordered as the two of them crossed their weapons to keep the citizens from passing. "What business do you have here?'

"We have to see the King!" a man at the front of the group answered.

"We're dying out here!" another man at the head of the group complained, "How much longer can this war go on?"

"Between the war and the drought there's nothing to eat!" the first man stated, "Our crops and livestock are dead!"

"My baby needs milk!" a woman holding a baby added from her position behind the two men. "There must be some in the palace! Let us in!"

The group of tired and hungry citizens pressed forward and attempted to push passed the guards to gain refuge in the palace. Outnumbered over ten-to-one the guards began to give ground and were pushed up a couple of steps.

"STOP PUSHING!" one of the guards shouted, "STAY BACK!"

**KREEEEEEEK! **The struggling stopped and the complaints quieted when the massive fifty foot double doors to the palace slowly opened to reveal King Nefertari Cobra. King Cobra walked to the top of the steps and stared silently down at the citizens of his kingdom.

"ARE YOU GONNA JUST STAND THERE AND DO NOTHING?" a man at the back of the group demanded. "YOU CALL YOURSELF A KING?"

"SHUT UP!" one of the guards snapped, "HOW DARE YOU INSULT HIS ROYAL—"

"THEY HAVE EVERY RIGHT!" the regal voice of Nefertari Cobra boomed. "ALL OF THEM!" Cobra began to make his way down the steps so he was closer to the people of his kingdom and didn't have to shout down at them.

"I'm sorry," King Cobra apologized, "You've all had to put up with unbearable suffering because of my lack of strength, for that I apologize." King Cobra motioned passed himself towards the open doors of the royal palace. "Those who wish to speak, please come inside the palace. Tell me of your qualms and I will listen. The only thing I can promise is that I will share your suffering as if it were my own. I ask that you endure a little more. Mark my words though, I will return peace to this kingdom… even if it takes my life to do so."

"_Father this is an obvious setup!" Vivi had said three years ago before she and Igaram had left in infiltrate Baroque Works. "It's clear that someone is trying to throw you and this kingdom into ruin!"_

The King of Alabasta made his way back up the steps and the citizens were allows passed him to gain temporary sanctuary in the royal palace. The two heads guards - one of which was Chaka the Acting Captain of the Royal Guard - who had been standing in the palace doorway to ensure that the King wasn't attacked by a desperate citizen nodded to the King and followed the civilians into the palace.

King Cobra remained standing at the top of the stairs and took a moment to stare at the sky off in a distance.

"_I hope you're alright, my dear," _Cobra thought to his daughter. _"I wonder where you are right now, and what you're doing… even at this very moment."_

**-x-**

"**The tea's ready!"** Sanji announced to Vivi as the princess sat at Nami's desk in the woman's quarters of the Going Merry while writing something. "Come on up to the galley."

"Thank you Sanji," Vivi replied, "I'll be right there." The cook nodded and headed back up the steps to the storage room.

**-x-**

"Ahoy there matey's! It's me Rice Ball Usopp!" Usopp called out as he playfully bounced rice ball across the galley table. His finger was going through the ball and came out the other side as an Usopp-like nose. Usopp moved his 'Rice-Ball Usopp' over to a big round ball of rice that was about ten times the size of his rice ball. "And who might you be?"

"I'm Ricey the Rice-Man!" Luffy exclaimed as he held up his snowman that he'd made out of rice. It consisted of two big balls of rice, two forks coming out of the bottom ball for arms, a small piece of sausage for a nose, and who smaller pieces of sausage stuffed into the top rice ball as eyes, and an upturned bowl on the top of the rice-man's head for a head.

**WONK!** Sanji hit Luffy and Usopp over the head with a wok when he came back to the galley and found the two playing around with the plate of riceballs he'd left out on the table for a snack.

"QUIT PLAYING WITH OUR FOOD, YOU DAMN NUMBSKULLS!" Sanji scolded them, "IF YOU'VE GOT FREE TIME, WASH DISHES! I could use some help since I still have to pack all of the food for the hike to Yuba."

"Let me know if I can help," Ace offered as he sat at the table with an amused smile from his youngest brother's antics.

"No, you're our guest," Sanji replied as he went back over to the stove, "So just sit back and relax. Thanks though."

**Klak-Klak!** Sanji looked away from the stove and over to Luffy and Usopp to find them washing dishes… in a bucket of dirty water. "WHAT'S MOP WATER, YOU IDIOTS!" Sanji snapped at them. "WE JUST SWABBED THE DECK WITH IT!"

**-x-**

**SWOOOOSH! **"Aaaaah, what a nice breeze," Chopper sighed as he laid on his back on the steps leading up to rear deck. He'd taken off this thick desert clothing which allowed his brown fur was blow in the gust of wind created by Zoro as swung two of his katanas overhead while standing on the main deck.

**SWIIIISH!** Zoro had removed his desert clothing and his shirt and was attempting to get used to swinging his swords with Mana's weighed bands still on his wrists. The swings were slow but they were creating the wind that was currently cooling Chopper.

"Qua…" Carue said to himself as he causally walked along the railing ining the deck in front of the galley.

"What's he doing?" Han asked as he looked down the steps at Zoro. He and Ollie were sitting on the railing along the thin length of deck on the starboard side of the galley.

"Weight training," Ricky answered as he leaned against the external galley wall across from his two former Nakama. "Zoro, Sanji, and I are trying to learn how to cut the air like Thatch used to be able to do. We figured out that the success of the technique is based on the speed of our swings so we're all wearing bands that weigh two thousand kilograms. Zoro is trying to get used to swinging his sword with the additional weight so he can swing even faster when he finally takes them off."

"And I suppose your run through Nanohana helped you get used to yours," Han reasoned.

"A little bit," Ricky admitted, "it would've been more beneficial if I wasn't running away from the Marines at the time. Now… where was I?"

"You were in the Calm Belt on the snout of a giant Neptunian," Ollie reminded him, drawing Ricky back to the story he'd been telling them about his adventures with the Straw Hats.

"Oh, right," Ricky replied, "Well, by some odd coincidence, we ended up on top of Ned."

Ollie's green eyes widened in recollection, "You mean the one we…"

"Yeah, that one," Ricky answered, "So after securing Nami to the main mast with a length of rope, I took one of the paddles and jump off the ship onto Ned's snout…"

**Krek!** Vivi exited the storage room with whatever she'd written folded in her hand. She walked passed Zoro and crossed the main deck then went up steps to the front deck and walked up behind Nami who was standing there marking their course.

"Nami…" Vivi addressed the Navigator. Her voice startled the orange haired girl and caused her to jump slightly. What Vivi had meant to say was temporarily forgotten when she noticed that Nami seemed oddly tense. "Are you alright, Nami?"

"She's barely taken her eyes off of him since she got here," Nami whispered without turning around. Vivi glanced over her shoulder and sure enough, the only other female on board the Going Merry had her green eyes locked on the First Mate.

Vivi looked back at Nami and found the navigator facing her sporting a smile, the tension had completely vanished. "Did you need something?" Nami inquired.

"Oh, right, I'd like to stop here if you don't mind," Vivi requested, "It'll just be for a moment."

"Stop?" Nami repeated, "What for?"

"I have a very important mission for Carue," Vivi explained.

"Quack?" Carue quacked as he peaked around the other side of the main mast when he heard his name mentioned by his princess.

**-x-**

A moment later, the Going Merry and the Whitebeard Pirates' ferry had been anchored along the eastern bank of the Sandora River. Vivi was standing on the shore addressing Carue, Luffy, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper had gotten off along with them.

"Carue, I need you to go to Alubarna Palace," the Princess instructed her faithful duck. "Deliver this letter to my father. It contains everything uncovered by Igaram and myself. The details for Crocodile's nefarious plans for this country are in here. Also, it lets him know that I've returned to Alabasta safe and sound in the company of brave friends willing to help us in our struggle. Can you do this for my Carue?"

"Quack!" Carue agreed with a salute. Vivi smiled and tucked her letter into the one of Carue's saddle bags. The duck was wearing a green sheet over him for his journey and had a full barrel of water hanging from his neck with a straw sticking out of it.

"Be careful to conserve your water," Vivi advised.

"Good luck, duck!" Luffy encouraged Carue.

"Go let my father know Carue," Vivi told her duck, "there's hope for this kingdom at last."

"QUUUAAAACK!" Carue exclaimed. **TMP! TMP! TMP! TMP! TMP! TMP! **With that, the spot-billed duck ran off. **Skish!** **SSSSLLLUUURRRP!** Carue skidded to a stop a couple seconds later and took a long drink from his water barrel and then ran off again leaving a dust trail in his wake. **ZZZZZOOOOM!** For desert travel, spot-billed ducks like Carue were the fastest in the Kingdom.

"I SAID _CONSERVE _NOT _CONSUME!" _Vivi shouted after him. "Thank you. And good luck."

"I did know that Crocodile was based here in Alabasta," Ace admitted as he, Ricky, Zoro, Han, and Ollie stood and rear deck of the Merry watching the others. "But him trying to steal a kingdom? That sounds like a bad joke."

"Pirates usually sail the seas to accomplish a specific goal," Han stated, "It's not like a pirate to just drop anchor and settle down in one place."

"Crocodile trying to usurp the throne of Alabasta doesn't make sense," Ace continued. "There could be another side to this takeover thing. Like some sort of deeper goal or something."

"That's what I figured," Ricky told him, he pulled a wanted poster out of his bottom right pocket and handed it to his older brother. Han and Ollie came up behind their commander and looked over his shoulders at the wanted poster.

"_She's _here?" Ollie questioned.

"Yeah," Ricky answered, "She's all grown up now and is Mr. Crocodile's Vice President."

"In that case, there's definitely a hidden agenda here," Ace resolved. "You guys had better be careful. With her working for him there's no telling what Crocodile's up to."

**-x-**

**Fffsshhh… **In a dark room in a hidden location, Sir Crocodile lit up an expensive cigar. The Warlord pulled aside a curtain and stared out the window of his hidden lair.

"Alabasta the Kingdom of Sand…" Crocodile mused to himself, "Even if they build cities on top of the dunes and they manage to stand for a thousand years… the desert will still be filled with the stench of death. Death is a constant, and this land has embraced its shadow since its inception."

Ms. All Sunday walked out of the middle of the dark room and stood behind Crocodile. "I just received a report," she informed Crocodile, "It's about the Billions' ships stationed in Nanohana. They were destroyed by someone and all hands are reported lost. Of course, I'm having all of this verified as we speak."

"No great loss," Crocodile resolved, "We have more replacements for the Billions than we'll ever need. A single drop of water spilled in the desert is insignificant and no obstacle for my plan. However, if anyone who would dare defy me has appeared in this land… crush them underfoot."

"Understood," Mr. All Sunday agreed as she turned to leave the dark room. "I'll dispatch the Lizard Runners to contact our other agents."

"Excellent," Crocodile replied. He let the curtain drop back into place and the room was plunged into darkness.

**-x-**

"WE'RE FINALLY HERE!" Luffy exclaimed as the Going Merry finished crossing the Sandora River and approached the west side.

"Wow, so we're going into the desert?" Chopper questioned. "Does anyone know how hot it's supposed to get?"

"Over a hundred degrees in the day time," Nami informed him.

"WHAT?" Chopper shrieked. "PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE JOKING!" Chopper slid down the railing of the steps alongside the navigator as she went down to the main deck. Her dancer girl outfit was now covered by a white button up cloak lined in light blue with a hood that was currently down.

"GAAAAH! NAMI WHAT HAPPENED?" Sanji screamed in horror when he saw Nami's no longer revealing outfit. "WHERE'S YOUR DANCER OUTFIT?" Sanji turned around and screamed again when he saw Vivi walking across the deck wearing an identical cloak that was a dark blue in color and was lined in white. "AAAAH! YOU TOO?" Sanji fell to the ground and rolled away looking like he'd just lost all will to live. "But… those outfits… were so sexy…"

"Luffy I want you to wear this," Vivi instructed as she handed Luffy a bundle of fabric.

"It looks really thick," Luffy commented.

"It's meant to be," Vivi explained, "any exposed skin will get sunburn. You have to cover up in the desert."

"Is he going to be okay?" Ollie asked as she sat on the railing next to Ricky and looked over at the depressed cook with mild concern.

"Sanji's a bit of a pervert," Ricky told her, "but we try not to hold it against him."

"Although he doesn't seem terribly upset that _you'll_ be covered up," Nami noted with a glance at the green-clothed archer, "Too bad."

"I wouldn't be caught dead in one of those skimpy dancer outfits," Ollie replied, "I'd hate for people to think I'm just a useless piece of eye candy. But to each her own."

"I'm _so _glad you two are getting along," Ricky remarked, "See? I'm fluent in sarcasm too." Ricky reached down into what Nami had long ago dubbed his 'treasure pocket' and pulled out an expertly crafted sapphire necklace. The necklace consisted of several round grape-sized beads and the focal point was a rain drop the size of his middle finger with waves carved into it.

**KA-CHING! **Nami's eyes became gems and she stared at the necklace in openmouthed shock. At the same time, Ollie was staring at it as if it was offensive.

"I made this out of the sapphires I stole from Don Krieg," Ricky told Nami, "I _was _going to give it to you as a gift. But if you can't behave yourself… maybe I should reconsider."

Nami was instantly sitting next to Ollie with her arm around the archer's shoulders, "We'll be good," Nami assured him, "We're best friends."

"That's better," Ricky said with a grin as he handed the necklace to Nami then turned and walked over to Ace on the other side of the deck.

Once he was out of earshot, Ollie threw Nami's arm off of her shoulder and glared at her, "It's just a fancy piece of jewelry to you, isn't it?" she hissed. "You have no idea what you're holding."

Nami looked at the archer in confusion. Ollie's tone told her that her new necklace was definitely more than just a necklace.

Ollie plunged her hand into the neck of her cloak and pulled out an emerald pendant that was half the size of her palm. The emerald was shaped like a four-leaf clover and was surrounded in a diamond clasp. It was attached to a silver chain which was currently around the archer's neck.

"We call them Ricky Originals," Ollie informed her. "You're holding the fifth one he's ever made. Whitebeard has the fourth. I've got the third. I'm sure you've noticed the bands of rubies that Ace wears around his hat and neck… they're the second. The first is currently decorating a tombstone back in the East Blue. He crafts them specifically for the person he gives them to and uses his Treasure Sense to find us in emergencies. So before you pawn it off for some quick cash, just remember: he gave one… to _you_." Ollie gave her another hard look then got up and followed after Ricky.

Nami put on her new 'Ricky Original' and stuffed it into the neck of her desert cloak. "Then I'll just have to earn it," she resolved.

**-x-**

A moment later, the eight Straw Hats and the three Whitebeards were standing on the sandy shore on the west side of the Sandora River, they were all once again dressed in their desert clothing and were loaded down with bags of supplies for the journey across the desert. The Going Merry and the ferry were anchored behind them.

"YUBA, HERE WE COME!" Luffy cheered. He was now wearing red cloak that was lined in gold over his usual clothes and a light blue shemagh on top of his straw hat that would not only keep it pinned to his head in the wind but also protect him from getting burned by the hot sun. "Okay, now to find that Rebel Leader."

"We're not at Yuba yet, Luffy," Vivi corrected him. "Right now we're outside Erumalu."

"Erumalu?" Luffy repeated.

**SKUSH! **"JUU!" A strange brown seal wearing a green turtle shell on its back and another smaller one on its head suddenly burst out of the sand by the river bank. **SHUNK! SHUNK! SHUNK!** The first seal-turtle was followed by others until the Straw Hats and Whitebeards found their way blocked by fifteen of the strange creatures.

"Turtles?" Luffy questioned.

"No, I think they're seals," Zoro replied.

"OH NO!" Vivi gasped, "KUNG-FU DUGONG!"

"Threat Level: low," Han stated as he eyed the creatures.

"Arf-arf bark juuuuu!" the first 'Dugong' cried out while striking kung-fu poses.

"'If you wanna get passed you'll have to beat me first'," Chopper translated. "'But I doubt that'll happen you bunch of cowards' – he says."

"Nobody calls me a coward and gets away with!" Usopp exclaimed before he charged the Dugongs. "HERE COMES THE FIGHT!"

"USOPP, NO!" Vivi called out after him. "DON'T FIGHT THEM!"

**DOOM!** A battered Usopp was left lying on the ground with the Dugong standing over him with its flippers raised over its head. The Straw Hats all sweat-dropped at Usopp losing to a creature a third his size.

"Isn't he your ship sniper?" Ollie asked Ricky as she stood with him and Zoro. "Why would he rush in and face something called a _'Kung Fu'_ Dugong in a fist fight?"

"I guess he underestimated it," Ricky suggested,

**SHUSH!** Another Dugong burst up out of the sand in front of them and struck a pose. "JUUU!"

"Are you talking to me?" Ricky asked the creature with a raised eyebrow.

"RAAAAHH!" Luffy roared as he stood over the battered Dugong with his arms raised over his head. "See? They're not too tough!"

"THAT'S BAD TOO!" Vivi scolded him.

**SWISH! **"It is?" Ricky asked as he side-stepped an attack from the Kung Fu Dugong that was attacking him. **THWAK!** Ricky lashed his leg out behind him and drove it into the shell on the back of the Dugong's head, knocking it down and out. "Oops."

"JUU!" The Dugong Luffy had beaten got back up and bowed to him while sporting what looked like a puppy-dog pout.

"It's one of their rules," Vivi explained. "If they lose a fight, they become the winner's pupil."

"JUU!" the Dugong Ricky had beaten got up and bowed to him.

"Uuhhh… right," Ricky said as he stared down at his new 'pupil'. "I guess I'll call you 'Doug'."

"_Doug_?" Nami repeated in annoyance. "There he goes again badly naming animals."

"_I _think it's cute," Ollie countered, "Doug the Dugong."

"JUUU!" A crowd of thirty Dugongs were now bowing to Luffy, all having lost to the rubber pirate who didn't seem to know the meaning of restraint.

"THEY THINK YOU'RE THEIR MASTER NOW!" Vivi shouted at him.

"EVERYONE AFTER ME!" Luffy ordered his pupils. "NOW PUNCH!"

"Arf!" Luffy's army of Dugong chorused as they all threw a punch.

"NO, LIKE THIS!" Luffy corrected them while demonstrating one of his punches.

"ARF!" the Dugong barked as they copied Luffy and all threw a straighter punch.

"If you wanna be my student you're gonna have to fight with kicks…" Ricky informed Doug before looking down and seeing his 'seal-like' tail. "Or I guess your tail. Now, I only want you wearing your shell as extra weight during training. In a real fight it should come off."

Ricky slipped one of his wristbands off and let the five hundred kilogram band plummet down into the sand. **BOOM!** "By wearing weights during training you'll be faster and stronger when you finally take them off," Ricky explained to his student.

"ARF!" Doug agreed as he wiggled out of his shell as his new master had instructed and was left looking like an ordinary brown seal. Ricky nodded in approval motioned for his sole student to attack him. "JUU!" **SKISH! **Doug launched up into the air and did a front-flip launching his tail over his head and bringing it down on Ricky. **WHUMP!** Ricky raised his weight-free arm and blocked the strike.

"Now _that's _more my style," Ricky complimented his pupil.

"Oh boy," Ace sighed as he stood in between Han and Sanji and shook his head at his younger brothers' antics.

**-x-**

"RIGHT! ALL SET, LET'S GO TO YUBA!" Luffy called out.

"Hey wait…" Zoro protested, "You're not bringing him with us…"

Luffy's Dugong army had doubled in size, the sixty Dugongs were standing behind their master in six neat rows seemingly intent on following him to Yuba.

"Luffy, you can't!" Nami scolded him.

"They're water creatures," Vivi explained, "they won't make it."

"Ooo… ooo…" two dugongs cooed as they hugged Luffy's legs.

"_But they're so cute…" _Nami and Vivi thought internally.

"It's gonna break my heart to say 'no' to them," Nami whispered to Vivi, "but we can't let them come along."

"I agree," Vivi said, "but how are we supposed to get them to stay?"

"I KNOW!" Chopper chirped. He sniffed the bags of supplies that the Straw Hats had put down while they were waiting for their Captain to stop goofing off and pulled out a large bone of meat and offered it to the Dugongs. "Here, you can have this, but only if you guys stay here, okay?"

"Listen Doug," Ricky addressed his own pupil. "I've got some important business to take care of in the desert. But I can't take you with me. You won't survive out in that climate." **RRRIP!** Ricky reached down and tore off the end of the red sash he'd been wearing around his waist exposing the sheath of his sword. Ricky folded the torn piece of sash in half and then tied it around Doug's head like a bandana. "This will mark you as my student. When I finish my business in the desert, I'll come back and test you. I hope you'll have gotten a lot stronger by then."

"JUU!" Doug agreed as he bowed to Ricky.

"At least _yours_ is well behaved," Ollie remarked as she patted Ricky on the back.

A few minutes later, Luffy's Dugong pupils had been sufficiently bribed and were waving goodbye to the eleven pirates and the princess from the shore.

"HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY THE FOOD!" Luffy called out to them as their group of twelve began heading inland. "SEE YA!"

"'Hope you guys enjoy the food'," Nami repeated as she glared at Luffy,

"Hey, why couldn't we take those guys with us?" Luffy asked, oblivious to Nami's and everyone else's frustration with him.

"Because we don't have enough food or water to take care of a group that big, you moron," Nami scolded him. "Honestly, I don't know what we would've done if Chopper hadn't persuaded them to stay."

"They kept saying 'where you go, we'll follow master'," Chopper said, "They really would have too if I hadn't given them that food."

"And now _our _food supply has gotten a lot smaller," Sanji complained, "Thanks Luffy, thanks."

"He's a handful," Ace commented.

"You're telling me," the cook agreed.

**-x-**

**Erumale the City of Green:**

**-x-**

They continued their journey inland until Vivi led the pirates up a sand dune and stopped on top of it. "What's this?" Sanji asked.

"Are we in Yuba already?" Luffy inquired.

"No, this is Erumalu," Vivi answered as they all stared out at a city that seemed to be filled with sand, "it was known far and wide as the City of Green."

"It was green?" Luffy questioned.

"Look around everyone," Vivi instructed, "this is what Baroque Works has been doing to my country. The people of Alabasta… this is what they've had to go through."

"Wow… there's nothing here at all now," Luffy commented as the group began to make their way through the city. The buildings were all cracked and partially buried in sand, the palm trees and bushes that lined the streets were withered and bare, and the sandy streets themselves looked untouched as if no one had been in the town in a long time.

"No, it's become a ghost town now," Vivi replied, "But up until recently it was a thriving city filled with gardens, palm trees, and a lush greenery. Rain was always scarce here but by saving every last drop of water and using it wisely the city was able to make the foliage flourish. Unfortunately, that stopped when the rain did. Not a single drop of water has fallen in any part of this country for three years now."

"Three years?" Sanji repeated.

"Wow, that long?" Chopper questioned.

"But wait, even without rain there was still the river as another water source," Zoro pointed out.

"And it's close," Usopp added while motioning back the way they'd came. "Why couldn't they just pipe the water in from over there?"

"Well the answer to that is just up ahead," Vivi informed him as she continued onward and led them deeper into the dried up city.

"Even though it's a desert kingdom, never in Alabasta's history has the rain ever stopped completely," Vivi explained. "However, there was one place in the kingdom where the rain fell more than usual, much more in fact: Alubarna, the capital, the city where the king's palace is located. The people of the land called it the King's miracle. At least they did until one particular day…"

"And here comes the flashback," Ricky prompted.

**Whap!** Ace swatted him on the back of the head, "Don't break the fourth wall," he scolded his brother.

**-'Incident' Flashback-**

One day, in Nanohana three years ago a bunch of men were pulling a large wagon with two huge sacks through the main road of the port town.

"Get that cargo unloaded!" one of the men called out so everyone could here them, "we've got a schedule to keep."

**KRAK!** One of the wagon wheels broke and the cart collapses. The two large sacks fell of the cart and were torn opened… revealing a green powder.

"DAMN IT, WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO NOW!" Mr. Mellow who was wearing a red t-shirt that read 'Half-Fledged' exclaimed as he surreptitiously glanced around at the crowd that had gathered around the accident. Mr. Bee, Mr. Mohawk, and Mr. Sailor had all been pulling the cart with him. "IT'S A DELIVERY FOR THE KING! WHAT'S HE GONNA DO WHEN IT DOESN'T ARRIVE ON TIME?"

"His green powder's for the King?" a civilian man questioned as he knelt down and poked his finger in the green powder. "What is it?"

"What is it?" Mr. Bee repeated, "How the hell should we know? We're only following _your_ King's orders."

"We're just couriers," Mr. Mohawk added.

"RUN!" Mr. Mellow shouted and the group of eventual Billions ran off leaving the spilled cart and powder in the middle of the town for all to see. The people missed the smiles on their faces.

"Wait a minute…" another civilian said as he held a bunch of the spilled green powder in his hands, "could this be… Dance Powder?"

**-End 'Incident' Flashback-**

"Dance Powder?" Nami repeated.

"Oh, so you've heard of it?" Luffy asked the navigator.

"Yes, I sure have," Nami answered, "It summons rain. I've only heard stories about it but apparently Dance Powder was created by a researcher in a country where it never rained. Burning it creates a misty green smoke which rises into the sky, once it reaches the clouds it causes them to rain. In essence, it gives you the ability to create rain on the spot."

"Oh, I know what you're talking about!" Luffy said as he recalled his own experience with Dance Powder when he'd been wandering the desert in search of food. "I've seen that stuff before. I ate some a while back, it tasted pretty gross though."

"You _ate_ Dance Powder?" Nami questioned with a skeptical shake of her head.

"It's not even food, it's for making rain," Zoro scolded him.

"HEY! I'M NOT LYING!" Luffy hollered. "I'M TELLING THE TRUTH! I _DID _EAT IT! AND IT TASTED SO GROSS IT MADE ME WANNA PUKE!" The others ignored Luffy's hollering and just kept walking.

"I don't get it," Usopp spoke up, "Wouldn't that stuff be perfect for a desert country like this?"

"You'd think so," Nami replied, "as its name suggests, the people of country that developed Dance Powder were happy enough to dance. It got lots of rain. But there was a catch. It's neighboring country had a drought. Let me explain how it works… the smoke from the burned Dance Powder targets small clouds that aren't ready to rain yet, it artificially matures them into full rain clouds. Those clouds would have naturally grown into rain clouds _but_ when they were further downwind."

"That's our Nami," Ricky remarked with a proud smile as he and Ollie walked at the back of the group. "Our Navigator knows everything about the weather."

"Hmph," Ollie grunted while a smile lit up Nami's face.

"Oh, I get it," Usopp realized, "it steals all of the rain that would have normally gone to a neighboring country. That must have caused some big problems."

"It did," Nami assured him, "a war broke out between the two countries. Ever since then, the World Government has instituted a world-wide ban on the production and possession of Dance Powder."

"But some of it still managed to show up here," Ricky stated.

"When it happened, the country had been experiencing some strange weather," Vivi said with a frown, "there had been no rain. Not a single drop had fallen anywhere except one place… and that was the capital."

"_No wonder why we haven't had any rain in ages!" one of the people of Nanohana had realized as they stood around the spilled sacks of Dance Powder. "The King stole it for the capital using this Dance Powder!"_

"_ALUBARNA'S RAIN WASN'T A MIRACLE AT ALL!" a man shouted, "IT WAS A SHAM!"_

"_Yeah, one that's left us parched and starving!" another man added. "This is all King Cobra's fault!"_

"VIV! THAT MEANS YOUR DAD IS THE BAD GUY HERE!" Luffy exclaimed.

"NO, YOU IDIOT!" Sanji snapped at him, "HE WAS FRAMED!" **WHOMP! **Sanji kicked him on the top of the head. "HER SWEET," **WHOMP!** "DEAR OLD DAD..." **WHOMP!** "WOULD NEVER DO SUCH A THING!" **WHOMP! "**GOT IT?"

"Of course, my father didn't have anything to do with it," Vivi told the others. "He was innocent. Unfortunately, a large amount of Dance Powder was discovered inside the palace shortly thereafter."

"So they even had people working inside the palace," Zoro realized.

"So… what is this?" Sanji asked when they found themselves standing in an empty trench that took up most of the sandy street. "A road?"

"No, it used to be a large canal," Vivi answered, "it piped in fresh water from the Sandora River… until someone destroyed it. Now do you see what happened? With its canal gone, the City of Green lost its only remaining source of fresh water. The people here waited and prayed… but sadly… the rain never came."

"Something like that in addition to the Dance Powder must've created a lot of distrust between the people and the King," Ricky reasoned.

"That's exactly how Crocodile planned I'd bet," Zoro thought out loud.

"With no more water, fighting began to break out in Erumalu," Vivi continued. "To escape the violence here there was only one thing the exhausted citizens could do… they abandoned the city and left for other oases in search of water." Vivi stopped walking causing the others to stare at her. "And then… the City of Green withered away."

**WWWOOOOOOOOOO… **A wind blew through the once green city and a mournful moaning broke out.

"WHAT IS THAT?" Nami exclaimed.

"Is it the Rebels?" Chopper wondered.

"Or more of those Baroque Works guys… oooh nooo…" Usopp whimpered.

"It's just wind," Han finally spoke up as the mournful wind continued. He'd been silent thus far, content to just listen to the story and let the others ask any questions.

**WWWWOOOOOOOOOOO…**

"It sounds like a voice, though," Luffy commented.

"IT SOUNDS LIKE ITS COMING FROM ALL DIRECTIONS!" Usopp shrieked, "ACE, what d owe do?"

"There's no danger," Ace reassured him. "It's just the wind echoing off of the buildings."

Vivi's hood was blown off as the wind rushed passed them, "It's like… it's like the city of Erumalu is wailing over what's happened to it," she said.

**SSSHHHWWWWOOOOO! **The wind picked up and began to spiral around ahead of them created a small tornado of sand. **WOOOOOSSSHHH!** The wind rushed passed and most of them closed their eyes to protect themselves from the blowing sand. Eventually, the wind passed leaving the twelve of them standing their with ruffled clothes.

"Whoa," Usopp gasped, "what is up with that wind?"

"HEY!" Luffy exclaimed he spotted something fluttering up ahead of them and ran towards it. Everyone looked in the direction he was running.

"Someone's collapsed!" Nami observed when she spotted someone's cloak up ahead, partially buried by the sand.

"You mean there's someone still living here?" Vivi questioned as they hurried after Luffy. But they stopped when they realized that it wasn't a person, at least not any more. The cloak was being worn by a skeleton.

Vivi knelt down in front of the skeleton and stared down at it, "What did my father… and all of the other good people… what did they ever do?" she asked. "They don't deserve this. It's hard enough to live in the desert. Every day it's a struggle just to survive. Somehow the people of Alabasta found a way to do it and they led happy lives! BUT CROCIDLE DESTROYED THOSE LIVES! WHAT GIVES HIM THE RIGHT TO DO THAT? WHAT? All the while… as one of the Seven Warlords… he passes himself off as a hero of the people! They don't know what he's really doing! No one realizes that he's actually deceiving the entire country, EVEN AS THEY CHEER HIM ON! I CAN'T… I CAN'T LET HIM GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

An angry-looking Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji stormed off into the city leaving footprints in their wake. **BOOOOM!** The remaining Straw Hats and the three Whitebeards watched as one of the taller ruins toppled over and crashed to the ground, creating a large dust cloud when it landed.

"Oh well, I hope that made them feel better," Zoro muttered.

"Sometimes you just need to hit something," Han stated, "it's good for venting frustrations."

Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp marched back out of the wreckage they'd caused. Luffy was swinging a fist, Sanji had his hands stuffed in his pockets and was smoking a cigarette, and Usopp had his goggles down and his fists clenched.

Ace dug a hole in the sand and helped Vivi bury the skeleton in it then stuck a stick in the top of the mound of sand as a marker.

"Vivi, let's get moving," Luffy called out to the Princess. "I'm itching for action." With that, he, Usopp, and Sanji started heading out of Erumalu and into the desert.

"He's right," Nami said, "let's get to Yuba."

"That's where you said the rebel army is," Zoro recalled.

"Yes, I have to stop them," Vivi resolved as she stood up. "I'm going to persuade their leader."

"And how do you plan to do that exactly?" Ricky inquired.

"I'm going to tell him the truth," Vivi explained. "That this was all Crocodile's doing. And have him stop all of this pointless bloodshed."

"Let's go," Zoro decided as he turned and headed off after Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji. Nami, Chopper, Ace, and Han walked along with Zoro while Ricky and Ollie trailed after them. Vivi stayed behind to take one last look behind her at Erumalu. The stick marking the grave not only represented the skeleton buried their but the entire city.

With renewed motivation, Vivi followed after the eleven pirates intent on stopping the war and the suffering of her people once and for all.

**-x-**

Next chapter, the princess and the pirates embark on their adventure in the kingdom of sand.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	34. Chapter 34

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of its characters. However, I _do_ own Ricky, Ollie, and Han. Just not the characters the latter two are based off of.

**Adventure in the Kingdom of Sand:**

**-x-**

"UUUGGGHHH…" a loud groan carried across the open expanse of hot desert.

"UUUUGGGGHHHH…" the groan sounded out again and echoed over the sand.

"LUFFY! STOP THAT GROANING!" Nami complained, "YOU'RE MAKING _ME _TIRED!"

"Uugghh… I'm so hot…" Luffy groaned as he supported his entire weight on a stick that was serving as a makeshift walking stick, "I can't even sweat…"

"Ugggghhh…" Chopper moaned softly as he was pulled along over the sand on a small wooden sled that was tied around the waist of Zoro. "I can't take hot weather… I'm fine in cold weather…"

"Itsh becaushe of all that fur," Usopp slurred as his dry tongue hung out of his mouth while he leaned all his weight on a stick. "Why don't you take off that shtupid reindeer coshtume?"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME, BIG NOSE?" Chopper demanded as he transformed into his big Heavy Point form. "DON'T MAKE FUN OF REINDEER!"

"AAAAAAHHH! MONSHTER!" Usopp shrieked in terror at the sight of Chopper's huge form.

Zoro tried to keep pulling Chopper but with Chopper's sudden weight increase in addition to the two thousand kilograms from the weights he was wearing on his arms he found himself rooted on the spot.

"Chopper!" Zoro scolded his passenger, "Turn small or I'm gonna quit pulling you."

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A MONSTER, YOU BIG NOSED FREAK?" Chopper snarled at Usopp, the sniper's knees were shaking as he stood in a weak kung-fu pose.

"HEY! Take it eashy with the noshe!" Usopp warned him, "Or I'll have to get tough!"

"TURN SMALL, WILL YA!" Zoro snapped as he pushed Chopper back down onto the sled automatically shifting him back into his much smaller Brain Point form.

Ace merely spared them a quick glance as he walked passed. The desert heat wasn't having much of an effect on the pirate that could turn his body into fire whenever he wanted. Ace kept walking and joined Vivi, Sanji, Nami, and Han at the front of the group and left the others to trail behind them.

"The desert doesn't seem to bother you much Miss. Vivi," Sanji noted.

"Well I was born and raised in this country," Vivi reminded him, "So I guess you could say I'm used to it."

"Although, those two don't seem to be affected much either," Nami noted, she glanced over her shoulder at Ricky and Ollie who were trailing behind the group. The two of them were totally engrossed in a pair of books and seemed to be blindly following the others.

"It's a technique they learned from one of our crewmates on the Whitebeard Pirates," Han informed her. "By focusing entirely on what they're reading they can completely ignore the extreme effects of the environment they're in. I didn't bother with it because I like to be aware of my surroundings at all times."

The group of ten pirates and the princess pressed onward and began to make their way up a mountain-sized dune of sand.

"Ugghhh… uggghhh… sho… what'sh with all theshe hills?" Usopp wondered. "I wash expecting a deshert to be more _flat_!"

"This is a very old desert," Vivi explained, "some of the sand dunes here are over nine hundred feet high."

"Nine hundred… oh my God… I think I'm gonna faint…" Usopp whimpered but he still managed to drag himself onward.

"Ugghhh… so hot… water…" Luffy gasped, he reached down and lifted the barrel that was hanging from a strap around his neck.

"Just one sip Luffy," Nami instructed him, "Just one mouthful."

**SLUUURRP!** Luffy took a long sip from the barrel and his 'one mouthful' ended up with his cheeks behind the same size as his head.

**WONK!** "DON'T DRINK SO MUCH!" Sanji snapped as he and Usopp hit him on the back of the head and made Luffy spit out the water.

"YOU IDIOT!" Usopp growled, "YOU'D BETTER SAVE SOME FOR _USOPP_!"

"Hold on, you just had some!" Sanji realized as he pointed a finger at Usopp, "_I'M_ NEXT!" Usopp and Sanji attacked Luffy and attempt to get the water barrel away from him while Luffy fought back to keep his water from being stolen by his Nakama.

The fighting had brought Ricky and Ollie out from their reading, Ricky shook his head at his fighting Nakama while Ollie took a sip from the green canteen that was hanging at her side.

"Thirsty?" she offered.

"Thanks," Ricky said as he accepted offered canteen and took a quick sip before handing it back. He adjusted the black duffle bag hanging from his shoulder and then went back to his reading.

"CUT IT OUT YOU GUYS!" Vivi scolded them, "You're only going to wear yourselves out if you keep it up!"

"_He_ started it!" Luffy protested.

"It's _YOUR _fault!" Sanji argued.

"It's _ALWAYS _his fault!" Usopp exclaimed.

**SWIPE!** Nami reached into the dust cloud and pulled out the water barrel but the three kept fighting oblivious to the fact that what they were fighting over had been stolen. Nami slipped away from the others and backpedaled until she was walking on the other side of Ricky.

"What are you reading anyway?" Nami inquired.

"A book on legendary treasures that I found in Nanohana," Ricky answered, "the one I'm currently reading is about a city of gold on an island in the sky."

Nami's eyes widened, "Can I read it when you're done?" she requested.

"Sure," Ricky replied.

"And speaking of treasures," Nami commented, "Thanks for the necklace. Your _old_ Nakama told me the story behind it. I'm honored."

Ricky smiled and shrugged, "I figured since we're traveling through the desert it might be a good thing to have," he explained. "I would've given one to Luffy too but he's hardly the most responsible person in the world. You've seen what's happened to his treasured straw hat."

"That's probably a good idea," Ollie spoke up, "I mean, he still hasn't noticed that she STOLE HIS WATER!"

Ollie's raised voice drew the attention of Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji who had still been fighting over a water barrel that was no longer there.

"NAMI, YOU JERK!" Luffy shouted.

"YOU DIRTY THIEF!" Usopp yelled.

"YOU CAN HAVE IT, MISS. NAMI!" Sanji swooned. Luffy and Usopp ran at Nami looking to reclaim the water barrel prompting the thief to run off.

Ricky raised his sunglasses and gave Ollie a hard look, "That wasn't nice," he scolded her.

"She called me old," Ollie defended herself before she went back to her book.

"This is going to be a loonng trip," Ricky groaned.

**-x-**

Hours later, night had fallen and with it came the cold. Due to the lack of cloud cover in the desert there was no insulation which resulted in it being scorching hot during the day and freezing at night. The pirates and the princess had set up camp in the middle of a cluster of stone crags and had set up a campfire and three tents. Sanji had cooked some of the remaining meat on a spit and now the Straw Hats and Whitebeards were preparing to get settled in for the night.

Ricky and Ollie stood together away from the campfire and stared at one of the large crags. Ollie fitted an arrow into her bow and pulled back the string, **Fwing! **She launched the arrow at the base of the crag and it impacted with the stone and exploded, **KA-BOOOM! **A large cave-like hole was blasted in the side of the crag.

"Nice work," Ricky noted, "now let's clear out the rubble." He and Ollie headed into the cave and began tossing out the rubble that was inside.

"Ahh, look the stars," Chopper sighed as he sat in between Zoro and Usopp and stared up at the clear night sky. They were seated beside one of the three tents that they had set up.

"Couldn't you see the stars back on your island?" Usopp inquired.

"The skies about Drum Island are always covered in snow clouds," Chopper explained, "so I've never been able to see this many before."

"I am way too cold to enjoy the stars right now…" Usopp complained.

"Cold weather doesn't bother me," Chopper chirped.

"That's cause you wear such a nice fur coat," Usopp stated as he leaned in and nuzzled his face against Chopper's soft and fuzzy cheek.

"BACK OFF!" Chopper snapped at Usopp for invading his personal space.

"It's not my fault you're all soft and fluffy," Usopp defended himself.

"QUIT MAKING FUN OF ME!" Chopper shouted as he transformed into his Heavy Point form and glared down at the sniper.

"OOOH NOOO! MONSTER!" Usopp wailed.

"Chopper, don't turn big," Zoro scolded him, "We have to huddle for warmth!"

"WOO HOO!" Luffy cheered as he ran over and plopped down next to Chopper, he and Usopp cuddled the reindeer like a fluffy plushy. "Aahh, so warm!"

Ace silently watched them from the opening of one of the tents.

"I suppose you're surprised, aren't you?" Vivi asked as she walked over to Ace. "I mean by Luffy, that is. I have to admit, I was surprised too at first. After all, he doesn't seem much like a pirate captain, does he? Normal pirate captain's are respected or feared by their pirates, just this afternoon a simple drink of water led to a big fight. Well… I think… that's just the way Luffy operates. It took me a while to understand that."

"He's been like that as long as I can remember," Ace told her as he glanced over at Luffy who was snoring as he cuddled with Zoro, Usopp, and Chopper. "He seems like a fool, but people have always gathered around him. He may be my little brother but he has this mysterious charm about him."

"I guess I wasn't telling you anything you didn't already know," Vivi realized.

"He and I _do _go way back," Ace reminded her. "I appreciate it. You thought I was worried about him, didn't you?"

"Yes," Vivi admitted, "but I guess my concern was misguided."

At that moment, Nami exited one of the other tents and walked passed them to the fire, she sat down next to Han who had been sitting there alone and eyed Ricky and Ollie who had finished clearing out the crag-cave.

"Hey Han," Nami spoke up, gaining the Monster Hunter's attention, "What's the deal with Ricky and Ollie?"

Han glanced at Nami then looked back at Ricky and Ollie, "Those two… they're best friends," he answered, they'd finished clearing the cave and were now lighting a fire in the middle of it. "They weren't always like that, when she first joined us she saw him as a little kid. He was just Ace's little brother who was along for the ride and needed to be taken care of. That changed one day when we were sailing the South Blue. They got in a huge fight, I don't know the details since it happened below deck, but there was a lot of screaming. Ace went down to investigate but refuses to tell anyone what he saw. The thing is… when they came out they were inseparable."

Nami cast another glance at the cave and saw Ricky sitting against the back wall, Ollie was seated next to him and had her head resting on his shoulder.

"She was his treasure hunting partner and he was her adventure buddy," Han continued. "They'd often wander off together and come running back with a hoard of treasure, or a hoard of pirates or marines chasing them. I don't know half of the adventures those two have been on together." Han gave Nami a hard look, "I don't know what kind of relationship you have with the kid, but like it or not, you have to accept that fact that she's going to be a part of his life."

"That's fine," Nami decided as she stood up, then glanced over at the cave, "but if she thinks I'm going to back off just because she has a history with him… she's got another thing coming." Nami walked off to the tent leaving Han sitting alone in front of the fire.

"Oh boy," he said with a shake of his head, "I do not envy that kid right now."

**-x-**

"HEY! I FOUND A SHRIMP!" Luffy called out early the next morning before the sun had even had a chance to rise.

"You sure it's a shrimp?" Chopper inquired as he and Usopp went over to Luffy.

"But shrimp don't live in the desert," Usopp pointed out.

"Look," Luffy said as held up A SCORPION!

"I stand corrected, it's a desert shrimp," Usopp realized.

"Luffy, don't eat that," Ricky advised from where he was seated beside the entrance to the crag-cave. "You have no idea where it's been."

"It's been right here," Luffy pointed out as he motioned to the spot he'd found the scorpion.

"Do you think it's edible?" Usopp wondered.

"Why not? Crawfish are edible," Luffy pointed out, "Aren't they?"

"I've never seen a real-live shrimp before!" Chopper exclaimed. "This is really exciting!"

Vivi came out of the tent she'd shared with Nami and spotted the scorpion that Luffy seemed intent on eating. "AAAAAH! LUFFY ARE YOU CRAZY!" Vivi screamed, "GET RID OF THAT THING QUICK!"

"Uh-uh," Luffy refused, "That would be wasteful."

"IT'S A SCORPION!" Vivi told him, "Don't let its small size fool you, the poison in its stinger can kill in seconds!"

Chopper started shaking in terror while Luffy stared at the 'shrimp' in disappointment, "Oh, I guess I don't want it then," Luffy resolved, he offered the scorpion to Usopp, "Do you?"

"HEY NOW, KEEP THAT AWAY FROM ME!" Usopp screamed.

"Did someone say 'scorpion'?" Ollie inquired as she ventured out of the crag-cave with her quiver of arrows hanging from her shoulder. "I'll take it."

Luffy nodded and tossed the scorpion in her direction, the archer's hand shot out and she caught the scorpion by the tail to keep it from stinging her.

"I'm sorry," Vivi apologized to the pirates, "I should have mentioned it earlier. Scorpions are one of the desert's dangers."

"Are you really gonna eat that?" Chopper asked curiously as he went over to the archer.

"Nope, this little guy is gonna help me make a new arrow," Ollie explained. She fished into the zipper pocket on her quiver and pulled out a crystal vial and a scalpel, she put the vial in her mouth then skillfully used the scalpel to cut into the scorpion's stinger causing purple venom to leak out. She flicked her scalpel so she was holding it between her pinky and ring finger then pulled her vial out of her mouth and caught the scorpion's purple venom as it leaked out. Once the base of the vial – which about as thick as Ollie's middle finger – filled, Ollie pulled it away and then got up and dropped the scorpion behind a rock.

"Is the shrimp gonna be okay?" Chopper questioned.

"I made a clean incision and only punctured one of the vesicles that holds the venom glands," Ollie told him as she pulled out a cork and sealed the venom vial, "it'll heal and be producing venom again in a day or two, until then it's still got the other vesicle to survive with. And now I just need to coat an arrowhead in the venom and I'll have a deadly new arrow."

While Ollie began to put her tools away, Chopper's ears and nose suddenly twitched. He looked off in a distance and saw some clouds rapidly approaching from the horizon.

"What's going on Chopper?" Luffy asked.

Chopper ran up onto the top of a nearby rock and just kept staring off in a distance. "Something's coming…" Chopper stated, "…and quick."

"Those clouds are moving awfully fast," Ricky noted from where he was still seated against the mouth of the crag-cave.

**SHHWWWOOOOO**! A strong wind now accompanied the fast-moving clouds, the powerful gusts of wind became visible as they spiraled around.

Ace came out of his tent and stared at the oncoming wind. "Hmm, it looks like the wind is picking up," Ace observed.

Ricky quickly darted into one of the tents and gave Nami a rude awakening. "RICKY! PUT ME DOWN!" Nami shouted as Ricky carried her out of the tent tucked under his left arm, "THIS IS _SO _UNDIGNIFIED!"

Ricky turned and pointed Nami towards the spiraling wind, "What do you make of that?" he asked the navigator.

Nami blinked and stared at the spiraling winds that were rapidly closing in on them. "Strong winds… fast-moving gray clouds… it feels like a storm's coming," Nami observed.

Vivi's eyes widened in alarm, "EVERYONE! GET TO COVER, QUICK!" she yelled, "A SANDSTORM IS COMING!"

"Luffy, Usopp, Chopper!" Ricky called out, "wake Zoro, Sanji, and Han then grab as many of the supplies as you can and get them into the cave. Ace, Ollie, break down one of the tents and use it to cover the opening of the cave."

Everyone nodded and ran off to do as they were told, Ricky, with Nami still tucked under his arm, ran over to Vivi and without a word threw the princess over his right shoulder and ran into the crag-cave.

"Stay here," Ricky ordered as he put both of the disgruntled girls down in the back of the cave.

"We're gonna have words about you _manhandling _us later!" Nami warned him.

Ricky nodded then ran out of the cave just as Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, and Han came running in laden with loads of supplies. Ricky joined Ace in stretching one of the canvas tents over the mouth of the cave while Ollie nailed it into the stone using the metal tent stakes.

"Hurry up!" Ricky urged Ollie as he stared off at the swirling tornado of sand that was almost upon them.

**TONK!** Ollie jammed left stake into the bottom left corner of the tent-turned-tarp and looked up at Ricky, "Got it," she reported, "NOW GET IN!" The three of them quickly slipped through the sides of the tent and found themselves squished inside the now-crowded cave.

**Fwwissshh…** Ace sat with his back to the tent-tarp and lit up one of his hands like a torch. The supplies were taking up half the cave and were all piled up in the back with Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper sitting against them. Sanji was sitting with his arm around Nami and Vivi, the two had moved to the left side of the cave to avoid being squished by the incoming supplies. Zoro and Han were leaning back against the right wall of the cave, the former having gone back to sleep, while Ollie and Ricky were on the left. Ricky chanced a peek outside and saw sand blowing passed the cave.

"Looks like we're not going out there any time soon," he noted.

"I'm sorry," Vivi apologized, "I should have mentioned that sandstorms are another one of the deserts dangers."

"You've gotta start remembering this stuff," Usopp commented, first the poisonous shrimp, and now the sandstorm, if Vivi didn't start remembering more of these desert-dangers he could wind up dead.

"We'll have to stay in here until the sandstorm dies down," Ace resolved.

Nami removed Sanji's arm from around her shoulders and climbed over the others until she was kneeling in front of Ricky on the other side of the cave.

**POKE!** Nami jabbed him in the forehead with her finger, "In the future, I'd appreciate it if you could avoid waking me up by yanking me out of my bed and carrying me out into a sandstorm."

"Then maybe next time I'll let you sleep in," Ricky suggested.

"No, no, I'm just saying there are _other ways _you could wake me up," Nami replied, then with a quick glance at Ollie, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek causing the archer to clench her fists and openly glare at her. "Thanks for keeping me from getting caught in that sandstorm."

"No problem," Ricky said. Nami smiled then turned around and sat herself down in Ricky's lap.

Ricky's only reaction was a raised eyebrow while Ollie growled, "What… are you doing?"

"Conserving space," Nami answered with a cheeky smile. "There's eleven of us squeezed in here, we need all the room we can get." Nami laid back and rested her head on Ricky's chest, "Besides, since Ricky so rudely woke me up the least he can do is provide me with a pillow."

Ollie scowled and looked away but then Nami realized that Ace was staring at her. Nami gulped, she wasn't afraid to handle another girl but a guy who could turn to fire and easily burn her to a crisp was another story. Ace stared straight at Nami and with two flaming fingers pointed to himself, his eyes, and then Nami. The universal sign for: 'I'm watching you'. Nami didn't appear to have older brother's approval yet.

Nami let out the breath she was holding and nodded to show she understood. She'd just have to work to gain Ace's approval.

**-x-**

**Desert Dangers:**

**-x-**

Hours later, the sandstorm had passed and the sun was high overhead. The princess and the pirates were once again on their journey to Yuba.

"Hey Sanji, can we have one of those pirate box lunches now?" Luffy requested.

"Not yet," Sanji told him, "Not until Miss. Vivi says so."

"Come on Vivi," Luffy urged the Princess, "How 'bout it? Let's eat! Doesn't that sound good?"

"But we're not even a tenth of the way to Yuba yet," Vivi pointed out, "We have to make our supplies last the whole way."

"But haven't you heard the saying?" Luffy protested, "'if you get hungry, you should eat'."

"You jusht made that up!" Usopp slurred as he once again pulled himself along with his walking stick with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

"If you're that hungry I'll tell you what," Vivi suggested, "why don't we stop and eat at the next group of crags that we come to?"

"Alright, crags it is," Luffy agreed. "Hey guys, whoever loses at rock-paper-scissors has to carry everybody's stuff!"

"QUIT DECHIDING THINGSH!" Usopp snapped.

"Ready? ROCK! PAPER! SCISSORS!" Luffy cheered.

"Hey wait, you started too early!" Zoro protested as he, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, and Ace formed a circle with Luffy to play rock-paper-scissors.

Han and Vivi shared a look then looked over at Ricky and Ollie who were once again trailing behind the others due to being absorbed in their respective books.

A moment later, Luffy was dragging a makeshift cart loaded up with all the bags of supplies. The other still carried their personal bags, like Usopp's artillery pouch, Ace's green backpack, Han's ammo bag, Ollie's quiver and canteen, Chopper's medical bag and his sled which was still being dragged through the sand by Zoro.

"Heavy… so heavy…" Luffy groaned, he was lagging behind the others and the only people still behind him were Ricky and Ollie who were still immersed in their respective books, "Why am I doing all the work?"

"You said the loser carries all," Sanji reminded him, "now shut up and haul."

"Make sure you don't drop anything!" Nami added.

Usopp lowered his goggles and stared through them, "HEY GUYS! I SPOTTED SOME CRAGS DEAD AHEAD!"

"YA MEAN IT?" Luffy asked. "IT'S LUNCH TIME! WOOOO!" **ZZZZOOOOOM!** Luffy raced passed the others and sped across the sand leaving a trail of smoke as he went. Now it was as if all those bags of supplies weighed nothing.

**-x-**

Luffy made it to the crags in record time. "Ahh, shade!" Luffy sighed as he pulled free from the supply cart and flopped down in the shade of the large rocks. "That feels so good…"

**Gwwaaa… gwwaaa… **Luffy stood up when he heard a strange cry. It sounded like an animal dying. Luffy wandered through the rocks towards the sound and gasped in surprise when he discovered the source, "AH!"

A flock of white heron-like birds were all lying on the ground letting out occasional weak cries.

"Hey… say something," Luffy urged one of the dying birds.

"**Gwwwaaaaa...**" was the dying bird's weak reply.

"I'll go get you a doctor!" Luffy decided, he raced away from the crags and ran back to his crew. "I NEED HEEEELLLLP!"

"That's weird, why's he coming back?" Usopp wondered when they saw Luffy running towards them. He'd been so eager to eat but it wasn't a minute later that he was coming back.

"THERE'S A WHOLE FLOCK OF INJURED BIRDS HERE!" Luffy shouted. "THEY CAN'T MOVE! WE NEED A DOCTOR! CHOOPPEEEERRR!" Responding to his captain's call, Chopper got off of his sled and ran to Luffy. "Alright, let's go Chopper!"

"Coming!" Chopper agreed and the two ran off towards the crags to help the injured birds. Vivi had a thoughtful look on her face.

"WE'VE GOTTA HELP THOSE BIRDS!" Luffy hollered as he and the reindeer ran off.

"WAIT, WHAT BIRDS?" Vivi called after them. "WAIT A MINUTE LUFFY! THOSE BIRDS MIGHT NOT BE WHAT YOU THINK THEY ARE!"

"Huh?" was Luffy intelligent response.

**-x-**

When they reached the crags they found themselves staring down at the empty cart. All the bags were gone and all the remained were some white feathers and bird-like footprints in the sand.

"AAAAAAHH!" Luffy shrieked in surprise.

"All of our stuff is gone!" Zoro exclaimed, voicing everyone else's observations.

"We've been had," Nami realized.

"But I saw them!" Luffy insisted. "There was a whole flock of dying birds lying right there!"

"I'm so sorry," Vivi apologized, "I should've mentioned this earlier. Warusagi are bandits that deceive travelers. They're birds that play dead and then steal travelers' supplies when they're not looking. They're another of the desert's dangers."

"Are you sure you live here?" Han asked, this was the third 'desert danger' that the princess had forgotten to mention.

"WHAT A BUNCH OF CROOKS!" Usopp shouted.

"Those birds tricked me!" Luffy gasped.

"Luffy you dolt!" Sanji snapped, "Is that all you have to say for yourself? After we got done feeding your turtles there was three days of supplies left in there. You just had to go and let a bunch of stupid birds rob us blind in the middle of a desert! How are we supposed to get across their wasteland without food or water? I hope you're proud of yourself!"

"Come on, it's not my fault," Luffy protested. "They outsmarted me!"

"You mean you're dumber than a bird?" Sanji growled as he grabbed Luffy by his collar and glared at him.

"WHAT'S THAT?" Luffy demanded. The two of them started arguing and shoving.

"Cut it out you two," Zoro scolded them.

"Just save your energy," Ace suggested, "at times like this it's better just to let 'em have it out."

"Fine with me," Zoro replied as he removed his orange shemagh and sat down on a rock. "Let's just take a break. This heat is starting to wear on everybody's nerves. I'm sure we'll manage food and water wise, it's nothing that'll kill us right away. Let's put it out of our minds for now."

"Yeah that'sh good," Usopp agreed with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, "Caushe when I think about it I get really thirshty."

"**What are those two fighting about?"** came Ricky's voice. Everyone turned and saw that he and Ollie had finally caught up with them. "Uh… what're you staring at?" Ricky was unsettled when he noticed that everyone's eyes were on him… or more specifically the duffle bag he had hanging off of his right shoulder.

"Ricky… gimme that bag… now…" Nami ordered. Ricky handed her his bag. The navigator practically tore it opened to reveal wads of bills and some gold. "It… it's just money… WHAT USE IS MONEY IN THE DESERT? NOW WE'RE GONNA STARVE!"

The Straw Hats all stared at Nami in shock, even Luffy and Sanji stopped their fight at hearing something so out-of-character.

"Well yeah… I'm the crew's financial manager so I agreed to carry the bag of money," Ricky reminded her. "What's going on? Are you feeling okay?"

Nami motioned to the empty cart, "Some stupid birds stole all of our supplies," she answered.

"Damn, I hate birds," Ricky muttered.

"Uh… I have half a canteen of water," Ollie offered as she held up her green canteen. "It's not much but if we drink sparingly it might last until we can find some more."

"Save it for later then," Ace resolved, "We're in the shade now so we don't really need it."

"Wait… why were all the supplies together?" Ricky inquired.

"Luffy challenged us all to a game of rock-paper-scissors and said loser had to carry everything," Usopp explained. "He lost. So he had to carry everything. Then he ran ahead and got tricked by some birds that were pretending to be dying."

"Well there's your problem," Ricky reasoned, "Between his impulsiveness and lack of navigation skills I think it'd be obvious that you can't trust him with something so important."

The Straw Hats all looked down and stared at the ground, when you put it that way it sounded like a really stupid decision on their part.

"If you knew that… THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING?" Nami demanded as she glared at him. Ricky held up his book but Nami snatched it away from him and hit him on the head with it, **WONK!** "NO MORE READING! You're the First Mate, you're supposed to be the calm, rational one! It's _your_ job to counteract Luffy's dumb impulsiveness! WHAT USE ARE YOU IF YOUR FACE IS BURIED IN A BOOK?"

**CAW-CAW!** Everyone stared through the crags and spotted a flock of white heron-like birds. Each of the birds had a bag of supplies strapped to their back and a barrel of water strapped to their front.

"GIVE US OUR STUFF BACK YOU THIEVES!" Luffy hollered as he ran at the birds looking to get the back for making him look like an idiot. The Warusagi saw him coming and ran off into the desert with Luffy in hot pursuit.

"NO LUFFY! DON'T CHASE THEM!" Vivi shouted after him.

"That idiot," Sanji muttered.

"WAIT! WILL YOU BE ABLE TO FIND YOU WAY BACK?" Nami called out.

"GET BACK HERE YOU DOPE!" Usopp yelled as Luffy and the warusagi disappeared into the desert and over a sand dune.

"Don't worry," Ricky reassured him, "I've got his Vivre Card to track him with. If he doesn't come back I'll go find him. With the combined treasure that Nami, Ollie, and Ace are wearing there's nowhere in this desert that I wouldn't be able to find you from."

"He stops reading for one minute and already he comes up with a good idea to combat Luffy," Nami grumbled, **WHAK!** She hit him on the chest with his book for good measure, "NO MORE READING!"

**-x-**

"HEY! GET BACK HERE!" Luffy shouted after the warusagi, they had taken to the air but due to all of the supplies they were wearing they weren't able to fly too high enabling Luffy to chase them from the ground. "YOU CAN'T GET AWAY FROM ME!"

**GWA! GWA! GWA! **The birds crowed as they began gaining a lead on Luffy from the air. **SHOOOM!** Something suddenly shot up out of the sand and snatched one of the low-flying warusagi out of the air before sucking it back down into the sand. **GWAAAAA! **The other warusagi gave a panicked screech and flew even faster.

"I SAID COME BACK!" Luffy yelled.

**SHOOOM!** A green mouth erupted out of the sand where Luffy had been running and started to close on him, **SKISH!** Luffy quickly leapt away from the mouth only to see more green 'mouths' come flying out of the sand. They looked like giant monster Venus Flytraps, they were green with long stems and the mouths were easily four times the size of the pirate they were trying to eat.

"WAAHH! WHAT IS THIS?" Luffy yelped he leapt away from two of the killer plants only to be snatched up by a third. **CHOMP!** The green mouth closed around Luffy and swallowed.** GULP!** Despite Luffy's struggles the bulge that represented his location plunged down into the stem. The head of the killer plant raised up straight and then it sand back down into the sand. **SHUNK!**

Everything was quiet. Did the main character just get eaten by a giant plant? OH, HELL NO!

**BOOOM!** The plant erupted back up out of the sand and flailed around and then smashed down to the ground, **KRASH!** The end of the plant's stem flailed up into the air to reveal that it had been severed before it fell and to the sand along with the rest of the plant.

"Ugghh…" Luffy groaned as he pulled himself out from the top of the stem that stuck out from the sand. He stared down at the plant that had tried to eat him in confusion. "What is this thing? Some kind of mystery desert plant? MAN THAT IS SO COOL!"

**GRUMPH! **Luffy looked to the side and stared in surprise when he saw a camel straining to keep the mouth of another of the 'mystery desert plants' from closing around it. The plants entire stem was sunk underground leaving only the head which was holding the camel visible. The struggling camel had light brown fur and cushioned saddled on top of its hump.

Luffy stood there and stared at the camel, "What are you doing?" he asked it.

"GRRUUMMPHH!" the camel groaned as it tried to pull itself free from the mouth of the plant.

"SHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed, "That's funny!"

"GRAAAH GRUHH!" the camel snapped at the pirate.

"Huh? You want me to help you?" Luffy asked causing the camel to nod frantically.

"GUUUUM… GUUUUM…" **SHWWUP!** Luffy pulled back his fist and then sent it flying towards the plant, "PIIIISSTOOOOL!" **POOWWW!** Luffy's fist smashed into the head of the plant and caused it to burst like a sap-filled water balloon. The camel was freed and raced over to Luffy's side and away from the killer plant.

"Shishishishi! Good thing you didn't get eaten, huh?" Luffy teased the camel.

"Hmph," the camel grunted.

"Damn it, those stupid birds got away while I was busy beating up these Mystery Plants," Luffy realized. "The desert sure is full of strange creatures."

Luffy turned to his companion, "So, pal, how do you manage to get stuck out in the desert by yourself?" Luffy inquired.

"GRAA!" the camel suddenly yelped as it looked to the side in alarm.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Luffy questioned as he looked the way the camel was looking.

**CHHOOOOOM! **A huge hole opened up in the sand ahead of them and then a terrible roar rang out. **GRRRAAAAAAAAHHHH!**

"Did you see something out there?" Luffy wondered as he kept staring at the sand. The camel started shaking as the ground around them started rumbling. **SHOOOOOM!** A giant mountain of sand rose up in front of them and kept going until it was towering over both the pirate and the camel like it was a mountain. "WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?"

The sand slowly began to fall away to reveal something _so_ huge, _so_ horrible, and _so _purple you can't even begin to imagine it…

IT'S BARNEY THE DINOSAUR! EVERYBODY RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!

**-x-**

"Come on Luffy, hurry it up," Usopp said as the others stood or sat around in the shade of the crags waiting for the wayward captain to come back.

"Um… you don't suppose he could be lost, do you?" Chopper asked.

"This thing seems to be saying that he's coming this way," Ricky reported as he stared down at rectangle of paper on his open palm.

"How do you figure that?" Nami inquired as she stood next to him and stared down at the paper.

"It's not tugging as hard as it was before," Ricky pointed out, "I'm guessing that means he's getting closer."

"I hope he can manage to find his way back," Nami commented, "he has absolutely no sense of direction but he's always running off."

"And there are so many dangers in the desert that I haven't gotten the chance to tell him about yet," Vivi added.

"Not to mention, the moron was hungry," Sanji pointed out, "So you know he's not thinking straight."

"That guy is so hopeless," Zoro muttered.

"I'm sorry," Ace apologized, "I know my brother can be a flake. I apologize."

"Eh, they may grumble but they're starting to get used to it," Ricky told him.

**RRMMMBBB… RRRRMMMBBBB… **Everything suddenly started rumbling and off in a distance sand shot up into the air.

"Is it another sandstorm?" Usopp wondered as he pulled down his goggles and stared off over the dunes of sand for signs of what was causing everything to shake. "No wait… that looks like… LUFFY!"

The others all looked in the direction that Usopp was staring in and saw a camel racing towards them with Luffy clinging to its side. Luffy and the camel were seemingly being chased by a giant wave of sand.

"NO! IT CAN'T BE!" Vivi gasped in horror.

"Why is he on a camel?" Nami wondered.

"Someone wanna tell me what the hell's chasing him?" Sanji asked.

"I can't really tell," Zoro admitted, "but it looks like there's something in the sand _burrowing_ after him."

"WWAAAHHOOOO!" Luffy screamed/cheered as he and camel raced away from their pursuer.

**SHOOOM!** A giant purple monster burst out of the sand and continued chasing after Luffy and the camel. It was HUGE, nearly a hundred fifty times the size of Luffy and was covered in purple scales. Its large belly dragged on the sand as the monster propelled itself forward on four large legs each had sharp black claws on the end, each of the claws was as big as the average-sized man. The monster's mouth was filled with sharp fangs and a forked tongue and on top of the monster's head were a pair of frog-like yellow eyes.

"What the heck is that thing?" Sanji questioned as the Straw Hats, Han, and Ollie all stood up and stared at the approaching monster.

"That's a Sandora Dragon," Han the Monster Hunter stated, "Threat Level: High."

"A _WHAT_?" Usopp shrieked, he had strangest feeling he should remember this.

"IT'S A SANDORA DRAGON!" Vivi screamed. "They're the biggest reptile that lives in the desert. They have razor sharp fangs and claws but they hardly ever use them! They're so incredibly huge that they usually end up swallowing their victims whole!"

"I gotta admit, that boy does have a talent for attracting trouble," Ace commented as he sat in his spot in the sand.

"Right, and all of us have the scars to prove it," Sanji snapped.

"What kind of crap star was he born under to attract trouble like that?" Zoro wondered.

"Zoro, Sanji, ditch your weights and go help him," Ricky ordered.

**BA-BOOM! BA-BOOM!** Zoro pulled the two bands off of his wrists while Sanji slid the bands off of his ankles the weights impacted with the sand and created a small crater as they landed. The two pirates quickly raced off towards Luffy kicking up a wave of sand as they went.

"STOP CAMEL! YOU'RE GOING TO FAST!" Luffy yelled at his terrified 'steed'.

"Is it too much for you Luffy?" Zoro asked as he ran towards Luffy with his three swords drawn.

"We'll lend a hand," Sanji offered as he ran beside Zoro.

"Thanks guys!" Luffy exclaimed, "I BROUGHT HOME A LITTLE DINNER!" He leapt off of the camel and launched himself up into the air. "GUUUUUM… GUUUUUM…"

"DRAGON…" Zoro called out as he slashed his three swords.

"EPAULE…" Sanji called out as he leapt up into the air with his leg poised out in front of him.

"PIIIISTOOOL!" **POOOOWWW!** Luffy shot his fist into the dragon's face.

"TWWIISSTEERR!" **SLA-SLA-SLISH! **Zoro slashed the dragon's jaw from below.

"SSHHOOOOT!" **THWHAM!** Sanji drove his foot down on the top of the dragon's head.

Nami, Usopp, Chopper, and Vivi were left gasping in shock as the dragon collapsed to the ground. Just one of those attacks would have probably been enough to put it down but it had taken all three.

"They didn't have to go that far…" Usopp whimpered.

"Against those three… I almost felt sorry for the monster…" Nami added.

"Haven't you guys ever heard of the word 'overkill'?" Han asked.

"What can I say, that monster was no match for our Monster Trio," Ricky replied. "They're not much for restraint."

"Clearly," Ollie agreed. "Poor thing never stood a chance."

"Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?" Vivi wondered.

**SSHHHHOOOOOM! **The shady sand behind them suddenly erupted up into the air and then fell away to reveal ANOTHER SANDORA DRAGON!"

"AAAAAAAHHH!" Usopp and Chopper both screamed before they leapt behind Ricky, Nami grabbed Vivi and pulled her behind Ricky the Meat Shield as well. Ollie stood beside Ricky and drew her bow then quickly loaded it with two arrows while Han pulled the handheld cannon off of his back and pointed it at the monster.

"I'M SORRY!" Vivi apologized, "I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT SANDORA DRAGONS ALWAYS HUNT IN PAIRS!"

"YOU HAVE GOTTA START REMEMBERING THIS STUFF!" Usopp shouted.

"And we've gotta start listening to Usopp stories," Ricky realized as he recalled the painting of Super Usopp in between the two purple dragons that Ms. Goldenweek had painted.

"Huh?" said Ace as he stared at the giant purple dragon, seemingly just noticing it.

"I'll take this one, Commander," Han offered as he approached the monster with his gun loaded.

"Have fun," Ace replied.

"Hello tasty," monster hunter greeted the monster.

"RRRAAAAAHHHHRRRRR!" the Sandora Dragon roared.

**SHWIP! **Han caught the dragon off guard when he jumped right into the dragon's open mouth. **CHOMP!** The dragon closed its mouth and stared straight ahead in surprise, it never expected its prey to jump straight into its mouth. That was almost _too _easy.

**KA-BOOOOM! **A shot erupted out of the top of the dragon's head. The monster's look of surprise hadn't faded yet as it collapsed to the ground. **FWUMP!**

**KRESH!** One of the dragon's teeth came flying out of its mouth and Han casually walked out of the hole, the nozzle of his gun was smoking as he held it over his shoulder.

The monster hunter grinned as he looked over at Ace, "So, what do you want? Light meat, or dark?" he offered.

"You have to ask?" Ace retorted.

**(A/N: Can anyone guess the movie those last two lines were from? Submit the answer in a signed review and if you can get it without typing the lines in on a search engine you may win a prize.)**

**-x-**

**Sssssssss…** A little bit later, Sanji was holding a stick of dragon meat onto a sizzling sun-soaked rock. He and Zoro had but their weights back on and now they were enjoying the meat from the two dragons. Choppr stood beside Sanji and the two of them watched as the dragon meat browned and cooked.

"This is convenient," Sanji commented, "these rocks are just like a natural frying pan."

"Soo… now that we have a moment," Zoro spoke up, "what's the deal with the camel?"

"I dunno," Luffy mumbled around a mouthful of meat, "It wuz gedding eaden by da mystry plants while I wuz chasin' dos birds."

"He said 'it was getting eaten by the Mystery Plants while he was chasing those birds'," Ricky translated for his younger brother.

"Luffy quit talking with food in your mouth," Ace lightly scolded him."What would Makino say?"

**GULP!** Luffy quickly swallowed the food in his mouth.

"It's obviously not a wild camel," Nami observed.

"No, not with a saddle," Vivi agreed.

"So he's a passenger camel," Usopp realized, "that's sure gonna make things a lot easier."

"Yeah, that oughta be a real help," Sanji added, "it looks like it can carry two."

"Camels do go hand-in-hand in deserts," Zoro reasoned.

"Great, I'll take the first shift," Luffy decided as he grabbed onto the camel's saddle and attempt to pull himself up onto his back.

"Grumph!" **KONK!** The camel hit Luffy on the head with his snout forcing the pirate back down to the ground. "Grmmhhmph… grrrummmaamamamhhh…"

"'I'm afraid I'm a hard-boiled but compassionate son of the desert'," Chopper translated for the camel. "'I'm very grateful for you having helped me out of the jam back there. And I'll be glad to give some of you a ride. But I'm afraid I don't accept male passengers'."

"NO FAIR CAMEL!" Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji were irritated at being snubbed and started kicking at the camel's legs causing it to let out disgruntled yelps. **WOMP! WOMP! POW! BIFF! THWAK!**

When they finally stopped the camel grunted, "Grum grumph grraah!"

"'I'm too macho'," Chopper interpreted.

"WHY YOU!" Usopp snapped as he, Luffy, and Sanji resumed kicking the camel. **WOMP! POW! THWAK!**

"THAT'S UNGRATEFUL!" Luffy snapped, "WHO DO YOU THINK SAVED YOUR LIFE, CAMEL!" The camel was eventually left sporting a bloody nose and a purple lump on its head.

"Aw, were those pirates mean to you?" Nami cooed as she pet the camel, it now had hearts in its eyes and was sporting a nose bleed for an entirely different reason. "You're a good boy, what should we call you?"

"Idiot!" Luffy suggested.

"Moron!" Sanji offered.

"Jerk!" Usopp volunteered.

"Eyelash it is then," Nami decided as she situated herself in the camel's saddle and took hold of the reins.

"That's the worst one yet," Zoro commented.

"And she thinks the things _I _name animals are stupid," Ricky muttered.

"No way am I riding that perverted thing," Ollie stated.

"Climb on Vivi," Nami instructed the princess.

"No, I'm okay," Vivi politely declined. "I can still walk, thanks though."

"Just get on," Nami encouraged her while Eyelash the camel crouched down on the ground to make it easier for the princess to get on. "We'll be able to get to Yuba a little faster."

Nami had played to the princess concerns about getting to Yuba quickly and Vivi sat side-saddle behind Nami on Eyelash's back.

"Pervert camel… Pervert camel…" Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji chanted in annoyance.

"LET'S GO EYELASH!" Nami ordered the camel. **KLOMP! KLOMP! KLOMP! **Eyelash raced off with his two female passengers and left the other ten pirates behind.

"HEY WAIT FOR US!" the Straw Hats shouted.

"HURRY UP GUYS!" Nami called back to them. "IF YOU GET SEPARATED YOU'LL NEVER LEAVE THE DESERT ALIVE!"

"WELL THANKS A LOT!" Usopp snapped.

"I like this side of Miss. Nami too!" Sanji swooned.

"What else is new," Zoro grumbled.

"Miss. Ollie, would you like me to carry you?" Sanji offered.

**SWISH!** Sanji suddenly found himself with the tip of an arrow lightly touching his forehead. The arrow appeared to have come out of Ollie's sleeve and the look on her face told him that he'd just said something insulting.

"Relax," Ricky told his former Nakama as he took hold of her arm and pointed the arrow away from Sanji. "He doesn't know. I'll explain things to him and it won't happen again." Ricky released Ollie's arm and she slipped the arrow back up her sleeve then shot Sanji a glare before she stalked off after the camel.

Ace nodded to Ricky then shouted, "AFTER THEM!" Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Chopper, Ace, and Han ran off after Ollie and the camel.

"So… what did I do?" Sanji asked, understanding that he'd been left behind with Ricky so they could talk in private.

"Here's the thing you need to know about Ollie," Ricky told him, "she'll be the first to admit that she's a girl. But the one thing she hates more than anything is being treated differently because of it. She's been a member of two pirates crews made up of freakishly strong guys and she's worked hard to keep herself from being a liability. I know you didn't mean it, but when you offered to carry her, she took it as an insult, as if you don't respect her enough to think that she can take care of herself. As if all of her hard work isn't worth anything. If you want to stay on Ollie's good side, treat her the same way you treat Ace and Han."

"I was only trying to be courteous," Sanji admitted, "I never thought she'd be offended by it."

"Well I had to learn that the hard way," Ricky informed him, "She treated me like a little kid and I treated her like a girl. We butted heads and fought a lot but eventually we came to terms with each other became real close friends."

"_How _close?" Sanji inquired.

"None of your business," Ricky retorted. "Now let's hurry up and catch up with them. No offense, but I don't wanna end up lost in the desert with only you as company."

"None taken," Sanji agreed. Ricky picked up the duffle bag fill with money and hefted it onto his shoulder then the two of them ran off after the others as fast as their weights allowed.

**-x-**

Once again, the lines you're trying to identify are as follows:

"So, what do you want? Light meat, or dark?"

"You have to ask?"

Submit your guess in a signed review and once I determine that you didn't just type the lines into Google Search, you could win a prize.

Kei-Ten drew a fanart pic of Ricky. It turned out really well and I like it better than the Anime Character Generator pic that I already have. You can see the pic by taking this link and removing the spaces or by following the link on my profile page: http:/ kei-ten. deviantart .com/ art/ QPython-One-Eye-Ricky -color-2040017895

Next chapter we delve further into the Alabasta filler and the twelve travelers encounter the Desert Pirates.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	35. Chapter 35

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of its characters. However, I _do_ own Ricky, Ollie, and Han. Just not the characters the latter two are based off of.

**A/N: **Ladies and gentlemen, we have officially hit filler. While there were bits of it in previous chapters, this one marks the official start of the Alabasta Filler Episodes. But have faith, I'll make this as painless as possible, some of you may even enjoy it.

Also, Son of Padfoot and E. Wojo got the movie reference from last chapter right. _**Evolution **_directed by Ivan Reitman. It was a fun comedy that I liked a lot growing up, I dare any of you to watch the bug removal scene without laughing. And while I'm at it, I don't own Evolution.

**Damsel in Distress:**

**-x-**

"Waaaateeerr…" Luffy moaned. The desert sun was blaring down as the pirates continued their trek through the desert. Nami and Vivi had rushed ahead on Eyelash and now the others were left to catch up.

"Come on guys," Ricky called back to the others from the head of the group. The bag of money was still hanging from his shoulder as he led the others using his treasure sense and the sapphire necklace he'd given Nami. "It seems like they've slowed down. If we pick up the pace a little more we should be able to catch up with them."

Ollie and Sanji were walking behind him,. "Look, I'm sorry if I offended you earlier," the cook apologized to the archer. "It's my natural reaction to help _any_ woman in need. I understand now that you never needed my help and take care of yourself. But since the three of you Whitebeard Pirates are traveling with us as our guests, it's my duty to offer hospitality in any way I can. So if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"I suppose that'll do," Ollie resolved, her green eyes shined out from the darkness of her raised hood and locked on the cook, "You're forgiven. I'll accept hospitality but I'm not some weak little flower that needs to be carried. Keep that in mind and we'll get along fine."

Speaking of being carried, Zoro was a couple steps behind them and was once again pulling Chopper on the sled.

"Thanks Zoro…" Chopper gasped, "This heat is too much for me."

"Don't blame yourself," Zoro reassured him. "It's stifling."

"Hey Chopper, you wanna read my book?" Ollie offered. "If you focus on it, you can take your mind off of the heat. It's about the plants that grow in different environments and their uses. Being a doctor you probably know most of them but it couldn't hurt to have a look through the chapter on desert plants."

"That… sounds interesting," Chopper commented, "I wonder if I can find something Doctorine hasn't heard of." At the front of the group, Ricky smiled while Ollie handed the book down to Chopper. The reindeer opened the book and held it over him causing it to make a make-shift tent above him, "Aaahhh, shhhaaaade."

Meanwhile, Luffy and Usopp lagged behind all the others and stared at a bunch of round cacti growing out of the sand. They'd eaten their fill of dragon meat not long ago but now they were really thirsty. Both of them had their tongue hanging out of their mouth and were supporting themselves with a walking stick.

"I heard shomewhere that cactushes have water inshide them," Usopp informed Luffy.

**-x-**

"This is a lot easier thanks to you, Eyelash," Nami praised her camel which now had hearts in his eyes. Vivi sat behind Nami on the camel's saddle and stared back the way they'd come.

"But are the others going to be alright?" Vivi wondered.

"They'll be fine," Nami assured her, "There's nothing in this desert that can beat those guys. And now that I stole his book, Ricky should have the sense to follow us with his treasure sense."

**SKUUUUUSSSHHHH… **Everything got darker and a shadow loomed over them. Nami, Vivi, and Eyelash stared up in shock. The shadow was of a large pirate ship.

**-x-**

"Hmmm… I think Nami's changed direction," Ricky announced, he closed his good eye and focused on the sapphire necklace which seemed like it was getting closer.

"TSUNAAAAMIIIIII!" Luffy screamed he had swirls in his eyes.

"What is it now, Luffy?" Zoro grumbled.

"A TSUNAMI IS COMING!" Luffy hollered. "I CAAAN'T SWIIIIIIM!"

"You're in the desert," Sanji reminded him, "you don't need to swim, stupid."

"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea…" Usopp muttered.

"_What _wasn't a good idea?" Ollie asked.

"Well… a little while back we spotted some cactuses," Usopp explained. "I heard that they sometimes have water in them so we cracked one open. There was this smelly green juice inside but Luffy said 'he was so thirsty, he couldn't it anymore' so he drank the whole thing."

"Um… what kind of cactus was it?" Chopper questioned as he peered over the top of Ollie's plant book.

"Uh… there were a bunch of them," Usopp answered, "they were short and round and…"

"Did they look like this?" Chopper inquired as showed Usopp a picture of the cactus in question.

"Yup, that's the one," Usopp noted.

"Mezcal Cacti," Ollie whispered.

"THEY'RE USED TO MAKE HALLUCINOGENIC DRUGS!" Chopper shouted.

"WHAT?" Usopp shrieked.

"LOOK OUT!" Luffy yelled, "WE'RE GONNA DROOOOWN!" He juice was making him hallucinating and was currently seeing a huge wave of water towering over the others.

"Someone take him down before he hurts himself," Ricky requested.

"BAROQUE WORKS!" Luffy shouted as he stared at the others and pointed accusingly at them. "I WON'T LET YOU STEAL MY MEAT! I'LL KICK YOUR ASSES!"

"Or us," Ricky added.

**Slik!** **FWUUMP!** Luffy fell forward and passed out, Chopper was left standing over him holding an empty syringe. "That sedative should keep him out for a while," Chopper stated.

"Usopp, you let him drink the juice so you're dragging him," Ricky decided, "Let's go."

"Hey wait a minute… where's Ace?" Sanji wondered, "And Han for that matter." The more oblivious Straw Hats were just noticing that two of their number were missing. Ace and Han were nowhere in sight.

"Ace wandered off about five minutes ago," Ricky informed him. "Han noticed and went after him. They'll turn up eventually."

**-x-**

"LUUFFYY? RIICKYY?" Ace called out as he glanced around him, his brothers and the other Straw Hats were nowhere to be found. Come to think of it, he couldn't seem to find his two Nakama either. "OLLLIEE? HAN?"

"Present," came a voice from behind him.

Ace turned around and saw Han standing behind him with ammo bag over his shoulder and his arms folded across his chest. "Oh, there you are," Ace realized. "Where is everybody?"

"…" Han remained silent and gave Ace a pointed look.

"I did it again, didn't I?" Ace asked.

"Yup," Han confirmed.

**-x-**

"You see, Ace always wanders off without warning," Ollie explained to the others, "So we developed a buddy system where we each pair off with a crewmate and make sure they get back to the ship alright." Ollie reached down and grabbed Ricky's hand, "Adventure Buddies!"

"Han has been Ace's usual adventure buddy for years now," Ricky continued for Ollie, "he's used to Ace just wandering off and goes after him as soon as he realizes he's gone."

"Yeah, sorry guys," Luffy apologized, no one noticed that he'd woken up. "My big brother Ace is a bit of a flake."

"How long was that sedative supposed to work?" Ollie asked Chopper.

"About thirty minutes," Chopper replied.

"With Luffy we're lucky we got three," Ricky remarked.

"Hey… why'd we stop?" Luffy wondered. "Did you guys lose them?"

**WHOMP! WHOMP! KLOMP!** Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji's response was to start stomping on their rubber captain that was always causing them grief.

"YOU JERK!" Usopp snapped, "I TOLD YOU NOT TO DRINK IT!"

"YOU DAMN FOOL!" Zoro shouted.

"_YOU'RE _THE FLAKE, YOU BASTARD!" Sanji complained.

Ricky and Ollie stood together still holding hands while Chopper stuffed Ollie's book in his backpack then shifted into his Walk Point form and backed away from the other so he didn't get stomped on, this left the sled abandoned.

**Skuuuussshhh… **Ricky and then Chopper stiffened when they heard a faint noise.

"You guys hear that?" Ricky inquired, he released Ollie's hand and turned to face the noise.

"Yeah," Chopper answered, "what is it?"

"Sounds like something big moving through the sand," Ricky stated.

"You three, quit beating him up so we can listen," Ollie ordered. Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji stopped their beat down on Luffy so they could try and pick up what the sensitive ears of Ricky and Chopper had heard.

**Skuuuuuussssshhhh…**

"I think I hear it too," Usopp announced.

"It's coming from the other side of this dune," Ollie noted as she stared at the hill-sized dune in front of them.

"Then let's go have a look," Ricky resolved, "it feels like Nami's in the same direction." Ricky led the others up the dune.

Luffy was left lying on the ground behind them, "What was that about?" he wondered.

The rest of the group stood at the top of the dune and stared across the sand in search of the source of the noise.

"Anyone see anything?" Ricky inquired.

Usopp pulled his goggle lenses down over his eyes while Ollie squinted.

**SKUUUUUSSSHHHH… **Down the dune they were on top of and around the side of another a large purple umbrella suddenly appeared. The umbrella was around a bowspirit which was attached to the front of a large wooden ship. A trio of thin sails connected the rim of the umbrella to the main mast which had two large sails and a crow's nest on top of it. A second mast was on top of the large cabin located near the stern of the ship with another two sails, and even further back was a smaller sail tied to a movable wooden rigging like the sail of a sailboat. The ship's sails billowed as the wind pushed it onward as if it was going over waves of water and not waves of sand. A top the main mast flew a black flag. The skull had a shaggy beard around the mouth and a pair of purple umbrellas with hook handles crossing behind it in place of the traditional crossbones in a Jolly Roger.

"A PIRATE SHIP?" the Straw Hats and Ollie chorused.

"Hey guys, bad news!" Usopp told the others as he adjusted his goggles, "Nami and Vivi have been captured!" A long length of rope bound Nami and Vivi's arms to their sides and a second long length of rope had them secured to the bottom of the front mast, "Oh, and the camel too." Off to the side, Eyelash was tied to a pole by his feet and was left hanging upside-down. A large crew of pirates was standing around the three hostages, all of them were wearing gray clothing and had mini-umbrellas on their head like hats just like the skull on their jolly roger.

"RRRAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Luffy roared as he ran right passed the others and raced down the dune towards the sand-surfing pirate ship.

"All that tough talk and now she's just a damsel in distress," Ollie muttered, a far-away look appeared in her eyes.

Ricky took one look at Ollie and sighed, "Hold everything, she's about to have an origin flashback," he announced.

"Say what?" Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper asked in confusion.

**-x-**

"**AAAH-FWWOOOSH!" **Ace let out a loud sneeze causing flames to shoot out his nostrils.

Han ducked in time for the flames to fly over his head. "Watch it!" he complained.

"Sorry," Ace apologized, "I've got a feeling that Ricky just broke the fourth wall again."

**-Ollie's Origin Flashback-**

Sixteen years ago, Olivia Queen was five years old and was on her North Blue Island in her hometown Oak Town. Ollie's yellow hair went down to the middle of her back and she wore a light green nightie as she sat propped up in her bed.

Beside her, Ollie's father Oliver Queen the Mayor of Oak Town as on a chair next to the bed. He had short yellow hair, a yellow goatee, and the same green eyes as Ollie. He was reading his daughter a bedtime story. "And the Prince and the Princess rode off into the sunset and lived happily ever after," Oliver concluded as he closed the book and smiled at Ollie.

But Ollie wasn't satisfied, she folded her arms across her chest and pouted, "That doesn't make any sense," the little girl complained. "Why did the Princess just wait there all that time for the Prince to save her? Why didn't she rescue herself?"

"The Princess was what's called a damsel in distress," Oliver explained, "that's a female character that gets captured and waits desperately for someone to save them. They're pretty common in stories like this one."

But Ollie wasn't satisfied, "That's stupid. Just because the Princess is a girl doesn't mean she has to be a helpless damsel in distress. When I grow up, _I'll_ be the one saving villages and _I'll _be the one rescuing the Princewhen _he's_ captured."

Ollie's father smiled at his daughter, "So you're gonna save villages, huh?" he questioned. "Then how about I start teaching you archery tomorrow?"

"REALLY?" Ollie beamed.

"Sure," Oliver agreed, "Now get to sleep. If you're going to train so you can save villages and princes you'll need to be well rested."

Ollie stifled a yawn as she laid back in her bed and her father tucked her in, "Good night Princess."

**-Time Skip to Eleven Years Later-**

"It was a gargoyle," a man told sixteen year old Ollie. Her yellow hair still hung down to the middle of her back and she wore a green pair of pants and a black t-shirt. "Your father led it away from us so we could get away… but… he didn't make it. I'm sorry Ollie."

"Where… where did I come from?" Ollie asked meekly.

"We think it came from the forest," the man answered, "But no one's reported seeing it before."

Ollie was numb as she headed home, the entire town was mourning the loss of the Mayor and the Mayor's daughter received sympathetic looks as she walked passed but no one spoke to her.

Ollie made it home and stared at herself in the mirror and recalled her bold claim from when she was a little girl. _"When I grow up, _I'll_ be the one saving villages and _I'll_ be the one rescuing the Prince when _he's_ captured."_

Ollie's emerald eyes narrowed in determination, "I won't wait around for some Prince to save us. _I'll _do the saving."

A moment later, she was once again standing in front of the mirror with a bow in one hand and a quiver of arrows on her shoulder. Ollie slid the bow into the crook of her arm then drew one of the sharper arrows out of the quiver, with her free hand she took hold of her long yellow hair and pulled it to the side. **SLISH!** She sliced off her hair with the sharp head of the arrow, leaving her hair falling down to her neck like her fathers.

"I'll avenge you father," she vowed as she left the room.

**-Time Skip to Two Years Later-**

**DOOM!** A door slammed shut and Ollie was left hanging upside down in a dark dungeon. Her ankles and hands were tied and she was dangling from a length of rope that was wrapped around a support beam. Ollie's captors had placed her bow and quiver out of reach on the other side of the room just to mock her.

"That could've gone better," sixteen year old two-eyed Ricky remarked as he hung next to her. His long red hair hung downward and his face was turning red from all the blood that was now rushing to it.

"Ya think?" Ollie snapped. "They caught us stealing their golden idol, how did you expect them to react?"

"Well, I figured since they stole it from that other village they wouldn't mind if it happened to them," Ricky answered. "Now what do we do? I'm new to this whole 'getting caught' thing."

"First, we get loose," Ollie prompted, she began swinging herself back and forth then with one big lunge she folded herself in half and grabbed the rope she was hanging from with her bound hands and then used her teeth to undo the knot. The knot came loose and Ollie flipped in midair and landed gracefully in the floor. **TMP!** Ollie Queen was no damsel in distress.

Ollie crossed the room and drew Ricky's sword which had been placed next to her weapons, she cut the ropes on her hands then tossed the curved sword to Ricky, who caught it and cut the ropes on his wrists then pulled himself up and cut the ropes around his ankles. **TMP!** Ricky landed on the ground then cut his arm before sheathing his sword and securing it around his waist.

With his trusty weapon back in place, Ricky walked back into the middle of the room and picked up his black skull cap which had fallen off while he was hanging upside down.

"Leave it," Ollie instructed, having reclaimed her bow and quiver. Ricky looked at her curiously, Ollie came over and briefly ran her fingers through his bushy red hair. "I like your hair better without it. Now… how about we finish what we came here for and steal that idol?" They walked out of the dungeon like they owned the place.

**-End Ollie's Origin Flashback-**

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ollie prompted the male Straw Hats minus Luffy. "Let's go rescue the damsels."

"RIGHT!" Sanji agreed whole-heartedly.

"Damsels?" Ricky and Zoro repeated in sync. They shrugged and a second later Ricky, Zoro, and Sanji were leading the charge down to the pirate ship with Ollie, Usopp, and Chopper running behind them. The eight bands the first three had been wearing were left piled on Chopper's sled.

"GUUUUUM… GUUUUUUM…" Luffy shot his rubber arm out and wrapped it around the middle mast of the pirate ship, "GIMME WATER!" **SHWOOOM! **Luffy rocketed towards the ship while Usopp and Chopper stopped and stared in shock.

"HE JUST WANTED WATER?" they both exclaimed.

**BOOOOM!** Luffy slammed into the base of the middle mast at an incredible speed and broke through it. **KREK-KREK-KRASH!** The large mast toppled over and fell off the side of the ship causing it to stop moving. Now it had the front mast that Nami and Vivi were tied to and the small rigging from the rear sails.

Ricky, Zoro, Sanji jumped straight up from the sand and landed on the deck at the same time, **TA-TA-TMP!** **FWING! **Ollie fired a thick metal arrow attached to a length of rope up into the air and grinned as it wrapped around one of the ropes up above the ship. Ollie tugged on the rope and then it yanked her up into the air and over ship, **CHOOOM!**

"Speed Step…" **ZZZOOOOOM! **Ricky slammed into a large cluster of desert pirates at an incredible speed and sent them all flying. Without the weights, he could move even faster.

**SLA-SLA-SLISH!** Zoro sliced the air with all three of his swords but while it didn't quite cut the air and create an air blade like he had intended, the speed of his sword swings had created a gust of wind that blew a bunch of the desert pirates backwards, **SHHWWOOOOOM!**

**SWISH! **Sanji swung his leg around in front of him and generated a gust of wind like Zoro had with his swords, the wind blew two of the pirates back into some of their crewmates and drove them all into the wooden cabin. **WHAAM!**

**TMP!** While Ricky, Zoro, and Sanji dealt with the pirates, Ollie dropped down in front of the hostages and grinned. "I hope this experience taught you the importance of staying with the group," Ollie teased them. "Don't wander off if you can't escape a tough situation on your own."

"Skip the lecture and get us out of here!" Nami snapped.

Ollie folded her arms across her chest, "Not 'til you say 'please'."

"Is _now_ really the time for this?" Vivi asked while Nami scowled.

"I don't appreciate being snapped at when I came all this way to save you," Ollie answered. "So, you two can either stay there as helpless hostages or you can ask me politely to free you."

Nami glared daggers at the archer then squashed down her pride and whispered, "_Please _get us out of here."

"That's more like it," Ollie remarked, she pulled an arrow out of her sleeve and went to cut the ropes but stopped and looked back at Nami, "You're not gonna kiss me if I save you, are you?"

"I only do that with Ricky!" Nami insisted but then she grinned, "And _he's_ kissed _me_ when the roles were reversed."

"You do realize that I haven't cut you free yet, right?" Ollie pointed out with a frown. Nami clamped her mouth shut and Ollie leaned in and stared her straight in the eyes, "I've known him for two _years_, you haven't even known him for two _months_. You think I'm worried over a little kiss on the cheek? You're not in my league, _little girl_."

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING 'LITTLE'?"Nami demanded. "I've seen what you've got under that cloak, it's the body of a fifteen year old BOY!"

"Would you two... **quit bickering!**"Ollie looked over her shoulder and Nami peered around her, both of them flinched when they saw Ricky giving them a one-eyed glare. Their anger at each other was instantly forgotten when they saw his anger directed towards them.

**BANG!** The door to the cabin was slammed open and a large fat man stood there. He had tanned skin, bushy eyebrows and a short scruffy black beard. He was about three times as tall and three times as wide as all his men. He wore pointed black shoes, dark pants, and a large pale gray cape. Atop his bald head was a purple umbrella. His appearance matched the skull on the Jolly Roger which meant he was the Captain of these desert pirates.

"HOW DARE YOU ATTACK MY CREW!" the large man shouted. "YOUR FATE HAS BEEN SEALED! I'LL DEAL WITH YOU MYSELF! GEHAHAHAHA!"

Unfortunately, the pirate captain couldn't have picked a worse moment to come out. Ricky was already on edge, the man's appearance, laugh, and comment about fate reminded him of the pirate that had tried to kill him. Ricky saw red and attacked.

"FLYING ARROW KICK!" **THWHAM!** Ricky slammed feet-first into the man's large belly at such an incredible speed that the man practically folded in half over Ricky's feet. Ricky backflipped off of the man leaving him bent over and barely standing then launched up into the air and slammed his heel into the back of the man's neck, "JUMPING AX KICK!" **THWAK!** The man was driven down into the deck and smashed through the layer of wood into whatever the room below. **BOOOOM!**

"Whoa Ricky… what was that all about?" Luffy asked as he sat at the bottom of the remains of the mast he'd broken. "Do you know that guy?"

Ricky's calm demeanor returned and he stared down the man-sized hole at the man he'd just beaten down and finally realized that he _wasn't_ Blackbeard. "Uhh… oops… I thought he was somebody else… sorry about that…"

**-x-**

Han was kneeling down in a large trench with Ace standing behind him. "This track wasn't made by any animal," Han observed, "if I didn't know any better, I'd say it was made by a ship sailing through the sand."

"Well we're not looking for a ship," Ace reminded him, "we're looking for the others."

**CHOOOOM!** A pile of sand rose up in front of them and grew until it was a hundred times the size of the two pirates. The sand fell away to reveal a pair of large powerful claws, pincers, and a large curved tail with the stinger on the end. It was a GIGANTIC scorpion, it had red eyes and a big bulky body that was covered in a hard pale pink shell.

"Colossal Desert Scorpion," Han noted, "Threat Level: Medium."

"Medium?" Ace repeated as he stared up at the huge scorpion.

"It's got the size, claws, and poison stinger going for it," Han explained, "But that thick armor only slows it down. As long as you stay out of range there's nothing to worry about."

"GRRAAAAAHHH!" the Colossal Scorpion roared as it slowly advanced on the two pirates. It swiped at them with its big claws but the two managed to stay out of its reach.

"You asked for it," Ace dead-panned as he lit up his fist.

**-x-**

"Uh… sorry about that," Ricky apologized, "Your crew kidnapped my friends and then I thought you were someone else, I wasn't thinking clearly and I got a little rough on you, my bad."

"Uggghhhh…" the large bearded man groaned. Chopper finished bandaging him which left the pirate captain with bandages around his forehead, shoulder, and stomach. The reindeer had now moved on to some of the other pirates that had been roughed up by Ricky, Zoro, and Sanji.

"Here, drink this," Ollie instructed as she held up a large cup, "It'll numb the pain."

"Thank you," the man said as he took the cup and drank from it, "I am Barbarossa, Captain of the Barbar Sand Pirates. Please allow me to apologize for being so rough with your friends here. It's just… we're all so hungry that we got carried away."

"Shishishishishi!" Luffy laughed, "I don't mind at all." He got carried away when he was hungry too. "Sorry about wrecking your ship. I was just so thirsty I must've miscalculated."

"You mean you _didn't _come to save us?" Nami snapped. She, Vivi, and Eyelash had been freed.

"_I _came to save you," Ollie reminded her, "but all I got for my efforts was hostility."

"Well maybe if you hadn't…"

"**Enough!**" Ricky growled. "If the two of you can't even _pretend _to be civil I'm not going to have anything to do with _either _of you." He sent them one last irritated glare then stalked off.

"There's a problem Captain Barbarossa!" a man with short dark brown hair called out. His name was Zaba and he wore pointed shoes, a loose gray outfit, and a pale gray cloak on his back. The cloak was tied at his chest by two straps going over his shoulders and two coming around his waist. A pale green umbrella was tied onto the top of his head with thick purple string. "I've searched the ship's storage from top to bottom, and there just isn't enough spare lumber on board to repair the main mast. And… without a main mast, this ship isn't going to be going anywhere."

"OH NO, WHAT DO WE DO?" the Barbar Pirates chorused.

"If we don't do something soon," the man continued, "we're going to wind up dying like dogs in the middle of this desert."

"WE'RE GONNA DIE LIKE DOGS!" the Barbar Pirates wailed. "THIS IS THE END!"

"We sand pirates are born right here on our ships!" Barbarossa declared, "And if the desert has decreed it, we'll die here as well! A _true _sand pirate would never think of abandoning ship!"

"YEEEEAAHH! WE'LL DIE RIGHT HERE ON OUR SHIP!" the Barbar Pirates cheered.

"What bunch of weird-o's," Usopp muttered.

"The mass destruction was an act of fate!" Barbarossa announced. "We sand pirates will never do anything to defy the flow of the sand." Ricky scowled and clenched his fists, this didn't go unnoticed by Nami and Ollie.

"What's got him so worked up?" Ollie wondered.

"After what happened with that Blackbeard-guy he gets annoyed when anyone talks about fate," Nami answered. "The same thing happened with this giant that we met. That guy's fate-talk and black beard probably rub him the wrong way."

"Marshall D. Teach never had that long of beard though," Ollie commented as she eyed Barbarossa's scruffy black beard. "In fact, he had more hair on his chest than his face. _Han's _got more facial hair than he did."

**-x-**

"I've gotta admit, that was kind of disappointing," Han said while stroking his brown goatee, he and Ace were casually walking away from the smoking remains of the Colossal Scorpion.

"Can't say I didn't warn it," Ace reminded him. A shadow fell over them, "Now what?"

A large purple lizard was standing in front of them. It had purple scales, bulging eyes, and red frilly coming out of the back of its head and going down its back and tail. The lizard's orange underbelly was exposed to them as it stood on its hind legs making it about seven feet tall, just enough to successfully block their path.

"That's a Mimo Gecko," Han stated, "Threat Level: Low. They're just nuisances."

"Nuisance?" Ace repeated, he stepped to the left to go around the large lizard but the lizard mirrored him and stepped to its right and continued to block Ace's path. Ace stepped back to the right but the lizard copied him and stepped left. "Well, I can see how this could get annoying." Ace faked to the left then jumped to the right and the lizard jumped to its left, still in his path. "Okay, seriously… quit it."

"Is it too much for you to handle, Commander?" Han teased him.

Ace stepped back and the lizard stepped forward, no matter which way he moved the lizard always mirrored him so it blocked him.

**-x-**

**Desert Pirates:**

**-x-**

"Fate aside there _is_ timber at the Melias Oasis," Barbarossa stated.

"And where's that?" Luffy asked, "I'll be glad to dash over and get it."

"Hmm, bad idea," Barbarossa told him, "the sands have changed lately. It's too dangerous a journey for outsiders."

"I caused this, I'll take care of it," Luffy insisted on taking responsibility for his actions.

"I'll go with him," Ricky offered, "He broke the mast, I put a hole in the deck."

"GEHAHAHAHAHA!" Barbarossa laughed, causing Ricky to flinch. "Alright, you're on. You can use a sand-sled to bring back the lumber."

**-x-**

A moment later, the Straw Hats, Ollie, Barbarossa, and Zaba were standing in the sand beside the ship. The sand sled that Barbarossa had mentioned was a large wooden canoe-like boat with a smaller canoe attached to the side. A rolled-up sail laid flat on the rigging that attached the two canoes together.

"Zaba and Rasa will show you to the oasis," Barbarossa explained. Zaba. The man with the four-way knot tying his cloak together saluted when his name was mentioned. "They'll be your guides. Rasa is the best sand sledder on the ship."

Ricky stared down at the sled, "It looks like it carried two," he noted, "but as much as I'd like to leave the ship… I haven't the faintest clue how to ride one."

"I'm sure we can manage," Luffy replied.

"You don't even know how to sail a _regular_ boat," Ricky reminded him, "How do you expect to work this one without crashing it?"

While the Straw Hats tried to decide who and how they were going to drive the sand sled, Vivi stood beside it and silently ran her hand along the side.

**Shuk-wuk-wuk-wuk!** The Princess was brought out of her sense of nostalgia when a curved knife came flying at her head. "AAAH!" Vivi yelped and ducked out of the way causing the knife to sink into the side of the pirate ship, **CHUNK!**

Vivi and everyone else looked back in the direction of the knife-thrower and saw a woman standing on the broken mast.

"Something tells me she's Rasa," Ricky muttered.

**SKISH!** The woman leapt off of the mast and flipped the pirates before landing on the other side of Vivi with her back to her. She wore pointed sandals, dark red pants, a pale pink shirt. Over that she wore a white coat that was tied closed with a dark red sash. She had short dark blue hair with the shaft of her pink Barbar umbrella going through it at an angle.

"Oh, there you are Rasa," Barbarossa noted.

"These others, they're outlanders," the now identified Rasa said in a soft voice as she retrieved her knife from the side of the ship. "But you're from here."

"Oh, how could she tell?" Luffy wondered.

"I'll wager you've had some experience with a sand sled," Rasa commented to Vivi, "Which means _you'll_ come along with us."

"NO WAY!" Sanji protested, "It's much too dangerous for her to go!"

"Alright, I'll be glad to go," Vivi agreed despite Sanji's protests.

"Well, there goes my chance of getting off this ship any time soon," Ricky remarked, "I guess I'll stay here and own up to the damage I caused personally by fixing the hole in the deck with whatever wood they actually have." Ricky turned to Vivi, "Luffy can handle any trouble you run into. Just don't let him drive."

Moments later, the sand sleds were ready to go. Vivi stood in the middle of the first one with the sand sled's folded white sail sticking straight up in front of her, two loops of rope were currently going around her waist, the first came from the sides of the sail and the second came from the top. The winds in the desert were normally very strong which allowed the sled to move incredibly fast across the sand and the ropes functioned as reigns and allowed the driver to shift their body to maneuver the sail and adjust their course.

Luffy sat behind Vivi in the sand sled and waved to his crew, "BYE GUYS!" he exclaimed, "WE'LL BE BACK SOON!" Zaba and Rasa were in an identical sand sled next to them.

Vivi leaned back and pulled on the ropes around her waist which caused the white sail to unfold and catch a sudden gust of wind. **ZZZZZOOOOOM! **"WOOOOO!" Vivi yelped as the sand sled sped away across the sand, she took a couple seconds to get reacquainted with driving a sand sled but in no time the Princess was driving it like a pro.

"Zaba, let's go," Rasa barked at her crewmate as they watched the other sand sled speed off.

"Ready, Rasa," Zaba replied. Rasa stood in the middle of the sand sled and cracked the rope reigns causing the sail to snap open and their sled to speed off after the other one, **ZZOOOM!**

"YAAAHOOOEEEEE!" Luffy cheered as their sand sled sped across the desert. "THIS IS AMAZING! We should borrow one of these! We'd get to Yuba real fast."

"Sand sleds are hard to control," Vivi told him, "believe me, they're not easily mastered."

"Then how come you're so good at it?" Luffy inquired.

"I used to have one," Vivi explained, "I got it way back when I was just a little girl. I'd ride it all the time."

**-x-**

"So what are we supposed to do while we're waiting for them?" Chopper asked back at the Barbar Pirate's marooned ship.

"We could always eat the camel," Barbarossa suggested.

"YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!" the Barbar Pirates cheered.

"SECOND!" Usopp and Sanji agreed causing Eyelash to whimper and cry.

"I'm just kidding," Barbarossa said causing his crew to let out a groan of disappointment.

"It didn't sound like you were kidding to me," Nami commented, annoyed at everyone's eagerness to eat her camel.

**-x-**

**SKOOOOSH!** A wave of sand washed over Luffy as their 'guides' Zaba and Rasa caught up with them. **CHOOOM!** The second sand sled took to the air and then crashed down beside Vivi's sled, **THOOM!** The two sleds slammed into each other and the one piloted by Vivi was knocked aside and began sliding down the side of a pit of fast-moving sand.

"KOFF! KOFF!" Luffy coughed up sand as their sled continued sinking downward into the sand pit, "YOU GUYS, WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?" He turned to Vivi and shouted in alarm, "VIVI, WE'RE BEING SUCKED FURTHER IN!"

"It's quicksand!" Vivi exclaimed as she lunged to the left and practically leaned over the side of the sand sled so they could blow back up the side of the bit, "if we get sucked under we'll never get out!"

"Rasa, that's going too far!" Zaba scolded his crewmate as their sand sled sped onward towards their destination.

"If she's lucky, that spoiled little princess will be fine!" Rasa snapped.

"It sounds as if you know that girl," Zaba noted.

"Yeah," Rasa growled, a frown marred her face, "I'll never forget her."

**KRACK! **Back behind them, the side canoe of Vivi and Luffy's sand sled snapped off as it continued to sink down into the pit of quicksand.

"CAN YOU BRING HER AROUND, VIVI?" Luffy hollered as he clung to the side of the sled while Vivi tried in vain to keep them from sinking.

"I CAN'T! IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE DONE FOR!" Vivi shouted. They were nearly at the bottom of the quicksand pit, "THIS IS IT LUFFY!"

"NO!" Luffy yelled, he wasn't going to give up that easily. "WATCH OUT! GUUUUMMM… GUUUUUUUMMM…" **WOOOIINNG!** Luffy's rubber arm shot up towards the sun and burrowed into the sand at the edge of the pit, **SHOOOOM!**

**-x-**

"Look, I don't like you, and you don't like me," Nami admitted as she stared down with Ollie on board the Barbar Pirates' ship. "But right now he's not talking to _either_ of us." The two of them looked over at Ricky who was working with Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper to patch up the hole in the deck using the little lumber that the Barbar Pirates _did _have. Usopp, the usual carpenter of the Straw Hats, had refused to fix he damage that he hadn't been the cause of and was standing beside Barbarossa as he stared off the side of the ship into the desert.

"You're right," Ollie agreed, "I'd rather make nice with you than have him angry at me."

"Fine then, big smile, he's looking this way," Nami said as a smile appeared on her face. "Fair warning though, I'm a Straw Hat Pirate… we fight with everything we have to get what we're after. I'm not going to lose to you."

Ollie looked out of the corner of her eye and saw Ricky looking over at them as he held down the end of a plank of wood while Chopper hammered it in. Rather than go for a full smile like Nami, she settled for a small grin. "I already lost him once," Ollie said while maintaining her grin, "I won't let _anyone_ take him from me again."

"I'm not gonna _kill him_, I'm just gonna be with him," Nami retorted, "I was happy to let things develop as they were but you showed up and forced my hand. When he's mine, maybe I'll allow you visitation rights." The thief stuck her tongue out at the archer then walked off.

Barbarossa and Usopp stood together at the side of the ship and stared off into the desert. "He might not look it," Usopp told the desert pirate, "but Luffy's always reliable in a pinch."

"I'm more concerned about the fickleness of the desert," Barbarossa told him. "The desert can shift moods in an instant. A slight change in the weather or people's hearts will affect it greatly."

"A change in people's hearts?" Usopp repeated, "Wait… what's that?" Usopp lowered his goggles and stared off in a different direction and saw a dust cloud rising off in a distance. **Rmbrmbrmb… **A low rumbling broke out and got louder as the dust cloud got closer, **RMBLRMBLRMBLRMBL… **Usopp adjusted his goggles and saw that the dust cloud was being caused by a hoard of forty men armed with swords and rifles as they charged towards the marooned ship while riding forty camels. Usopp turned around and shouted up at the Barbar Pirate that was acting as lookout, "HEY! WHO'RE THOSE GUYS?"

The desert pirate squinted and then gasped when he saw the men on camel back, "CAPTAIN BARBAROSSA! IT'S THEM! THEY'VE FOUND US! OFF THE STARBOARD SIDE, BATTLE STATIONS EVERYONE!"

"What's going on?" Ricky asked as he, Zoro, Sanji, Chopper, and Ollie came up behind Barbarossa and Usopp. "Who're those guys?"

"The Sandora Bandits," Barbarossa answered, "Our sworn enemies."

**-x-**

Ace was still being blocked by the Mimo Gecko, "OKAY! NOW I'M PISSED!" Ace snapped.

"Let me handle this," Han offered as he walked passed Ace, the Mimo Gecko quickly moved to block the monster hunter's path. Han stepped left, the lizard stepped right to block him. Han took two steps to the right, the lizard mirrored him and took two steps to the left. Han pulled out his gun, and the lizard flinched in fear. "Get out of the way… or you'll end up like _that guy_." Han pointed over his shoulder at the remains of the Colossal Scorpion.

"MEEEEEP!" the Mimo Gecko whimpered as tears flooded out of its eyes. The lizard quickly stepped out of the monster hunter's path.

"There, problem solved," Han resolved.

"Not quite," Ace replied, "We still need to find the others. And this guy owes us for all the trouble he's caused us… he could help us."

**-x-**

Rasa and Zaba were still on their way to the Melias Oasis in their sand sled, Zaba was looking back behind them but Luffy and Vivi were nowhere in sight.

"Rasa, if that was a joke, it wasn't funny," Zaba scolded his crewmate. "They're not following."

"Fine by me," Rasa replied coldly. "I'm not gonna wait around for her. If she can't keep up, it's not our job to look for her."

**SSSSSSKISSSSSHH! **Something long and thin burrowed through the sand behind the sand sled and quickly caught up. **CHOOM!** Zaba was startled when a rubber hand burst out of the sand and grabbed onto the back of the sled, **WHAP!**

**SHOOOOOOM!** A sand sled followed the rubber arm out of the sand and then flew up into the air and over the other sled. Zaba and Rasa looked up in surprise and saw Vivi and Luffy smiling at them.

"SHISHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed, "HOPE YOU WEREN'T WAITING LONG!"

**THOOOM!** Vivi and Luffy's sled landed in front of the other one and raced onward towards the oasis they were heading for. Vivi simply smiled and waved at the two shocked Barbar Pirates.

**-x-**

"Conflict is in the air today," Barbarossa growled as the Sandora Bandits gathered on top of the dune alongside the marooned pirate ship. "Everyone seems to be on edge."

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" the lead bandit laughed, he wore a fancy hat that was lined in gold, "NOW THAT YOU CAN'T RUN AWAY, WE'VE FINALLY GOT YOU WHERE WE WANT YOU!"

"HEAR ME, MEN!" Barbarossa addressed his crew, "THE DESERT HAS PITTED US AGAINST EACH OTHER! LET THE DESERT DECIDE WHO WILL FINALLY WIN THIS! AND IF THIS IS TRULY OUR END, LET US GO OUT FIGHTING LIKE PIRATES!"

"YEEAAAHHH!" the Barbar Pirates cheered, "GO PIRATES!"

"FOOLS!" the lead bandit laughed, "THE DESERT WILL NEVER CHOOSE ONES LIKE YOU! UNLEASH THE SECRET WEAPON!"

A pair of giant blue dung beetles pushed in between the group of camels, they were both pushing two lumpy brown balls that were each half the size of the pirate ship.

"What is that?" Nami asked as she joined the others in staring off the ship.

"They're Grand Dung Beetles," Barbarossa answered, "Insects that haul enormous balls of dung. Over a hundred people a year are squished by their rolling balls of manure."

"Riiight," Ricky replied, "Usopp, Ollie, get rid of those balls before the series turns to crap."

"Before _what_ turns to crap?" Ollie repeated as she drew her bow and loaded it with an arrow while Usopp pulled out his slingshot and armed it. "If I didn't know you any better, I'd think you were trying to make a joke." She looked over at Usopp, "I've got the one on the right." **FWING! "**EXPLODING ARROW!"

"EXPLODING STAR!" **SHOO! **Ollie's arrow and a red ball that Usopp fired impacted with the two balls of dung and exploded, **KA-BOOM-BOOM!** All that was left were the two dung covered beetles and the horrible smell that had the Sandora Bandits shrinking back in revulsion.

Ricky looked over at Barbarossa, "And you were wrong," he told him, "Fate and the desert aren't going to decide who is going to win this… we are. Zoro, Sanji, there are forty of them and three of us. Whoever gets most gets the remaining water in Ollie's canteen."

"YOU'RE ON!" Zoro and Sanji shouted at the same time. Ricky and Zoro drew their respective swords and Sanji stomped out his cigarette then the three of them leapt off of the ship and charged the bandits.

Zoro ran at the bandits on the right and then surged passed them at an incredible weight-free speed and slashed all three of his swords as he went passed. "TIGER… HUNT!" **SLA-SLA-SLOSH!** Four of the bandits fell off of the camels and dropped to the ground unconscious while the five behind them were blown away by the gusts of wind generated by Zoro's swings, **CHOOOM!**

Sanji ran for the bandits on the left, did a series of midair flips and landed on his hands in the middle of a group of bandits. **FWIP-FWIP-FWIP!** The cook spun around at a high speed and lashed out his legs, the high speed of Sanji's spin created a whirlwind around him and the bandits and their camel steeds were sent flying away. **THWOOOOM!**

**SKISH! **Ricky launched up into the air and flew over the bandits with his red sword poised over his head, "RED BLADE… FISSURE!" **SHOOOM!** Rather than attack the bandits directly, Ricky came down and slashed the ground with his sword. The speed and power behind the swing caused the ground to split open and ten of the bandits and their camels were sucking in by the rushing sand.

"Wow, he's gotten a lot stronger," Ollie remarked as she leaned against the railing with Nami, Usopp, and Chopper. "Ricky always been able to hold his own in a fight… but usually he'd just talk his way out of it."

**SLASH! **"Eleven…" **SLISH! **"Twelve…" Zoro counted as he lashed his swords out at any of the bandits that came near him. **SLOSH!** "Thirteen! TOP THAT, PERVY COOK!"

**THWAK! **Sanji kicked one bandit off of his camel then lunged off and kicked another one.** THWAK! **"BAD MANNERS KICK COURSE!" **THWHAM! **Sanji swung his leg up into the underbelly of a nearby camel and sent it and the bandit on top of it flying off into the sky. "NICE TRY MOSS HEAD! BUT I GOT THIRTEEN TOO!"

"MEN! RETREEEAAAT" the bandit leader hollered at all three of his remaining bandits who were all covering behind him. **Tmp! **Ricky landed in front of the leader causing him to shriek in terror, "MOMMY!"

"JAVELIN KICK!" **CRUNH! **The sand-covered steel bottom of Ricky's boot slammed into the man's jaw and knocked him off his feet and into his three remaining men behind him, **WHAM! **The leader took down his three men and their camels like bowling pins. Ricky casually stood there and slipped his hands in his pockets, "Fourteen."

"WHAT? NO WAY!" Sanji shouted, "I FINALLY GET MY REMATCH AND ONE EYE GOES AND WINS?"

"We can still keep going," Zoro decided, "most of them were just blown away, we can up our scores by making sure they're all unconscious."

"AAAAAHHHH! MOOONSTEEEERRSS!" the bandits screamed as they got up and ran away like the devil was after them.

"See?" Ricky asked his two Nakama, "Fate and the desert had nothing to do with who won that battle. We did."

**-x-**

The Melias Oasis looked just like Erumalu, the buildings were all ruins and the city was dried out and covered in sand. Zaba went off to retrieve the timber they'd come for while Luffy and Vivi surveyed oasis with Rasa watching from a distance.

"This whole oasis is covered in sand," Luffy observed.

"Once it was a flourishing city," Vivi informed him. "But now…"

"Have you ever been here before?" Luffy inquired.

"Yes," Vivi answered, "the people of this city were the ones that gave me my sand sled when I was a child. It was a very long time ago though. I stopped here once with my father when I was little when he was traveling around the country." Vivi thought back to almost eight years ago when she and her father had visited the city. A girl with dark blue hair had given her a wreath.

"**And I've been waiting all this time," **Rasa spoke in a soft voice. "Back then, the King made this city a promise. 'If anything should happen to this oasis, I will come rushing to help. The Kingdom won't ignore any voice, no matter how small'."

"Then… you were that girl!" Vivi realized.

"Eventually… this oasis buried in sand and abandoned," Rasa continued. "Every last person left, but not me. I stayed behind and waited for you. I believed in you. But… the King never came. And neither did you."

"But that's… the same thing was happening to cities all over the country," Vivi attempted to explain, "The King was busy every day trying to deal with a nation-wide crisis."

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR EXCUSES!" Rasa snapped. "For years I waited for you in an abandoned city in the middle of a trackless desert!" Rasa's voice went soft again. "Finally… I couldn't even tell the difference between dawn and dusk. By the time Barbarossa took me in, I couldn't feel anything. Not the scorching heat of the midday sun, or the freezing cold of night. The fact that I was still alive baffled me. But… the King's promise continued to ring inside my head. To this day I still don't understand it. Life was so difficult and I was all by myself so what exactly was I waiting for? Just what kept me going for all those years?" Rasa's body shook as she started sobbing, "Was it hatred? Anger? Was I too stubborn or stupid to give up hope? Why did I stay here? SOMEBODY TELL ME!"

"I'm sorry," Vivi apologized, "I'm so sorry I made you wait." The Princess broke down and cried with the girl who had spent years wasting away in an abandoned city because she refused to give up on the King and his promise to come and save the city and the country.

Luffy stood nearby and stared silently up at the sun what was beginning to set.

**-x-**

"It was the desert that brought you to us," Barbarossa stated, "Fate takes us through many twists and turns but in the end, we survived a difficult situation and can live another day."

"Bull _crap_!" Ricky argued, "We came across you because we're on our way to Yuba. We broke your mast because you captured our Nakama. Those bandits attacked while you were stranded because they're your enemies and keep track of you. And we drove them off because we were on this ship too and didn't want our stuff stolen by a two-bit gang of bandits. It's very simple, cause and effect, fate and the desert had nothing to do with any of that."

"Nonsense, the desert is alive!" Barbarossa insisted. "You're an outsider, you wouldn't know of such things. I used to feel that the desert belonged to everybody. But when I look at the desert now, I realize that it doesn't belong to anybody at all. That's why we live here freely. It belongs to no one and so is free itself."

"The desert can be claimed just as easily as the ocean," Ricky countered, "It's just a large body of water filled with islands. With a big enough reputation a pirate can claim an island as their territory and the pirates of lesser power will stay away from it to avoid the strong pirate's wrath. That part of the ocean essentially becomes theirs. The same thing can happen to a city in the desert. You've got one of the Seven Warlords living on this island and so Alabasta is considered _his_ territory. Other pirates don't come here unless they're oblivious to that fact or _want _to confront him."

"And which one are you?" Barbarossa asked.

"You're changing the subject," Ricky objected, "Fate doesn't control…"

"Ricky, give it a rest!" Nami interrupted.

"You've been debating with him for the last hour," Ollie complained, "This is going nowhere. You're both too stubborn to change your beliefs."

"Just agree to disagree so we can be done with it," Nami instructed.

Ricky looked over at them, Ollie and Nami were sitting on the repaired deck with Chopper and Eyelash while Usopp was sitting on a rope ladder above them. Zoro was sleeping somewhere and Sanji was inside cooking something with the limited food that the sand pirates had.

"Did you two just agree on something?" Ricky questioned.

"Yeah, that you're being stupid and hard-headed," Nami replied. Ollie nodded in agreement.

"Fine," Ricky conceded, "I can see now that my logic is wasted on a fate fanatic."

"HEY!" Usopp suddenly called out, "I THINK I SEE SOMEBODY!"

Everyone looked off in the dark horizon and saw two sand sleds making their way towards the ship. A large pile of logs was being pulled behind the two sleds.

"WOOHOO!" Luffy cheered. "WE'RE HERE!" With that part of their adventure completed, the Barbar Pirates could repair the damage done to their ship and the Straw Hats could continue their journey to Yuba.

**-x-**

The sky was dark and the cold was settling in as Ace and Han traveled on the back of the Mimo Gecko. They'd forced it down onto four legs and were riding it in search of the others.

"LUUUFFFFYYYY! RIIICKYYY! WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?" Ace shouted.

"Why don't you just use the Vivre Cards?" Han suggested.

"Because they're sewn into my hat," Ace answered, "they're both whole so that means they're perfectly safe. I don't want to tear one of them free and risk losing it over something as simple as finding them in the desert. I want to save using their Vivre Cards for when it's important and I'm islands away. You're the master tracker, where are they?"

"We've been over this, I can't track anything if I don't have a trail to follow," Han pointed out. "Unless you want to follow that trail made by that herd of camels, we're gonna have to keep going and hope we just run into them. And if all else fails, we know they're heading to Yuba so we can go there and head them off."

"See, I knew I kept you around for a reason," Ace commented. "For now, let's see if we can find an inhabited village or somewhere that we can get some food. I really don't want to eat Fido."

"Fido?" Han repeated, then shook his head, "Whatever." The duo continued onward on the back of Fido the Mimo Gecko, oblivious to the fact that if they had followed the camel tracks back they way they'd come they would've found the people they were looking for.

**-x-**

I am in no way preaching or trying to force my personal views on anyone reading this story. Ricky is a fictional character that developed his beliefs because of his fictional history, just like the other characters in the series. You readers are welcome to believe whatever you want.

Anyway, I made the most of this filler episode and gave Ollie some character development, next chapter I plan to do the same for Han when they come across Camu, Rebel Soldier at Heart.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	36. Chapter 36

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of its characters. However, I _do_ own Ricky, Ollie, and Han. Just not the characters the latter two are based off of.

**False Hero:**

**-x-**

**SHUNK!** Early the next day, an anchor sank down into the hot desert sand. The repaired pirate ship of the Barbar Pirates was now anchored within sight of a desert village.

"Ahead is a village called Edo," Barbarossa informed the Straw Hats. "You should be able to get water there without much difficulty." The Captain of the Barbar Pirates had agreed to give the Straw Hats a ride to a village where they could get some supplies after they had helped repair the broken mast the night before.

"Does this mean you're not coming with us?" Luffy asked.

"We Sand Pirates can not travel beyond this desert realm," Barbarossa replied, "You see, this land belongs to my people, brave souls who have lived and died here for generations. The desert is the home of the free, but not everyone can survive in this harsh environment, for them the village ahead provides a better home."

"…" Vivi was silent, she looked up and saw Rasa watching her from up above on a rope ladder.

"So… what are you going to do now?" Luffy inquired.

"Nothing much actually," Barbarossa admitted, "We live freely on this ocean of sand and that's exactly what we plan to keep doing."

"I guess this is goodbye then," Ricky resolved as he tucked his hands in his pockets. While he wasn't exactly on friendly terms with Barbarossa, he had at least gotten used to the desert pirate's ways and was now back to his usual self. "Let's go crew."

**-x-**

Not long later, the Straw Hats plus Ollie had disembarked the BarBar Pirate's ship and were heading towards the desert village of Edo. Ricky led the group with Ollie walking alongside him and Zoro and Sanji trailing a little behind them. The three aforementioned male Straw Hats had put their weights back on and now left deep footprints as they walked onward. Eyelash followed behind Zoro with Nami and Vivi once again riding on his back while Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were bringing up the rear and were walking backwards so they could wave goodbye to the desert pirates.

"SEE YA AROUND, UMBRELLA GUY!" Luffy called out. "BYYYEEE!"

"They were great," Luffy commented to his Nakama.

"Yeah," Usopp agreed.

"Any of you guys have any idea where Ace and Han ran off to?" Sanji inquired.

"If this Edo place has water then they're likely to have food," Ollie reasoned, "and if they have food, Ace will turn up eventually bringing Han along with him."

"I can sense Ace's ruby bands nearby," Ricky reported as he adjusted the black bag of money on his shoulder, "We'll head into the village and buy some supplies then wait for them to join us before we head off for Yuba again."

"Then let's get to this Udo place as fast as we can," Luffy resolved.

"That's _Edo_," Nami corrected him.

As Vivi sat side saddle behind Nami on Eyelash and looked back at the pirate ship she saw Rasa waving from the crow's nest. The Princess smiled and waved back as the camel she was riding on got farther and farther away from the pirate ship.

**-x-**

Ahead of the pirates in the desert village of Edo a man stared through a telescope at the black Barbar Pirate flag that was waving off in a distance. "AAAAAHH!" the man screamed, "They're waving a desert pirate flag! Crap! I gotta go and tell Big Bro!" The man scrambled to his feet then grabbed his sword and ran into the village.

In the middle of the village, children ran happily through the streets. Unlike Erumalu and Melias which were withered and dead, the desert village of Edo was alive and well. Plants were growing, the buildings were in perfect condition, and the people seemed happy, it appeared that there was at least one village in the desert that hadn't been destroyed by the drought.

"Aah, soldiers of the rebel army," the mayor the village greeted a group of three men. "I salute you all. Camu, my dear friend and ally, since the arrival of you and your companions, attacks on the village have ceased entirely."

"No prob," Camu replied. He was a lean young man with pale gray hair held off his face with a purple headband. He had tanned skin and a hooked nose and wore a brown vest over a short piece of padded armor that went halfway down his chest and covered his white and black striped t-shirt. He also wore brown shoulder pads and long brown knees pads over a simple pair of blue pants, finishing off Camu's look was a pair of dark boots and gloves. "I have to admit, man or beast alike would have to be utterly insane to try and take on my men. So rest easy Mayor, and leave the fighting to us. Hahahaha!"

Camu and his men were currently seated at a table and were eating a large meal at the expense of the mayor. One of Camu's men was a large fat man that looked like a sumo wrestler, he had black hair and a wide triangular nose, and a light blue kimono lined in dark blue that was decorated in yellow triangles. The other man was only four foot eight and was dressed like a boxer, he wore a green beanie with a white ball on the top, a pair of pink goggles with black lenses over his eyes, a pair of dark trunks, and an orange robe that was lined in pink that matched his goggles. The short man's fork was currently clenched in his boxing-glove encased hand.

"Oh, you'll get no argument from me," the Mayor agreed, "I confess, word is spreading that the rebel and royal armies will soon be at each other's throats. Aren't you concerned that staying here might send out the wrong signal?"

"Nonsense," the short man with the boxing gloves replied, "We could never leave a place that lets us eat as much as we want whenever we—" **THWAK!** Camu cut the other man off with a quick kick to the face and knocked him off the bench.

"No, our stay here has nothing to do with the fighting," Camu assured the Mayor, "we may be rebels but we haven't completely given up on the King's ability to make the right decisions for his people."

"Yes, I'm very pleased to hear you say that, Camu," the Mayor commented, "for we too share your unshakable faith in the King. That's why we are hoping this unfortunate conflict could preferably be handled with the most delicate touch."

"Please, good Mayor, say no more," Camu said, "After careful consideration we've decided to take the responsibility of keeping you and yours safe. All we ask from you is the simple gift of unlimited food and booze."

"Of course," the Mayor answered, "I will see to it that your needs are met. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go." The Mayor exited the room and Camu was left alone with his two men.

"Big Bro," the boxer called out as he pulled himself back up off of the ground, "tell it to me straight, would turning our backs on the King really be such a bad idea?"

"Look," Camu told him, "we aren't leaving this village until we've sucked every last drop of that sweet nectar dry." Camu and his gang weren't real rebel soldiers, they were conmen preying on the hospitality of people of Edo.

"BIG BRO!" the man who had been keeping a lookout came running in. He was the tallest of the group and had short black hair on top of a long rectangular head with a rectangular nose, he wore red catchers padding over a long white coat and had a katana sheathed at his waist. On his forehead was a purple diamond tattoo. "TERRIBLE NEWS, BIG BRO!"

"Calm down," Camu ordered, "What do you want? I'm trying to eat here."

"SAND PIRATES!" the tattooed swordsman exclaimed, "Sand Pirates are attacking!"

Camu and his other two men gasped in shock. "Seriously?" the boxer questioned before turning to Camu. "What do we do?"

"What do you mean, there aren't many options," the tattooed man pointed out, "In fact, there's nothing we can do. We can't afford to just stick our tail between our legs and run away again. Well Big Bro, what's the plan?" The three subordinates turned to face the leader and found him bundling up all the remaining food and tying it onto the end of his rifle.

"We're getting the hell out of here," Camu decided as he picked up his rifle and faced his men.

"WE'RE RUNNING AWAY?" Camu's three men exclaimed.

"But if we leave here what will happen to us after that?" the tattooed man inquired. "Do we have to go back to starving again?"

"MORON!" Camu snapped, "What's the point of food if we're not alive to eat it? There are probably plenty of other villages out there just like this one. Come on!" Camu pushed passed his men and made to leave but stopped and stared in shock when he found his path blocked by Fido the Mimo Gecko. "What the…"

"**I think I'm about to lose my lunch," **Ace commented from behind them as he sat at the table eating Camu and his men's food. "You've got a lot of nerve calling yourselves rebel soldiers."

"The four of you are down-right despicable," Han stated as he sat beside Ace at the table and glared at the four conmen.

"What the heck are you doing here?" the tattooed swordsman demanded.

"FOOD THIEF!" the boxer snapped.

"I've got this, Commander," Han offered, he shot up and lunged across the table. **WHAM! **Han slammed into the swordsman and drove him into the boxer and the fat kimono man knocking all three of them down to the ground. Camu attempted to flee but found his path blocked by Fido, he turned around in time for Han to draw a shotgun and smack him the face with it, **SWAK! **Camu was knocked down to the ground and held the side of his face while Han pointed his shotgun at the conman's forehead. "You're a disgrace. You're not even worth the bullet."

"PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" Camu begged as he got on his knees and bowed to the gun-wielding monster hunter. "I'LL DO ANYTHING!"

Han glanced at Ace who had finished off everything on the table. "Give us food," Han ordered.

"Yes, of course!" Camu frantically agreed.

A moment later, Ace had a wide variety of food platters laid out in front of him and was eating his fill. "This place has good food," Ace commented, he was content to allow Han to deal with the situation and just enjoyed the free food he got as a result.

"Thanks, I appreciate the compliment," Camu replied with a big smile while his men stood uncertainly behind him.

"_You_ had nothing to do with it," Han spoke up, as he glared at Camu and his men with his arms folded across his chest. "This village provided you with the food and you haven't even done anything to earn it."

"You're right," Camu agreed, "We're weaklings and cowards! And we clearly don't stand a chance against Sand Pirates… unless we have help from someone like you two!" Camu and his men dropped to their knees and bowed to the two pirates, "you must rescue us, please!"

"And why should we?" Han asked. "I don't have anything to prove. I left my homeland behind so I could save people all over the world from vicious monsters. The four of you can't even protect one little village."

"That's why we need your help!" Camu exclaimed, "Save these people from those desert savages! We're weak, we can't face them!"

"We could use some provisions," Ace confessed.

"Give us food and water and we'll think about it," Han decided.

A moment later, Ace was holding a large sack of food over his shoulder while Han stood next to him with a large water barrel on his back.

"So… you'll save us now?" Camu asked.

"We thought about it," Han told him, "And we've decided not to."

"WHAT?" Camu and his men shrieked. **KLIK! **The quartet found themselves staring down the nozzle of Han's cannon-sized gun.

"The four of you have two options," Han informed them. "You can either _man up_, face those pirates, and live up to the image these villagers have of you. _Or_ you can run away and live the rest of your pathetic lives as honor-less creatures that don't even deserve to be called men."

Fido was back down on all fours and Ace sat down on the lizard's back above his front legs. Han sat backwards on the lizard's lower back and stared at Camu and his men.

"If you're too selfish to fight for these people then at least do it for yourselves," Han advised, "Cowards may survive but is it really worth it? Is that really how you'd want to live the rest of your lives? If you fight these pirates you'll have the chance to be the heroes you've pretended to be but if you pass it up, you'll eventually die as you are… cowardly rats."

"Let's go Fido," Ace ordered the lizard.

"MEEP!" Fido cried out and ran off leaving Camu and his men pale and shaking in their wake.

**-x-**

"It feels like Ace is coming towards us now," Ricky noted as the Straw Hats plus Ollie approached the village. "I wonder how they got there before us."

"They rode on a big purple lizard," Ollie answered.

"How do you…"

"Depth perception," Ollie interrupted as she pointed to the Fido the Mimo Gecko as it ran over carrying Ace and Han on its back.

"HEEEEY! HEEEEY!" Ace called out and waved to the others as Fido ran closer.

"ACE!" Luffy exclaimed as he ran to meet his brother. Ace and Han got off of Fido and the lizard stood back up on its hind legs just as Luffy skidded to a stop in front of them, "Hey, what's this thing?"

"So you were the Sand Pirates those flakes were scared of," Ace realized.

"What're you talking about?" Luffy asked, "We left the sand pirates a little while ago."

"Well whatever, no biggie," Ace resolved, "I've got good news, do you guys need food and water? Cause we brought you guys plenty of both." Ace put the sack down in front of him and undid the knot in the top to reveal all the food he'd gotten, Han took off his barrel and put it down next to the food.

"Quick, grab some food before Luffy eats it all," Ricky advised, the Straw Hats gathered around the food and water and quickly claimed their portion before Luffy could eat it all.

"Oh, that's much appreciated," Sanji remarked. "This should be more than enough to last us a good while."

"Ace is one incredible guy," Usopp commented.

"Sure is," Nami agreed as she got off of Eyelash and landed next to him, "Kind and thoughtful to a fault, unlike _someone _we know."

"That's true," Usopp muttered.

"Thank you, I was so thirsty," Chopper said as helped himself to some of the water.

"Um, excuse me, Ace, Han," Vivi addressed the two Whitebeard Pirates as she got off of Eyelash and walked over to them. "I assume you used something other than money to get this. Whatever you did… please don't tell me you stole the supplies."

"That's not my style," Ace reassured her, "The rebel army gave it to us."

"THE REBEL ARMY?" Vivi repeated.

"Well… fake rebels," Han clarified. "They pass themselves off as rebel soldiers and were hired by that Edo place. The villagers are so grateful for the protection that they welcome the crooks with open arms and give them all the food they want. Disgraceful cowards if you ask me."

"I get that they're desperate for help," Nami commented, "but wouldn't they eventually figure out they've been fooled?"

"Not necessarily," Ace replied, "The villagers know that the mere mention of the rebel army is enough to send most bandits running. It's ingenious really, confident swagger with a little misdirection and the money and prestige comes rolling in."

"Well rebel soldiers aren't crooks," Vivi stated, "Nor is their title meant to serve as some sort of decoration."

"Miss. Vivi, I'm sure we'd all be happy to teach these guys a lesson," Sanji offered.

"You'd barely have to extend an effort to do it," Han told him, "they're cowards that were planning on running away the second they heard that desert pirates were coming."

"But keep in mind, the villagers still live in peace with their fake protectors," Ace pointed out. "Is fighting them really necessary?"

"I understand what you're saying," Sanji admitted, "But you've gotta consider this from Miss. Vivi's perspective. Surely you'd like to see those jerks pay."

"Look, Vivi can do what she wants," Ace assured him, "I was only sharing my thoughts on the subject."

"…" Vivi was silent as she thought of what to do. She remembered what Rasa had said.

"_I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR EXCUSES! For years I waited for you all alone in an abandoned city in the middle of a trackless desert!"_

"My Kingdom is no longer able to protect everyone," Vivi spoke up remembering what had happened to the Melias Oasis, it had become a rundown ruin and the people had abandoned it because the King was too busy attempting to say all of the other villages and cities that were suffering. "So I find nothing wrong with villages attempting to uphold public safety on their own whenever possible."

"What do you want to do?" Ricky inquired. "Whatever you decide, we're with you."

"First we need to put these conmen to the test," Vivi decided, "If these imposters _are_ protecting them, even if that protecting is nothing more than a bi-product of their ruse than I really don't care what they pass themselves off as."

"So you want us to find out if these crooks will defend the village if they have to?" Han asked.

"Yes," Vivi answered, "but this is something that will require everyone's cooperation if we're to pull it off."

"That's no problem Miss. Vivi," Sanji agreed.

Zoro and Ollie shared a look and shrugged, deciding to allow the others to make the plans and then step in where instructed.

"Alright, now things are getting interesting!" Luffy cheered.

"What do you mean by interesting?" Chopper questioned.

"Hold on Luffy, you need to calm down," Nami instructed their excitable captain, "this isn't a game, you understand?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Luffy agreed, "Basically we're gonna track down these fake rebel guys then beat 'em up, right?"

"He doesn't understand a thing," Sanji noted. "Someone needs to put him on a short leash."

"I'll stick with him," Ricky offered, "That way I'll be able to cover for him in case he does or says something stupid."

**-x-**

**Heart of the Rebel Soldier:**

**-x-**

"What do we do, Big Bro?" the tattooed swordsman whimpered to Camu back in Edo.

"We're gonna get the hell out of here," Camu decided. "I'm sure gonna miss these perfect accommodations but staying alive is all that matters." Camu motioned for his men to follow him and began leading them out the back way so they could escape the village without being seen.

But as soon as they pushed the door opened they were met with cheering, "HOOORRAAAAY!" the villagers cheered. Camu and his men stopped and stared in shock, the entire village had gathered and was blocking their escape route.

"Gentlemen, we're all relying on you," the Mayor spoke up. "I was just about to come calling for you but I should have realized you were on top of the situation. Of course you are already aware that the sea pirates are here."

"S-sea pirates?" Camu and his men repeated.

"Yes, sea pirates," the Mayor confirmed, "far more ferocious and deadly than sand pirates. Once we heard you'd deal with the pirates we knew we could rest easy. We know you won't fail."

"Good luck, Mister!" came a small voice, Camu looked down to see a trio of children tugging on his pants legs and smiling up at him. "Show those stupid sea pirates whose boss! I hope to be strong just like you some day! Hahahahahaha!"

"Uhh… let's go," Camu groaned as he led his men onward.

"HOORAY!" the villagers cheered as their resident rebel soldiers headed off to face the sea pirates. They failed to notice how reluctant their defenders were.

"Are you serious about this, big bro?" the tattooed swordsman inquired as they made their way through the village.

"Don't be stupid," the boxer reprimanded him, "of course he's not serious! That's crazy."

"Shut up, both of you," Camu scolded them. "Once out of town, we run in the opposite direction of those pirates and don't stop. That's our only chance to get out of this alive. We keep running."

"**Good luck with that,"** came the voice of Han as he walked out of an alley and stepped in front of Camu and his men. "I took a look at those sea pirates, they're the real deal." Han pulled out two wanted posters, "'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy and his First Mate 'One Eye' Ricky. Together they're worth fifty million berries. They may come from the East Blue but they're as vicious as they come. They systematically eliminated all the big name pirates in the East Blue before finally heading here to the Grand Line."

"B-big b-bro," the swordsman stammered, "Wh-what do we d-do?"

"Let's get out of here!" Camu decided.

"As I said, 'good luck with that'," Han said, "but I don't think your audience will allow you to escape this conflict."

Camu looked back and flinched when he saw that the Mayor and the villagers were following behind them. They couldn't chicken out and run away with all those people behind them, they were now stuck on a path leading to the sea pirates.

With a desperate plea on the tip of his tongue, Camu turned back to Han but found that the Monster Hunter was already gone. "Damn it," Camu cursed as he led his men onward with the crowd of villagers trailing behind them.

Around a corner, Han leaned against the wall next to Ace, "They know what they're facing now," he reported, "and they know that there's no way of completely avoiding the conflict."

"Then we'll see what they'll do when their backs are against the world," Ace reasoned. The two of them pushed off of the wall and began to silently follow after the crowd of villagers.

**-x-**

"Grr… look at them all," Camu growled as he led his men along a path out of the village, the villagers were still following behind them. Camu and his men were increasingly nervous as they approached the area where they knew the sea pirates were waiting. "Following our every step, morons, just a bunch of mindless sheep."

Camu and his men finally made it to the archway that led out of the village. They were all shaking knowing that the large green double door was the only thing separating them from the vicious sea pirates.

"Stay sharp," Camu ordered his men. "We'll get one shot at this. Once outside the gates we find which direction is pirate free and then take off as fast as we can, got it?"

"Uh-huh," Camu's three men replied.

"Here goes," Camu prompted as he grabbed the doors, "One… two… three!" **KREEK!** He pulled the green doors open and the four men ran through them into the sandy clearing. They promptly stopped when they saw their bath blocked.

Two figures stood ahead of them, both of them wore red desert cloaks. The first wore sandals, shorts, and had a light blue shemagh wrapped over his straw hat. The other had short red hair and wore boots, black pants, and an eye patch over his right eye.

The quartet turned to flee to the right but found another two pirates standing there. The first wore blue robes, had blond hair, and was smoking a cigarette. The other wore pale green robes, had curly black hair and a long nose.

Camu and his men turned the other way, looking to run the left but found another two pirates standing there. The first wore an orange shemagh on his head, a black and white tiger print desert robe, and a sword poised over his shoulder. The second was a large hairy man wearing light blue robes and a pink top hat.

Realization sunk in on Camu and his men, left, right, and straight ahead were all blocked and the villagers were all gathered in the archway behind them. There was no escape.

"_Crap,"_ Camu thought to himself.

"GET 'EM!" the Mayor cheered, "GET 'EM INVINCIBLE REBEL ARMY!"

"_He's gonna get us killed,"_ Camu whimpered.

"What's that?" Luffy growled in a 'tough' voice. "You're rebel soldiers?"

"I'm insulted Captain," Ricky spoke up in a cold voice that oozed blood-lust. "These people said members of the rebel army would handle us. These four don't count as an army."

"That's right," Camu agreed, "We're not rebels, we're just…"

"SAY YOUR PRAYERS!" the Mayor shouted as he stood on top of the archway. "YOU DASTARDLY SEA PIRATES ARE DEAD! THESE REBEL SOLDIERS ARE GONNA MAKE MINCEMEAT OUT OF THE WHOLE LOT OF YOU!"

"Are they really?" Ricky inquired as an evil toothy smile lit up his face.

"SHUT UP MAYOR!" Camu screamed, "YOU'RE NOT HELPING!"

"Right, right, forgive me," the Mayor apologized. "It won't happen again. Please carry on, I'm not even here!"

**-x-**

Nami and Vivi were watching the confrontation from behind a large boulder at the edge of the clearing. Ollie leaned against the boulder and was wearing Ricky's black cowboy had, she didn't seem overly pleased to be there.

"Loser," Nami scoffed, "the guy's completely spineless."

"Yeah," Vivi agreed.

"Are you sure about letting this go on?" Nami asked. "It might be better for everyone if we have them take care of everyone now."

"Let it play out," Ollie advised without looking, "Ricky's a good actor. Normally he tries to talk people _out of _fighting him but if anyone can goad those cowards _into _fighting, it's him."

"But do you think he can cover Luffy's _bad _acting?" Nami wondered.

**-x-**

"Hey, sounds like you guys are the real deal," Luffy observed as the crowd of villagers on top of the archway continued to cheer.

"No, no, you don't understand," Camu protested, he and his men all had tear streaming down their faces.

"We're in trouble, Big Bro," the swordsman sobbed.

"Damn it, our one chance to escape is gone," the boxer whimpered.

"**Then it looks like you've got a decision to make," **Han's voice cut through the air as he and Ace hid behind the opened doors behind Camu. **"You've got no way out of this. Either fight like heroes or die like cowards."**

"You know we can't handle these guys," Camu whispered back, "We're totally faking it."

"**You're pretending to be **_**soldiers**_**," **Ace spoke up, **"but if that doesn't work, might I suggest you act like **_**men**_**."**

Camu remembered seeing the children running happily through the village and was suddenly hit with a sense of nostalgia.

"What do we do, Big Bro?" the boxer asked.

"Grrr… stop asking me!" Camu snapped. "We have no choice, to save our skins we have to lie our way out of this imposter style."

"Imposter style?" the swordsman repeated.

"IF IT'S A FIGHT YOU WANT, CONSIDER YOURSELVES WARNED!" Camu shouted at the Straw Hats. "WE AREN'T THE ONLY REBEL SOLDIERS AROUND HERE! In the village there are… A HUNDRED MILLION MORE LIKE US!"

"Come on," Usopp groaned, "Babies lie better."

"You're one to talk," Sanji muttered.

"A HUNDRED MILLION?" Luffy repeated in shock.

**WHOMP!** Ricky stomped on Luffy's foot to shut him up, "I know Captain, I'm insulted too," Ricky quickly covered for his brother's stupidity. "Do they really expect us to believe a terrible lie like that? We're pirates, not idiots."

"They… were lying?" Chopper questioned, he sighed in relief, "Phew."

"Geez," Zoro groaned at the reindeer's gullibility.

"FAKER!" Luffy hollered at Camu, "HOW DARE YOU LIE TO ME!"

"Damn," Camu cursed, "they know the truth!"

"Did you really think that old line was going to work?" the swordsman asked.

"GUUUUM… GUUUUUM…" Luffy pulled back his arm and sent his rubber arm flying at Camu, "PIIIISTOOOOOLLLL!" **POW!** Luffy's fist slammed into Camu face and knocked him through the open archway. Camu's body left a trench in the dirt as Luffy's fist continued to propel him backwards until he was halfway down the path that led out of the village.

**SHWUP!** Luffy retracted his arm and Camu's men were left staring after their leader in shock.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" the swordsman shrieked.

"AAAH! HE HAS DEVIL FRUIT POWERS!" one of the villagers screamed. "ONE HIT KNOCKED HIM OUT! NOT EVEN REBEL SOLDIERS COULD WITHSTAND POWER LIKE THAT! WE'RE DOOMED!"

**-x-**

"Luffy, think," Nami whispered from behind the boulder, "It's all over if you knock him out. Give it a little more time."

"I hate being a damn cheerleader," Ollie complained as she continued to lean back against the boulder. Due to being more associated with Ace and Han than the Straw Hats, Ollie had stayed behind so that in the odd chance that someone recognized her they wouldn't think they were dealing with the Straw Hats _and _the Whitebeards.

**-x-**

Luffy and Ricky grinned as they walked side-by-side towards Camu's remaining men.

"What do you suppose we should do with them, Captain?" Ricky inquired. "If we kill them, we'll be able take all the supplies we need from this village."

"I was starting to get hungry again," Luffy admitted while Camu's men shook in terror.

"This is why we pick villages like this one as targets," Ricky commented, "They're all alone in the middle of the desert. By the time Crocodile or the King's forces can get here, we'll have all the supplies we need and be long gone." Ricky drew _Akakyuuketsuki_ from its sheath and showed off the red blade to the terrified fake rebels. "So… which of you wants to die first?"

**-x-**

"Big Brother Camu!" cried out one of the three kids that had encouraged Camu earlier. "You've gotta get up! The sea pirates are coming! We believe in you! Stand up!"

Camu remembered the children running happily through the streets. He remembered himself running through the streets of his hometown with his three friends. He remembered seeing the King's two greatest warriors Chaka and Pell ride passed on a regal two-humped camel.

"_I remember… when I was a kid," _Camu thought to himself, _"I always looked up to the warriors of Alabasta. All I ever wanted was to be as strong as them someday. That one dream never left me. Even now, my only wish is to be as strong as those warriors I saw as a child."_

Han's words echoed in Camu's head, _"If you fight these pirates you'll have the chance to be the heroes you've pretended to be but if you pass it up, you'll eventually die as you are… cowardly rats."_

"Someday…" Camu whispered as he clenched his fists.

**-x-**

Luffy and Ricky continued to advance on Camu's men, Luffy was a step ahead and grinned as he reached out to punch one of them. **WHAP!** Camu suddenly appeared in front of them and grabbed Luffy's wrist. There was blood dripping out of his nose and he still had a dazed look on his face.

"Big Bro!" Camu's men chorused.

"Oh look, the _rebel soldier_ survived your first punch," Ricky taunted. "Now it looks like he's actually going to try and fight us."

"It's true… we aren't rebel soldiers," Camu confessed, "We lied. All we ever wanted was to be as strong as our childhood heroes. But now we're just a bunch of scoundrels. Even if my hopes never become a reality, those dreams we had as kids will never die. Today I stop running and face my fear. I may not be a match for you but I'm willing to give it my best shot! My defeat will inspire these children to grow up and fight. I'd rather die as a hero that taught the youth of this miserable world to stand up and rage against scum like you then be remembered as a lying coward that ran away!"

Luffy grinned at Camu's speech but was caught off guard when the man punched him in the face. **POW!** Luffy fell backwards and landed in the sand, **FWUMP!**

**WHOMP!** Ricky 'accidentally' drove his foot down into Luffy's face to keep him from saying anything to give them away. "Ooh noo," Ricky gasped, "you knocked him out with one punch…" Ricky glared at Camu, "How dare you do that to the Captain!"

Usopp and Sanji glared at Camu but suddenly found the fat kimono-wearing man stand in front of them. "What's your deal?" Sanji demanded.

"You're not alone, Big Bro," the fat man said, speaking for the first time. "I'll help you fight. We share the same dream. From the time we were little we've made all sorts of bad decisions I'm not proud of. But no matter what we did, we were always there to protect the weak. RAAAAHHH!" The fat man stomped the ground and charged Sanji like a raging sumo wrestler, the cook jumped backwards to avoid him. "I… I'll always be right beside you defending those that are helpless! WE'LL FIND REDEMPTION TOGETHER!"

"He's right," the boxer realized, he and the swordsman turned to face Zoro and Chopper.

"I'M WITH YOU GUYS!" the swordsman shouted. "WHAT HAVE WE GOT TO LOSE? LET'S SHOW 'EM WHAT WE'RE MADE OF!"

"Alright," the boxer agreed, "No more running, this is our time to shine!"

"So… you're actually going to fight us, huh?" Ricky asked with the evil grin across his face.

**-x-**

"They seem different somehow," Nami observed from behind the boulder, "Though this turn around could have more to do with the fact their backs are against the wall."

"Yeah," Vivi agreed, "But this kind of change can't come from desperation. I doubt its possible without a genuine awakening in someone's heart."

"Then… they're good?" Nami asked.

"Yes, we can go," Vivi decided. A gang acting like defenders for the village was better than leaving the village without _any _defenders. "I'll trust them to guard this village for now."

"I'll signal the retreat then," Ollie resolved as she pushed off of the boulder and pulled out one of her arrows and used the metal head to reflect the sun.

**-x-**

"Uh…" Usopp groaned as a light shined in his eyes, he looked over at the boulder Nami, Vivi, and Ollie were ducked behind then looked over at Sanji, "Hey, Sanji, time to retreat!"

**KLIK! CHUK **Camu cocked his rifle and shouted, "SEA PIRATES OR NO SEA PIRATES, I SAY BRING IT ON! IF YOU WANNA TAKE SO MUCH AS A STEP INTO THIS VILLAGE, YOU'LL HAVE TO GO THROUGH US!"

**BANG!** Camu fired his rifle and the bullet struck Ricky in the chest. The evil grin was still on his face as he fell backward and landed hard on the ground next to Luffy, **FWUMP!**

**-x-**

"RI—MMMPPPHHH!" Nami's scream was cut off when Ollie clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Shut up!" Ollie hissed, "Ricky's taken a punch from the strongest pirate in the world. He can handle a bullet from that guy's rifle!"

**-x-**

"BASTARDS!" Usopp shouted as he darted forward, grabbed Luffy, and then ran off dragging Luffy with him. "HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO OUR CAPTAIN AND FIRST MATE!"

Zoro and Sanji grabbed Ricky by the arms and dragged the two thousand plus kilogram pirate way after Usopp. "CURSES!" Sanji hollered, "THAT'S REBEL SOLDIERS FOR YA!"

"I HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH A STRONG DISPLAY OF STRENGTH!" Usopp yelled.

"Whatever, I suck at scenarios like this one," Zoro muttered, like Luffy, he wasn't a very good liar. He was a man of honor and a strong swordsman, lying and pretending to lose weren't his strong suits.

"HEY! WAIT FOR ME!" Chopper called out as he ran after them.

Camu and his men were left staring after the pirates in shock, "Uhh… what just happened?" Camu wondered.

"HOOOORAAAAYYY!" the villagers cheered, Camu and his men turned around and stared at them in surprise.

"I KNEW YOU WOULDN'T LET US DOWN!" the Mayor exclaimed.

"YOU BEAT 'EM, YOU BEAT 'EM!" the children cheered.

While Camu and his men soaked in the cheers of the villagers and lived their dream of being warriors they missed the large purple lizard that walked passed on its hind legs. They also missed Ace and Han slipping away after the others.

**-x-**

"HEY!" Ace called out as he and Han caught up with the Straw Hats and Ollie. They stopped once they had gotten out of sight of the village and Chopper and Ollie were tending to Ricky.

"I don't see a wound," Chopper observed as Ollie looked over Ricky's body. They'd pulled his cloak open and raised his shirt but they couldn't find the bullet wound from when he'd been shot by Camu's rifle.

"I found the bullet," Ollie informed him as she held up the round ball that had stuck Ricky in the chest but hadn't punctured his skin.

"But it didn't wound him," Nami noted as she looked on from over Chopper's shoulder, "How is that possible?"

"Ugghh… I blocked it," Ricky answered. "It's a technique I developed called Steel Shield. I tense the muscles in my torso and make them hard so I can lessen the impact of strong attacks. Simple things like bullets just bounce right off."

Nami knelt down and grinned as she poked his eight-pack, "I guess that gives a new meaning to the phrase 'abs of steel'," Nami remarked.

**Fwip!** Ollie flicked the bullet at Nami causing her to flinch away from Ricky, "Hands to yourself," Ollie scolded her.

Nami opened her mouth to retort but Ricky interrupted, "Let's get going." He pulled his shirt down, closed his cloak and stood up. Ricky snatched his hat back from Ollie and put it on before grabbing Chopper and lifting him up onto his shoulders before he walked off and once again led the group onward.

Nami scowled at Ollie and quickly hoisted herself onto Eyelash in front of Vivi and followed after him. The others all shrugged and followed behind Ricky and the camel.

"I'm impressed," Han commented, "I didn't think those guys had it in them."

"It was almost scary how quick they turned over a new leaf," Zoro admitted.

"At least we know they'll defend the village now," Sanji resolved.

**Shhwwooo…**

Ricky, Chopper, and Han suddenly stiffened. Ricky whirled around and darted back over to the group, he yanked Nami off of Eyelash then spun around and pointed Nami so she was looking at a dark cloud coming in from the north, which was to their right.

**(A/N: Our heroes are travelling north-west towards Yuba which is in the middle of the western side of Sandy Island. The northern-most city on that side of the island is Rain Base. Everyone who's read/watched One Piece before knows what – or who- lives there.)**

"HEY!" Nami shrieked, "QUIT MANHAND—OOOOH MY GOD!" Everyone turned to look at the Navigator who had a look of horror on her face. "THAT CLOUD! IT'S LEADING A _HUGE_ SANDSTORM! IT'S HEADING STRAIGHT FOR EDO! A SANDSTORM THAT SIZE COULD DESTROY THE ENTIRE VILLAGE!"

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Usopp exclaimed. **WHOMP!** Sanji kicked him on the top of the head.

"IDIOT, MISS. NAMI'S _NEVER_ WRONG WHEN IT COMES TO THE WEATHER!" Sanji scolded him.

**SSSHHHHWWWOOOO… **The dark cloud continued its south-bound path and revealed that below it was an enormous spiraling tornado of sand. The huge sand-tornado was almost half the size of the village it was heading towards. Even with their motivated fake rebel soldiers, the village of Edo didn't stand a chance.

Vivi's eyes started to tear up as she remembered the state Erumalu and the Melias Oasis were in, "No…" the Princess gasped, "We can't lose another village…"

Luffy looked over at Vivi, he silently took off his straw hat and handed it to her, then turned to his crew and shouted, "LET'S GO KICK IT'S ASS!"

"You're going to _fight _a _sandstorm_?" Ollie asked incredulously.

"No," Ricky answered, "We're going to _beat _a sandstorm." Ricky put Nami and Chopper down and handed Nami the money bag and Chopper his black cowboy hat before he spun around to face Zoro and Sanji, "Weights off, let's go take care of this."

"Right," Zoro and Sanji agreed. **BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!** A moment later, Ricky, Zoro, and Sanji were weight-free. But in the moment it had taken them to remove their weights the sandstorm had gone passed the group and was bearing down on Edo.

"LET'S GO!" Luffy hollered as he took off to catch up with the sandstorm, Ricky, Zoro, and Sanji ran along with him.

"Those brothers of yours are setting off to fight the forces of nature," Han informed Ace as he, Ace, and Ollie stared after the four Straw Hats. Beside them, Usopp and Chopper were staring in amazement at their courageous crewmates.

"Yeah," Ace agreed with a fond smile on his face. "I couldn't be any more proud of them right now."

Nami went over to Vivi and hugged her, "It'll all be okay," she reassured the princess, "with those four together, there's _nothing_ they can't handle."

**-x-**

Luffy, Ricky, Zoro, and Sanji had raced passed the sandstorm and were now standing in between it and the village of Edo.

"So… uh… how do we fight a sandstorm?" Luffy asked. **SSSHHHHWWWWOOOO… **The sandstorm was bearing down on them, if they didn't stop it quick they'd be destroyed along with the village they were trying to protect.

"A sandstorm is basically wind blowing the sand," Ricky reasoned, "so we should be able to stop it if we counter with an even stronger wind. Luffy, make your biggest Gum Gum Balloon and then spin around and blow out all the air at the sandstorm. Zoro, stand beside him and swing two of your swords around as fast as you can. DO NOT let the sandstorm move any further."

"RIGHT!" Luffy and Zoro agreed.

"GUUUM… GUUUUM…" **SHOOOM!** Luffy inflated until he was five-times his normal size while Zoro drew _Kitetsu III _and _Yubashiri_.

Ricky looked over at Sanji, "The sandstorm is spinning counter-clockwise," Ricky pointed out, "While those two keep it at bay, the two of us will jump inside and spin clockwise. If we do it fast enough we should be able to cancel it out."

**SKUSH! **Sanji dropped his cigarette and stamped it out with his foot, "Let's go this then," he resolved.

**FWWOOOOSSSHHH!** Luffy winded his inflated rubber body around and spat a strong torrent of wind out of his mouth. **WHIR-WHIR-WHIR!** Beside him, Zoro spun his two swords around like a pair of propellers, a gust of wind – which was the result of his weight training – blew out from Zoro's swords and joined Luffy's gust and flew into the spinning sand tornado. The two of them working together were enough to keep the sandstorm from moving forward.

**SKISH!** Ricky and Sanji leapt passed Luffy and Zoro and landed in the middle of the sand tornado. The strong wind inside caused their clothes and hair to be blown around wildly.

"AND SPIN!" Ricky ordered, at his prompting, he and Sanji started spinning clockwise at an incredible speed that resulted from their weight training, **WOOOOSH!** Sand whirled around the two spinning pirates and disrupted the flow of the spiraling sand and the sand tornado slowly started to lose its power.

**SSSSHHhhhwwwwoooo… **With the four Straw Hats working together against it, the sandstorm was overpowered and the sand fell down to the ground. The storm that could have destroyed Edo was stopped.

Luffy and Zoro came walking back towards the others with a sand-covered Ricky and Sanji walking along beside them.

"Not bad," Zoro commented as he sheathed his swords.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Ricky apologized with his signature grin.

"WOW!" Chopper cheered with stars in his eyes, "THAT WAS AMAZING!"

Ollie gaped at Ricky, "That was in—" She was interrupted when Nami pushed passed her and enveloped Ricky in a hug, uncaring of the sand that was now getting on her.

"THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!" Nami exclaimed, stealing Ollie's words of praise before she even got a chance to say them. "You beat _a sandstorm_!"

"Hey, what about me?" Sanji complained, upset about not getting a hug as well.

"Everything you did was because of this guy," Nami pointed out. Ricky had noticed the storm approaching and Ricky had issued the orders to combat it. "When you stop a sandstorm, maybe I'll consider giving you a congratulatory hug too."

Luffy took his hat back from Vivi and turned to the others and cheered, "ON TO YUPA!"

"That _Yuba_," Usopp corrected the brave but simple-minded captain as the group headed off.

"Yeah, that," Luffy agreed. "LET'S GO!"

Ace and Han fell into step behind the others. "I have a gut feeling that that wasn't a natural sandstorm," Han informed his commander. "That storm your brothers beat was incredibly concentrated and was focused on one particular target… I think _something _caused it."

Ace nodded, "You might be right," Ace agreed as he looked ahead at the Straw Hats. "But I think that Nami girl was right too. With those four working together improving the way they have, there's nothing they won't be able to handle."

Back in Edo, Camu and his men were the heroes that would now defend the village from bandits and sand pirates. But once again, it was the Straw Hat Pirates who were the real heroes of the day. Now with the group together again, the Straw Hats and the three Whitebeards continued their journey to Yuba to find the Rebel Army.

**-x-**

I bet that none of you readers saw that sandstorm coming. Neither did I until two hours before I posted this chapter. It was a last minute addition to a kinda boring chapter that I'm very proud of.

Next chapter, as they continue their journey to Yuba, Vivi tells the Straw Hats about who they're going to see, the Rebel Warrior Koza.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	37. Chapter 37

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of its characters. However, I _do_ own Ricky, Ollie, and Han. Just not the characters the latter two are based off of.

**Rebel Warrior Koza:**

**-x-**

The Straw Hats and Whitebeards were once again trekking through the desert sand on their way to Yuba. Eyelash led the group with Vivi holding his reigns and Nami riding behind her, Ricky walked alongside the camel with Ollie on his other side, and Luffy and Usopp trailing behind him. Luffy was gasping from the heat while Usopp dragged himself onward with his trusty walking stick. Sanji and Zoro came next with Chopper's sled once again tied around the latter's waist. Ace and Han brought up the rear and silently walked in the footprints the others left in the sand ahead of them.

"Ugghhh…" Luffy groaned as he took a large swig from the small barrel of water he was carrying, the water spilled around his mouth as he guzzled the water.

"GAH!" Usopp gasped as he snatched the barrel away from Luffy, "WHAT'RE YOU DOING?" Some of the water spilled and instantly evaporated when it touched the hot sand. "AAHH! STOP SPILLING ALL THE WATER, YOU SLOB!"

"What's the big deal?" Luffy asked. "Ace and Han brought plenty of water for everyone."

"We've still gotta conserve our supplies," Usopp scolded him. "Stop hogging it all for yourself!"

"Why's it okay if Sanji does?" Luffy growled as he looked back at the cook who was holding a small sack of water.

"I have this for Miss. Nami," Sanji defended himself, "That way if she gets thirsty and cries out for water, I'LL BE THERE TO RESCUE HER!" Hearts appeared in his eyes as he skipped over to Nami, completely ignoring the weights on his legs as he offered the water sack to her, "MISS. NAMI, MISS. VIVI! Would either of you care for some refreshments?"

"No thank you," Nami declined.

"HEY! GIMME SOME!" Luffy ordered as he ran after the cook and attempted to pry the water away from him.

"HEY! YOU'RE SPILLING IT!" Usopp complained as he ran over and attempted to keep the two fighting pirates from spilling any more precious water.

"Chopper, Zoro, either of your two thirsty?" Ollie offered as she held up her green canteen.

"I'm good," Zoro stated, "Chopper?"

"No thank you, I'll be just fine," Chopper assured them.

"Ricky?" Ollie inquired as she glanced beside her at the First Mate.

"Save it for later," Ricky instructed.

"Ricky… you're sweating," Ollie pointed out as she eyed the sweat trickling down his cheek.

"It's just the weights," Ricky insisted, "I'm alright."

"He's obviously lying," Nami noted, "He'll pass out from dehydration before he admits that he's thirsty." Nami slid off of Eyelash and landed in the sand then walked over to Ollie and took the canteen from her. "Here's how you do it…" Ricky tensed and eyed Nami warily as she slowly unscrewed the canteen cap. **Tweek! **With his weights on Ricky had no hope to dodge the thief's fast hands, she reached out and pinched his nose and when he opened his mouth to breathe, Nami jammed the canteen into his mouth and poured some water down this throat.

"GACK!" Ricky choked on the water and Nami quickly pulled her hand off his nose and the canteen out of his mouth so he could breathe again. Since he was wearing his sunglasses she didn't even have to pretend to not notice his glare.

"And that's how you do it," Nami resolved as she gave the canteen back to Ollie. "You and I both know how selfless and generous he can be, he could've been on the verge of death and still would've refused the water."

"I'm right here you know," Ricky pointed out.

"Taking care of these idiots is a full-time job," Nami continued as if he hadn't spoken, "call me excessively violent if you want but sometimes you've gotta be heavy-handed with them."

Nami smirked and Ricky, Ollie, and even Zoro stared after her as she went back over to Eyelash. Everyone ignored Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji who were in the middle of a brawl over Sanji's water sack.

Han shook his head as he watched Nami get back on the camel then looked over at Ace, "She certainly seems to be able to read him properly," the monster hunter noted. "And she's not afraid to get rough to keep him in line. Ollie's still treating the kid like he's made of glass and'll break if she's too rough on him."

"You're right," Ace agreed, "But she seems a little high-strung. I'm not sure if I trust her with him just yet."

"Well with how calm he is now, maybe he needs someone a little high-strung?" Han suggested.

The high-strung girl in question was once again situated behind Vivi on Eyelash, "So Vivi," Nami addressed the Princess, "Can you tell us some more about this Rebel Army?"

"Yes, I probably should fill you in before we get there," Vivi replied, "It all started eleven years ago…"

Ricky glanced behind them and grinned when he saw that Ace was still at the back of the group, "Here comes another _flashback_."

"Nami, would you mind smacking him on the back of the head for me?" Ace requested.

"Gladly!" Nami agreed, **WHAP!** She leaned off the camel and swatted the back of Ricky's head.

"If he says the word 'flashback' again, you have my permission to hit him," Ace told her.

"Why'd you have to encourage her?" Ricky mumbled.

**-Eleven Years Ago-**

Inside the Royal Palace in Alubrana, a boy stood before King Nefertari Cobra. "We… we need help," the boy pleaded with the King. His name was Koza, he was seven years old and was tall and thin. He wore light blue desert robes under a dark blue sleeveless coat, and a pale red sash around his waist. The boy's dark blond hair was hidden under a gray desert cap. "Our village is dried up, how can you sit there and do nothing?"

"Weather is beyond my control as King," the King informed the boy. "I cannot command nature, it is beyond any man's power. There's nothing I can do.'

"My dad always told me the King's power is limitless!" Koza argued, "That he can do anything he wishes!"

"My abilities exist only in the realm of men," King Cobra replied, "I'm not some kind of God."

"Your Highness," a Royal Guard called out, "this boy's father has come to the palace!"

Koza whirled around in time to see a fat man come running into the chamber. He had bushy gray hair and a bushy gray mustache, atop his head was a gray turban. He wore a brown coat over gold desert robes. He wore a gold totem on his neck and a green sash with purple poke-a-dots. He was Koza's father, Toto. "MY DEEPEST APOLOGIZES YOUR MAJESTY!" Toto apologized, "Forgive my stupid son, Sire, place the punishment for his actions on me! I'll accept any penalty it's my fault!" Toto ran up to his son and forced the boy down to the ground and into a bow to the King.

"What were you thinking?" Toto hissed at his son, **WONK!** He bonked his son on the head for disrespecting the King. "How dare you! You stupid," **WONK!** "Insolent" **BONK **"Thoughtless" **BONK!**

"You're name is 'Toto', correct?" King Cobra interrupted.

"Yes, your Majesty," Toto quickly answered.

"I will officially grant temporary sanctuary to any villagers who are suffering due to the crisis caused by this drought," the King decided. "You're welcome to live here. Alubarana is a fine place for you to plan for your future."

"We appreciate your benevolence, King!" Toto groveled, "Thank you, Sire!"

"WHATEVER!" Koza shouted, "I DON'T WANNA LIVE IN THIS STUPID CAPITAL! IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO FOR US?" The boy pulled away from his father and ran out of the room in tears.

The King smiled after the boy then addressed his father, "Mr. Toto, your son's comments represent the people's frustrations. He's a good boy, he cares for those who suffer. That is why he is acting in such a way."

**-x-**

Koza ran down a carpeted hallway still in tears. **"Hey there, crybaby," **a voice called out. Koza skidded to a stop and spotted five-year-old Princess Vivi leaning against a wall with a much smaller Carue next to her. Her blue hair way tied back in a pony tail and she wore a white dress.

"What'd you say to me, midget?" Koza demanded.

"Midget?" the smaller girl repeated, she scowled as she approached the taller boy.

**-x-**

"King Cobra," a still alive Igaram addressed the King. His white hair was still in rolls and resembled a colonial wig and he was currently wearing a turquoise robe with purple spots all over it. "With all due respect, it's unrealistic to think we can support all those people. Not without exhausting our funds, Sire."

**KING CHOP!** King Cobra chopped the Captain of the Royal Guard on the head, "YOU FOOL!" Cobra scolded Igaram, "WE WILL BARE THE BURDEN OF THIS CRISIS WITH OUR PEOPLE! THEIR PLEAS WILL NOT BE IGNORED!"

"I understand," Igaram replied as he smiled up at the benevolent King, "as you wish."

**KREK!** The double doors of the chamber opened and a guard came running in, "YOUR MAJESTY, IT'S TERRIBLE, IT'S PRINCESS VIVI!"

King Cobra and Igaram were led out of the room by the guard and found themselves standing in front of Vivi and her loyal duck. The Princess' blue hair had fallen out of the ponytail and the girl was covered in bruises and had a wad of tissue stopping up a bloody nose.

"I fought with that boy," Vivi admitted, then reluctantly added, "And got beaten."

"VIVI!" Cobra exclaimed.

"AAAHH! PRINCESS VIVI!" Igaram shouted. "HOW DARE A COMMONER LAY EVEN A FINGER ON A MEMBER OF THIS ESTEEMED HOUSE! THAT BOY'S DEAD!"

The Captain of the Royal Guard went to go after the boy that had attacked the Princess but found himself being held back by the King. "IGARAM, YOU MUST CALM DOWN!" Cobra ordered.

Then Toto came running down the hallway, "YOUR MAJESTY!" the fat man shouted, "MY SINCEREST APOLOGIES!" The man pulled a knife out of his robes, "PLEASE, SIRE, KILL ME INSTEAD!"

"YOU'RE BOTH IDIOTS!" King Cobra roared, **KING CHOP! **Igaram and Toto were both left nursing lumps on their head. "YOU FOOLS! IT WAS A CHILDREN'S QUARREL!" At times, Nefertari Cobra seemed more of a father than a King.

**-x-**

Later the same day, seemingly all of the children in Alubarna were crowded together in the ruins outside the Alubarnaa market district, Vivi and Koza staring down in the middle of the crowd of cheering children.

"IT'S A FIGHT!" a boy shouted.

"DON'T GO EASY ON HER JUST BECAUSE SHE'S THE PRINCESS, KOZA!" a boy shouted. "TEACH HER A LESSON!"

"GO VIVI!" a pair of girls cheered.

"HEY!" a boy yelled at them, "KOZA'S OUR LEADER, YOU TRAITORS!"

"I become your leader when I beat you," Vivi announced, "that's the deal."

"I'd never lose a fight to you, midget," Koza retorted. "I've never lost a fight, especially to a dumb girl."

"Is that right?" Vivi questioned. The girl charged at the boy and the fight was on.

Fight is, of course, being rather generous. Since it was two children facing off it was instead a childish scuffle. Both of them rolled around in the sand and there was a lot of pinched cheeks and ruffled hair.

When it was over, Koza and Vivi stood side-by-side to address the other children. Both children were covered in dirt and were sporting a few bruises while Koza had a black eye.

"As of today, Princess Vivi will be Vice-Leader of the Sand Sand Clan," Koza decided. "Does anyone have a problem with that?"

"NOO!" the other children chorused. The Princess had earned their respect by joining in on the common children's game so she could join their gang.

As the children celebrated, King Cobra and Igaram were ducked behind a low wall watching. The King had a green bandana over his head and tied under his nose to keep anyone from recognizing him.

"Look Igaram, Vivi has made some new friends," Cobra observed, once again sounding more like a father than a King.

"Yes, Sire," Igaram agreed.

"That is the most important thing to have if she's to rule Alabasta in my stead," King Cobra stated, "The people must follow her." And so, Princess Vivi had joined the Sand Sand Clan a gang of common children. That friendship would serve her well as she grew older.

**-Later the Same Year-**

**SKUUSSSHHH!** Vivi skidded down a dirt hill and ended up in a garden that Toto was tending to with his wife Aswa.

"Good morning, Mr. Toto, Mrs. Toto!" the Princess greeted them. "Where's leader?"

"Oh, good morning," Toto responded, "If you're looking for Koza, he already left. I assume he's at the usual spot."

Vivi nodded and started to head for 'the usual spot', "See ya later!"

"Hey Vivi, are you staying for lunch?" Aswa inquired.

"Yes please, thank you very much," Vivi answered, she waved to them as she ran off.

"What a strange country we live in," Toto remarked, "A Princess mingling with commoners like us, who would have ever thought?"

"It's a sign of peaceful times," Aswa replied.

Just then, Igaram 'snuck' passed while holding a leaf-covered branch in front of him for cover. He was doing his usual duty of protecting Princess Vivi. "And will you be joining us?" Toto addressed the 'hidden' Captain of the Royal Guard.

"No, no, that's quite alright," Igaram declined. "I packed a lunch today. Bye." Igaram scuttled off after the Princess.

It was then that a second man 'snuck' through the yard hiding behind a palm branch. He wore a royal purple robe and a green bandana over his head to hide his long black hair but seemed to forget about his black pharaoh beard.

"YOUR MAJESTY!" Toto gasped at seeing the King out of the palace and in his garden. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

Toto's shout gained Igaram's attention and the Captain of the Royal Guard, "COBRA, YOUR MAJESTY!" Igaram snapped as he shuffled back over to the King. "I ASKED YOU NOT TO FOLLOW ME AGAIN!"

"Yeah…" Cobra admitted, "but I just wanted to make sure my precious daughter is okay."

"GRRRR…" Igaram growled at the Royal Father. "SIRE, I CAN'T BABYSIT YOU _AND _PRINCESS VIVI _TOO_! GO HOME!"

**-Back to Present Day-**

"LUFFY, GIMME BACK THAT WATER!" Usopp shouted as he chased after Luffy who had won the scuffle and was now running away with Sanji's water sack. Sanji attempted to run after them but the weights on his legs were holding his back so rather than look foolish in front of the ladies he gave up on the chase.

"Interesting," Ricky commented, "The Royal Family mingling amongst the people. Five thousand berries says Wapol would've never done that."

"Sucker bet," Nami retorted.

"Just wait," Vivi told them, "I haven't gotten to the best part yet."

**-Back to the Flashback-**

Vivi laughed to herself as she ran up a dirt road and headed for the Sand Sand Clan's usual meeting place. But her path was suddenly blocked by a pair of seedy looking men.

"Hahaha, hello Princess," the first man chuckled as he greeted the Princess. He was a large husky man with his black hair tied up in three buns.

"You lost little girl?" the second man inquired with a wicked grin, he had spiky red hair and wore a green robe that was opened to reveal his bare chest. His name was Agotogi and was the leader of a band of bandits. "We'll help you out!" Vivi shook with terror as the two bandits advanced on her.

"**SAND SAND CLAN, ATTACK!" **came a loud shout. Koza and the rest of the Sand Sand Clan came charging over a hill wielding wooden clubs. The two bandits were caught off guard when the children jumped on them and clung to them as they started beating the bandits with their clubs. Of course, they were children attacking grown men with pieces of wood, their attacks barely had any effect.

"WHAT THE HELL'S WRONG WITH THESE KIDS?" Agotogi demanded. "THEY WON'T GIVE UP!"

"Leader… guys…" Vivi gasped as she watched her friends fight with two grown men.

"VIVI, GET OUTTA HERE!" Koza shouted, "THEY'RE AFTER YOU! WE'LL HOLD 'EM OFF BUT YOU'VE GOTTA RUN!"

"I can't… leader…" Vivi whimpered.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Agotogi laughed, "We're not here to kill you! We're just gonna kidnap you for a ransom from your father! But these other kids…" **WHAP! **The bandit grabbed Koza, his large hand went all the way around the boy's head as he lifted him up and threw him at Vivi. **WHUMP!**

"Damn," Koza cursed from the ground in front of Vivi.

The two bandits quickly threw the children off of them and walked through the tiny bodies littering the ground and advanced of Vivi. "Now just come with us quietly, Princess Vivi," Agotogi growled.

Koza stood up and stepped in front of Vivi with his club raised, "STAY BACK!" Koza yelled at the bandits. "PROTECT HER TO THE DEATH, SAND SAND CLAN!"

"RAAAAAHHH!" the other children screamed before they got back up and once again jumped all over the two bandits and pounded them with their wooden clubs determined to keep the Princess safe.

**-x-**

**I Love My Country:**

**-Current Time-**

**SKISH!** A dark purple stinger pushed up through the sand and spun around like a periscope.

"HEY, WHAT'S THAT?" Luffy exclaimed as he ran over to the stinger. "It looks like a tail!" Luffy picked up a stick and began jabbing the stinger. "Come on out, don't be shy!"

**SHOOOM!** The tail burst out of the ground and Luffy found himself standing the back of a dark purple Colossal Scorpion.

"WAAAAAHHHH!" Usopp screamed in terror.

"IT'S HUGE!" Luffy gasped in amazement.

"Another Colossal Scorpion," Han muttered, "This desert must be crawling with 'em."

"GET IT!" Zoro shouted. He drew his swords and charged at the scorpion followed by Sanji and Chopper in his Heavy Point form. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper proceeded to give the poor scorpion the beating of a lifetime.

Usopp stood back in front of Ace and Han and screamed at the sight of the monster. "WAAA-HAAAA-HAAAA-HAAAA!" Han shook his head and Ace simply watched with a smile.

"What, are you scared of that little thing?" Han teased the sniper. "You've got the other four covering you, are you a man or not?"

"I'M A BRAVE WARRIOR!" Usopp shouted, he pulled a hammer out of his weapon's pouch and charged the scorpion, "HERE COMES THE FIGHT! UUUSSSOOOPP HAAAMMEEER!"

"You need any more venom?" Ricky asked Ollie with a quick glance back at the scorpion.

"I got enough from the other one," Ollie told him, she reached back and drew a purple tinted arrow from her quiver, "See, I finished it?"

"Ah, good," Ricky replied, "I'd hate to be the guy on the receiving end of that one."

"Are you two going to listen to the story or focus on arrows and scorpions?" Nami scolded them.

"Listen?" Ricky repeated, "I'm watching the flashback."

**WHAK!** Nami leaned off of the camel and smacked him on the back of the head.

"Thanks Nami!" Ace called out from behind them.

"Happy to help!" Nami replied.

"I think she's enjoying that a little too much," Ollie whispered to Ricky.

"Which is why we're trading spots," Ricky decided.

"Hey, you're the one who keeps saying the word," Ollie protested, "I'm not taking your lumps for you because you're too stubborn to stop saying it."

"Vivi, why don't you continue your story about Koza," Nami suggested.

"Alright," Vivi agreed, "You see, Koza had a strong heart that burned as bright as the sun. But I worried that his compassion would one day be used against him."

**-Flashback Continued-**

The intense desert sun shined down from overhead as Koza and the other children in the Sand Sand Clan continued to fight the two bandits to protect Vivi.

"DON'T GIVE UP!" Koza called out. "WE'RE NOT BEAT YET, KEEP FIGHTING!"

Vivi stood still and stared in shock at her friends as they fought with the grown men. But that was when a third man came up behind her. He had darker skin than the other two and wore a yellow cloak lined in black and white stripes over brown desert robes and a black and white bandana tied on his head.

"HAHAHA! STUPID KIDS!" the third bandit laughed as grabbed Vivi by the shoulder, "Looky here…"

"OH CRAP!" Koza cursed as he whirled around and spotted the man holding Vivi, "ANOTHER ONE?"

**CHOMP! ** In an unladylike manner, Vivi bit the bandit's hand and ran away from him and into the ruins the Sand Sand Clan usually met in.

"Looks like she's headed into the ruins," Agotogi observed, "Let's get her boys." The Sand Sand Clan attempted to stop the three bandits but now with their target at risk of escaping the men dealt with the children like they were nothing and followed Vivi into the ruins.

**-x-**

It was only a few minutes later that Igaram and King Cobra came across the battered bodies of the Sand Sand Clan. "What happened?" Igaram gasped as he survived the hurt but thankfully not dead children. He knelt down next to one of the boys and propped him up on his knee, "HEY BOY! WHAT HAPPENED? HEY KID, WHERE'S PRINCESS VIVI?"

"Vivi… got kidnapped… by three men…" the boy gasped, "they went into… the old ruins… Leader followed them in there… he's trying to save the Vice-Leader."

"Oh yeah?" Cobra growled as he glared at the ruins, his paternal protective instincts were kicking in.

**-x-**

"OOOH PRINCESS!" Agotogi and his men called out as the wandered through the ruins in search of Vivi, "PRIIINCEEESS? WHERE'D YOU GO-OO? COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!"

Vivi shook and breathed deeply as she hid behind a stone wall she watched one of the bandits walk off away from. **Krek-krek… **The Princess flinched when a rock fell down next to her, she looked up and saw Agotogi grinning down at her as he stood on top of the wall.

"Found ya, little Princess," Agotogi boasted, "Now don't ya run off on me again, little girl."

**WONK!** Koza appeared on the wall behind Agotogi and hit the man in the back with his club, knocking him off the wall and into the sand next to Vivi, **FWUMP! **Koza jumped down and landed in between Vivi and the prone bandit.

"Leader!" Vivi exclaimed.

"Vivi, are you okay?" Koza asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Vivi assured him.

"Ugghhh…" Agotogi groaned as he started to get up.

"STAY DOWN PUNK!" Koza threatened, "OR I'LL GIVE YOU ANOTHER BEATING! I"LL NEVER SURRENDER THE PRINCESS, YOU GOT THAT?"

"Hey kid," Agotogi retorted, "Shut your damn mouth and gimme my meal ticket." The bandit leader drew what was either a long knife or a short sword and held it in front of him. "I'm done playing games with you little brats."

"It's a sword…" Vivi gasped, "Koza… let's run…"

"Don't worry, Princess," Koza reassured her. "He's harmless."

Vivi stared in shock as the boy stood in front of her armed with only a wooden club looking to defend her from a full-grown man with a sword/knife. _"PROTECT HER TO THE DEATH, SAND SAND CLAN!"_

"Leader, please stop it," Vivi pleaded, full of worry for her friend.

"I'm warning you," Agotogi growled as he brandished his bladed weapon at the boy. Koza shook and looked frightened but refused to back down. "RAAAHHH!" The bandit charged and lashed out with his knife/sword.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Vivi screamed in fear.

"RRAAAAHH!" Koza shouted as he charged at the man with his club out in front of him. **SLISH!** "AAAAHHHH!" Koza cried out in pain as he was cut across the edge of his left eye. Blood squirted out but the boy ignored it and drove his club into the bandit's face, **WHOMP! **The bandit was knocked out cold and went down hard, his weapon went flying and embedded into the sand nearby, **FWUMP! SHUNK!**

"Aahhh…" Koza cried as he dropped to his knees and clutched his bloody eye. The blood was dripping down the left side of his face and was almost in his mouth. Vivi ran up to him and placed a hand on his back.

"Leader…" Vivi whispered to him, her soft voice filled with concern.

"**No way! That damn little kid managed to knock out our Boss!" **came an unwelcome voice, the other two bandits rounded the wall and stared down at their boss and the two kids.

"How dare he!" the other bandit growled, "It's time to make that little brat pay!" Koza stood up and prepared to face the other two bandits too. "You… you're dead, _boy_!"

"**RRRAAAAHHH!" THWAK! THWAK!** Igaram and Cobra came leaping over the wall and kicked the two bandits in the face leaving them in a heap on the ground.

"TAKE THAT YOU BASTARDS!" Cobra snarled at the bandits.

"PAPA! IGARAM!" Vivi cheered at the sight of her father and guardian.

**KING STOMP! **Cobra drove his foot down into the two unmoving bandits, "HOW…" **FATHER STOMP! "**DARE…" **KING STOMP!** "YOU…" **FATHER STOMP!** "PUNKS…" **KING STOMP!** "HOW DARE YOU TRY TO KIDNAP MY PRECIOUS DAUGHTER! YOU DIRTY SWINE!" **FATHER STOMP! FATHER STOMP!**

"**We took care of the others, Sire," **came a new voice. **FWUMP! FWUMP!** Two more bandits were thrown onto the ground on top of the growing pile.

"Chaka! Pell!" the King smiled at the sight of his country's two greatest warriors, "My friends! Why are you two here?"

"That's funny, we were going to ask you the same question," Pell commented.

"What would drive a King to travel so far from home?" Chaka wondered. "These areas are a haven for many bandits, it's not a place for royalty."

"GAAH!" Koza cried out as he clutched his eye.

"Igaram, Koza's hurt!" Vivi called out to her guardian.

"Yes, he needs immediate medical attention," Igaram noted, "the others are also in dire need." He turned to the two warriors and called out to them in his Captain of the Royal Guard voice, "PELL, CHAKA, ARRANGE HELP AT ONCE!"

"Yes sir," Chaka and Pell chorused.

"You children acted very brave," Igaram praised Koza.

**-That Evening -**

The sun was setting over the Royal Palace. Vivi, Cobra, Igaram, Toto, Carue and four bandaged members of the Sand Sand Clan were all gathered around Koza's bed in the medical ward of the palace.

"What's wrong, Vivi?" Cobra asked his daughter as she sat on a stool and hugged her legs to her chest. "Why are you so distant, child?"

"I was so scared…" Vivi whimpered, "Leader…"

"I was scared too," Koza admitted as he sat up in his bed. His desert cap was off and he had a length of bandages tied around his head securing a wad of bandages in place over his left eye. "They were so much bigger and stronger than us… and armed to the teeth."

Vivi sobbed on her stool, "It's not that. It's just… Leader… you told them to protect me to the _death_. Don't give your life to save mine. Leader…"

"_Poor Vivi,"_ Igaram thought to himself, _"Her greatest fear is losing her friends." _Toto smiled at Koza, proud of his son's bravery.

Cobra smiled at the boy and turned to leave, Igaram and Carue followed him to the door. "Vivi may be a little girl but she's also a Princess," King Cobra said out loud. "Koza… the full measure of gratitude I owe you cannot be expressed so I will simply say 'thank you'."

"But Vivi is one of my friends," Koza pointed out, "I'd do that for all of them."

"I see," King Cobra replied, "Then I'm certain the next generation of Alabasta's people will be in good hands." The King glanced back at the boy, "Do you love this country?"

"Yes, this is my home," Koza answered.

"Mine as well," Cobra agreed.

**-x-**

A little bit later, King Cobra left the medial ward with Igaram and Carue following behind him. "Excuse me," Igaram spoke up, "Maaa… maaaa… maaaaa… There is an important matter that concerns me greatly."

"What is that?" Cobra inquired.

"Those who are to lead their countrymen must be able to make difficult decisions without hesitation," Igaram explained. "Vivi is far too tenderhearted for this responsibility."

"Igaram, just relax," King Cobra mollified him, "Because as I see it, Alabasta is safe." His daughter's tenderhearted nature would help her become a great Queen when she finally took over for him.

"Your Majesty, it is my greatest desire to serve you until my dying breath," Igaram vowed. And he did.

**-Sometime Later-**

"Yuba?" Vivi repeated as she and Carue sat on a stoop and listened to Koza. The boy's eye was unharmed but he had a scar going through his eyebrow, over the edge of his eye, and down the left side of his face.

"Exactly," Koza replied, "And that news comes directly from your dad to mine so you know it's true. Your dad asked mine to start a town! He said… it will be built in the Yuba Oasis. That's considered the crossroads of Alabasta's western desert. Every merchant or traveler has to pass through it, it's the perfect location. You just wait until it's finished, this town will bring good fortune and joy to so many people. AMAZING! And that's not even the best part, my dad's going to be the Mayor of the whole thing!"

"You're going too, Koza?" Vivi asked her friend.

"Of course," Koza answered, "But my dad wants me to stay here in the capital. He says life will be too hard but I've just gotta be where all the action is, and live it! I wanna help build the city with my own two hands! Alabasta will need the city of Yuba to survive."

Vivi was sorry to see her friend leave but the smile that lit up the boy's face and told her how happy the prospect of going to Yuba made him, she couldn't bring herself to feel bad.

**-Days Later-**

Days later, all the supplies were packed and the large group of Yuba settlers was ready to set off into the western desert in camel-drawn wagons. Toto and Koza were saying a last-minute goodby to King Cobra and Princess Vivi who had come to see them off.

"We're counting on you, Toto," King Cobra said as he shook the fat future-Mayor's hand.

"Yes, yes, your Majesty," Toto replied, "We'll make Yuba a great city for Alabasta." He turned to the girl standing beside the King, "So long, my Princess, I won't see you for a while but as soon as Yuba's up and running be sure to stop by."

"Yes, of course I will," Vivi agreed.

"It's gonna be the best town ever!" Koza exclaimed from beside his father. His eye had healed and all that was left in the place of his wound was a scar over the corner of his left eye. "As soon as it's up and running, I'll give you the grand tour."

"LET'S MOVE OUT!" someone shouted, with that the Yuba settlers were off.

Toto and Koza turned to follow after them, "See ya Vivi," Koza called out as he waved to the Princess, "I hope you grow up to be a great Princess!" Vivi smiled and waved as they set off.

**WONK! **Toto smacked his son on the back of the head, "Koza, stop being so arrogant!" he scolded him.

"Koza is correct about Yuba," Cobra informed his daughter. "This new city will bring great prosperity to the Kingdom."

**-End Flashback-**

"So… Koza went with his father to the city of Yuba," Nami repeated. "Is that why we're heading there? What does this have to do with the rebel army?"

"We're heading towards the oasis of Yuba," Vivi reminded her, "That's the home of the rebel army."

"And if my hunch is correct, guess who the _Leader _of the rebel army is?" Ricky suggested.

"Leader…Koza!" Nami realized.

"That's right," Vivi confirmed, "the same boy from the story is now the leading the rebel army."

"MISS. NAMI, MISS. VIVI!" Sanij called out as he pranced over carrying a scorpion claw, once again his love drove him to ignore the weights. "I SAVED YOU THE BEST PART!"

"YAAAAHHHH!" Nami and Vivi yelped as they stared at the dismembered claw.

"THIS DESERT SHRIMP IS DELICIOUS!" Luffy exclaimed as he and Usopp sucked the meat out from the hard shell of the Colossal Scorpion as if it was a boiled lobster.

"IT'S NOT SHRIMP, IT'S A SCORPION!" Usopp corrected him.

"Uuggghhh… I'm so full…" Luffy groaned as he slumped over the remains of the Colossal Scorpion, all that was left were little pieces of the shell.

"YOU GUYS ARE A BUNCH OF INCONSIDERATE JERKS!" Nami yelled, the only ones who had listened to Vivi's story were her, Ricky, and Ollie. "LET'S GO EYELASH!" The camel headed off with his two female passengers, Ricky and Ollie stood in place and stared after them.

"Why's she so angry?" Luffy wondered.

"Nami's upset that none of you guys bothered to pay attention to Vivi's flashback," Ricky answered. **WHAP!** Ace smacked him on the back of the head. "Enough with the smacking already, it's not even a running gag anymore!"

"I'll stop as soon as _you _stop breaking the fourth wall," Ace told him.

Ricky rubbed the back of his head and looked over at the others, "Vivi just told us the story of a childhood friend of hers that grew up to be the leader of the rebel army," Ricky explained. "He's the guy we're going to Yuba to meet."

"Oooh," Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper all chorused.

"Why couldn't she have just said that?" Zoro asked.

"It was a nice story," Ollie replied, she looked over at the camel that was still going off alone up ahead of them, "Did they learn anything from when they were captured by sand pirates yesterday?"

"Guess not," Ricky replied with a shrug.

**-x-**

At the base of the Rebel Army, a camel-drawn wagon pulled up to a tent in the middle of the camp. "Did you get any weapons?" one of the rebels asked the cart driver.

"Not many," the rebel driving the cart answered, "Where's Leader?"

"Inside," the first rebel replied.

The cart driver got off the cart and pushed his way into a dark tent. A lone figure was lying on a cot on the far end. "What's wrong?" the cart driver rebel inquired, "Why are you sitting here in the dark?"

"This Kingdom… has gone to the dogs," answered the now-adult eighteen year old Koza. He had dark blond hair and a handsome face, the familiar scar was going across the corner of his left eye. He wore a pair of purple-tinted glasses, black pants, a white shirt, and a long purple coat that went down to his ankles. Around his neck he wore a blue scarf and the golden totem that Toto had worn during the flashback.

The leader of the Sand Sand Clan had grown up to become the leader of an entire army. The patriotic boy who had taken a knife to the eye because of his love of his country and friends was now leading the army determined to overthrow the government of the country he used to love.

And it was all Crocodile's fault.

**-x-**

Next chapter, Ace discovers if the rumors of Blackbeard being sighted in Alabasta are true or not and ends up in a desert showdown against the Gallant Scorpion.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	38. Chapter 38

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of its characters. However, I _do_ own Ricky, Ollie, and Han. Just not the characters the latter two are based off of.

**A/N:** **School's out, new update schedule. Friday around 12pm EST.**

**The Gallant Scorpion:**

**-x-**

The desert sun shined down on a cluster of rocky crags. Rings of smoke were rising from the flat top of the tallest crag which had a cave carved into its side and a tent pitched in it. The top of the crag was incredibly messy and was cluttered with empty bottles and cans of food. The only movement on the crag came from a large ostrich wearing a black battle helmet with goggles on it.

"Caaawww…" the ostrich crowed as it stared off in a distance and saw smoke rising from the middle of a clearing in between a group of boulders that were all half buried in the sand at the bottom of the crag cluster.

The ostrich turned over to the other occupant of the crag top and the source of the smoke rings, a man dozing on a hammock as he blew out the rings of smoke from a corncob pipe. He had tanned skin, scruffy brown hair and a scruffy brown beard and mustache, the man's black bowl-shaped battle helmet which had a red scorpion on the front was tilted down over his eyes. The man wore a short-sleeved red plaid shirt and blue denim overalls that ended in shorts. Coming out from under the red shirt was a black long-sleeved shirt, and out from the denim shorts were dark blue pants.

The ostrich walked over to the man and started pecking him on the head in an attempt to wake him, **KONK! KONK!** "Caaaaww!"

"Huh?" the man grunted as he lifted his helmet up to reveal his dark reflective sunglasses and a tattoo on his right temple it was of two small hearts with a white arrow going through both of them. "What is it Popo?" The ostrich motioned to the smoke it had noticed. "Smoke!" The man reached down to the stuff cluttered around his hammock and picked up a telescope.

The man stared through the telescope and saw that the smoke was coming from a campfire which had a group of travelers gathered around it. But the man zoned in on the shirtless figure wearing an orange hat and black shorts.

"Is that… the tattoo on his back…" the man focused his telescope on the purple crossbones with the white crescent shaped mustache that adorned the traveler's back. "There's no doubt about it! 'Fire Fist' Ace! He finally showed up! PORTGAS D. ACE! I've been waiting for this day!"

"Poooohhhh…" Popo the ostrich crowed.

**-x-**

"_THIS_ IS ALL THE BREAKFAST WE GET?" Usopp complained as the Straw Hats and the three Whitebeards sat around the fire in their makeshift campsite. "COME OOON!"

"SEEECOOONDS!" Luffy ordered as he stood tall by the fire and smacked a spoon against a metal bowl. **KLANG! KLANG! KLANG!**

Luffy and Usopp suddenly found Sanji's feet planted in their face, **THWAK! THWAK!** "Don't be greedy!" Sanji growled at them. "You've had enough for one meal."

**WHUUP!** Luffy's rubber arm stretched out and snatched a chunk of meat off of Zoro's plate from where he had been sitting eating quietly with Han.

"LUFFY! WHAT'RE YOU… COME _ON_!" the swordsman snapped. He got up and glared down at the Captain, "KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OF OTHER PEOPLE'S FOOD!"

**THWAK!** Sanji kicked a still complaining Usopp and knocked him on his back, "THERE ISN'T ANY MORE, OKAY?"

"Why are they like this every time we eat?" Vivi wondered as she and Nami sat on top of one of the round boulders calmly eating their own breakfast.

"Don't make eye contact," Nami advised.

"Like that'll stop Luffy from stealing your food," Ricky said from down at the bottom of the boulder where he sat eating breakfast in between Ollie and Chopper. "Luffy has absolutely no self-restraint. You can either eat all your food before he can steal it or outright stop him from stealing it."

**SHUUUWHUP!** Luffy's rubber arm stretched out and swiped meat off of Ricky's plate. Ricky glared down at the empty spot on his plate while Ollie grinned.

"You were saying?" she teased him.

"_Now_… I outright stop him from stealing it," Ricky resolved as he got up and stalked over to Luffy who had ignored his 'fight' with Zoro to steal Ricky's food. "Zoro… hold him down…"

Vivi looked over at Ace who was sitting on top of a tall boulder quietly wiping off his fork, knife and plate with a napkin. His black and red desert cloak was neatly folded next to him with his rucksack placed on top of it. "Ace is so calm and orderly," Vivi noted, "He cleans his fork and plate after each meal."

"Makes me think that there's hope for his gender after all," Nami remarked as she glanced over at the other male pirates.

"Let's see you steal our food _now_!" Ricky taunted as he and Zoro stood over Luffy.

"MMMMM! MMMMMMM!" Luffy mumbled, Ricky had tied his rubber lips in a knot, binding his mouth closed.

"Ace is cut from a different cloth than those guys," Nami commented to Vivi. "Judging by his well-mannered personality you'd never guess that he has a staggering bounty on his head."

"Ace has a bounty on his head?" Chopper asked.

"Yup," Ollie replied, "A big one too. Bounty Hunters all around the world are after him. There's not a pirate alive that isn't intimidated by the name 'Fire Fist' Ace Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates." Everyone thought back to how Ace had roasted the five Billion battleships with his Flame Flame Fruit Powers, it seemed odd that such a well mannered man was capable of such a devastating feat.

"If Ace is imposing enough to scare his peers then this Blackbeard he's chasing must be just as terrifying," Vivi commented.

Ollie tensed, "That _bastard _is a monster," she spat. "He was in our division and even then I thought he was creepy. He showed his true colors by killing one of his own crew and then thinking nothing of it. He tried to do the same thing to Ricky… and now he's all… different." Ollie frowned and looked over at Ricky who was standing silently over Luffy with a small grin playing across his face while Zoro loudly ate the reclaimed food.

"Mmmmm," Zoro moaned, "It tastes even better now that Luffy can't steal it."

"MMMMM… MMMMPPHHH!" Luffy snarled with his lips still tied in a knot. He grabbed his lips and started stretching them in an attempt to yank the knot out.

"Even if he didn't kill him," Ollie continued, "With how he scarred and changed Ricky… Ace'll never give up hunting him until he's brought to justice for what he's done. Evil Devil Fruit Powers be damned."

Nami looked over at Ace then slid down the boulder and landed in the sand next to Ollie, "So… what was Ricky like before he lost his eye then?" she asked his former Nakama. Chopper and Vivi perked up and looked at Ollie with interest.

"He was a lot more emotional than he is now," Ollie admitted, she glanced around her and saw that she had her audience's full attention. "I suppose I could tell you some embarrassing things about him…" A predatory smile spread across Nami's face. "You should see what happens when he gets really drunk."

As Ollie launched into a potentially embarrassing story, Ricky shivered and glanced over at them, "I have a feeling that something really bad is happening over there."

At the same time, Han stiffened and glanced around him, _"We're being hunted."_

**-x-**

"Hah hah, 'Fire Fist' Ace!" the man on top of the crag chuckled as he held a bazooka on his shoulder and stared through the viewfinder on top of the barrel at Ace as he sat on top of his boulder. "Why don't we kick this party off with a nice little gift… now I want you to just relax…" Instead of pointing the crosshairs of the bazooka's viewfinder at Ace, he tilted it down so it was aiming at the boulder he was sitting on. "I promise I'm not gonna kill ya. I'm just gonna blow up that rock you're sitting on."

**SKIFF! **The man lit a match on his shoe and brought the flame to the fuse of his bazooka. He kept eying his target as the fuse slowly burned down.

Behind him, the smoke of the burning fuse tickled Popo the ostrich's nostrils, "GAAACHOO!" the ostrich sneezed and bent forward, the spittle and the sneeze put out the flame on the fuse.

"MY PRIDE DEMANDS THAT I SHOULD CAPTURE YOU ALIVE, _ACE_!" the oblivious man exclaimed, "AH HAH HAH HAH!" The man was left staring through the viewfinder of his bazooka with his eye on his target while he waited for the unlit fuse to burn down.

**-x-**

**SKUSSSSHHH!** Nami poured sand in the fire-pit and doused the flames. "There, done," she resolved, "It's time we get going."

"YOU ATE MY MEAT!" Luffy hollered at Zoro, he'd managed to get his lips untied and now the two were in the middle of a heated scuffle. Ricky had removed himself from the situation and was casually sitting against a boulder watching the skirmish.

"You guys!" Nami called out to them, "KNOCK IT OFF, YOU TWO, _NOW_!" **WHOMP! **Once again Nami won the fight between Luffy and Zoro and leveled them with a hard hit to the head.

But as Nami scolded Luffy and Zoro, two small figures peered around one of the round boulders and eyed the leftover meat.

"**Here we go…" **the first small figure whispered.

"**Right,"** the second small figure agreed.

"Hurry and clean up!" Nami ordered Luffy and Zoro, "We're leaving for Yuba! Look at this mess!" Nami looked over at Ricky and gave him a hard look, "And that means you too!"

"I would…" Ricky admitted as he eyed a plate of leftovers and watched as a chunk of meat was hoisted off of the plate by a thin fishing line. To the untrained eye it would look like it was floating. "But either the food's cleaning itself up, or someone's stealing it."

"Huh?" Luffy questioned, he looked at the plate and saw the floating meat, "WHOA! AWESOME! FLOATING MEAT!"

"**Oh know, they saw us!" **one of the figures exclaimed.

"**Hurry, big brother!" **hissed the other one. The two figures took off running through the boulders, a wooden fishing pole stuck up in the air and pulled the meat along with them.

"IT'S TALKING TOO!" Luffy shouted as he pointed at the wayward meat. "SHISHISHISHI! WHOA, NOW IT'S RUNNING AWAY!"

"Idiot, someone's _stealing _our food," Ricky pointed out. "Come on, let's get it back." The Captain and First Mate quickly ran after the food thieves and the meat on their fishing line, Luffy jumped up on top of the round rocks and jumped across them while Ricky, who was still wearing two thousand kilograms worth of weight weaved his way through the forest of boulders in the direction the meat had gone. Ace shook his head and darted after them.

"LUUFFYY! RIIIICKYYY!" Nami shouted after them, "GET BACK HERE!" The Straw Hats and Ollie ran after their Nakama.

Han remained alone in the clearing, _"The stolen food was either a diversion, or there's two parties involved here," _the monster hunter thought to himself as he glanced up at the tallest crag of the cluster, _"Both theories are worth investigating."_

**-x-**

"WAIT MEAT!" Luffy shouted as he jumped across the boulders. He ended up jumping clear over the meat thieves and landed on the other side of the boulder cluster. He stared ahead of him at the endless expanse of sand. "WHERE'D IT GO? THIS WAY?" Luffy turned and ran off in a seemingly random direction to continue his pursuit of the stolen meat.

Two brown haired boys peaked out from behind one of the boulders and smiled as they watched Luffy run away from them. They quickly ducked back behind the boulder and sat down so they could enjoy their meal.

"We lost him, Dip," the smaller lighter haired boy commented, he held the ends of the bone going through the meat and took a big bite. He appeared to be about five, had a bowl haircut, and a smattering of freckles across his face. He wore blue overalls and a green sweatshirt underneath.

"How does it taste, Chip?" the larger darker haired boy asked as he watched his younger brother eat. He was about eight, his short brown hair was messy and he had the same pattern of freckles going across his face. He wore a light gray button down shirt, a pair of jeans with a patch on the right knee, and a backpack. "That's our first meal in two days, eat slowly."

"I can't believe we got meat," Chip remarked as he handed the meat over to Dip, "here, you have some, big brother."

"Yeah," Dip agreed, "We can't even get a scrap of meat in the badlands."

"**Ah, the badlands,"** came Ace's voice as he crouched on top of one of the boulders and stared down at the two boys. "So that's where you're from, huh? Smells good, you enjoying it?"

"STAY BACK!" Dip yelled as he moved protectively in front of Chip, "I MEAN IT!"

"YOU CAN'T HAVE THE FOOD BACK!" Chip shouted, "WE ATE IT!"

**Click!** Dip pulled out a two-barreled pistol and aimed it at Ace. "You… you move a muscle and you're dead!" the boy nervously threatened.

"**You're putting your life on the line pointing that gun at him,"** Ricky's voice cut in causing the two boys to flinch. They looked to their left and saw Ricky leaning against a nearby boulder. His sunglasses were on again, hiding his eye, but the boys knew he was looking at them.

"As rule, I'm not fond of people pointing guns in my face," Ace stated as he impassively stared down the barrels of the gun.

"Dip… h-have you ever shot a gun before?" Chip questioned. "Will it even shoot bullets?"

"It's not safe to point guns, boy," Ricky warned him, "especially at a stranger you know nothing about. Do you know what you're doing?" Ricky pushed off of the boulder and slowly started walking towards the two boys.

Since Ricky was approaching them while Ace seemed content to remain on his boulder, Dip turned the gun on him.

"ST-STAY BACK!" Dip stammered.

"NOOO!" Chip cried out, he lunged at his brother to keep him from shooting. **BANG!** The gun went off anyway and a bullet was fired at Ricky.

**WHIP!** The boys stared in shock as the bullet was knocked off course, out of the air, and down to the ground.

Ricky looked over at Ace and shook his head, "You and your depth perception."

"Wh… what happened?" Dip gasped as he stared down at his bullet.

"You're playing a dangers game, kid," Ace said as he stood up and stared down at the two boys. "Never draw on somebody unless you can hit what you're aiming at. You may want to protect your little brother but I won't let anything happen to mine either."

The boys continued to stare at the bullet and saw Ace's weapon of choice: a small piece of rock no bigger than the bullet itself. The fact that Ace had managed to hit the bullet and knock it down with just a rock spoke wonders for his speed, precision, and dedication to keeping his younger brother safe.

"He… he bounced the bullet right back with a rock!" Dip realized.

"I've never seen anyone that strong!" Chip exclaimed. "Are they gonna hurt us?"

"As another rule, we try to avoid hurting civilians," Ricky spoke up, he was now standing over the two boys. "Now… what's this food stealing thing all about? Why are you two all alone here in the middle of the desert?"

Chip and Dip shared a look before Dip dropped the gun and clasped his hands together, "Please sir, I have a favor to ask you!" he requested. "There's someone I need you to find and capture for me! Please! It's important!"

"…" Ricky and Ace shared a silent look.

"I can give you a reward if you catch him!" Dip continued, "I'll give you a million berries!"

"A million berries?" Ricky repeated. "Do you even _have _a million berries?"

"No," the boy confessed, "I won't be able to pay you right away. But I will as soon as I grow up, I promise! Help me… find this man!"

Dip showed Ricky a worn picture of a brown haired man with a scruffy brown beard and mustache. He had a tattoo of two small hearts with an arrow going through them on his right temple and wore dark sunglasses. Judging from the pitchfork he was holding, it looked like the man was a farmer

Ricky took the picture from the boy and showed it to Ace. The two had a silent conversation where Ace raised an eyebrow and Ricky glanced pointedly at the two boys and then back at the picture then tilted his head to the side and shrugged. Ace tilted the brim of his hat up to reveal his eyes and his grin, he nodded at Ricky.

"Alright kid," Ricky finally agreed, "And you promised to pay us later… so we'll set up a Treasure Tab for you."

It was then that Ollie and the other Straw Hats finally caught up with them. They came around the boulder Ace was standing on and stared at the two boys in surprise.

"What's going on?" Usopp inquired, voicing the question on everyone's mind, "Who're they?"

"We agreed to find this guy for these two," Ricky answered as he showed them the picture.

**-x-**

The same man from the picture still stood on top of the crag staring through the viewfinder of his bazooka. "Hah hah hah! Bear witness to Scorpion's ultimate weapon!" the man calling himself 'Scorpion' exclaimed, "One hit from this will demolish that entire rock. Then while Ace is buried I'll capture him alive, completing my flawless victory."

It took a moment of staring through the viewfinder for Scorpion to finally realize an important thing, his target was no longer sitting on top of the boulder he'd last seen him on.

"GAAAH!" Scorpion shrieked, "WHERE'D HE GO?"

"**What are you doing?" **Scorpion whirled around and jumped in surprise when he saw Han standing behind him with his arms folded across his chest.

**KLAK!** Scorpion was so surprised that he dropped his bazooka, the gun landed on the edge of the rock and tipped off of the side and began to fall. Scorpion dove after his gun and managed to catch it by the end of the nozzle while hanging by his ankles. But to the man's horror a spotted ball fell out the other end of the bazooka and dropped towards the sand and a boy wearing a straw hat who appeared out of nowhere.

"DAMN IT!" Scorpion screamed, "HEEEY BOOYYY! RUN AAWWWAAAYYY! IF THAT THING BLOWS UP IT'LL TAKE HALF OF ALABASTA WITH IT!"

"Huh?" said Luffy as he stood at the base of the crag and stared up at the spotted ball as it dropped down towards him.

"AAAAHHH!" Scorpion screamed as he pulled himself back onto the top of the crag and dove for cover, Han eyed the strange man but remained standing in the same place as before. "THE ENTIRE GRAND LINE'S GONNA BE BLOWN TO THE MOON!"

Nothing happened.

Han eventually broke the awkward silence, "Was something supposed to happen?"

"That round… it was…" Scorpion stammered, he crawled over to the edge of the crag and stared down it, "HEY! YOU THERE?"

"**I'm here,"** said Luffy, causing the man to flinched in surprise as Luffy stood casually next to Han as if he'd been there the whole time.

"Hello there, Luffy," Han greeted him.

"What's got this guy so worked up?" Luffy wondered.

"What… what happened to the bomb?" Scorpion demanded. "Why didn't it go off?"

"This thing?" Luffy asked as he held out the spotted ball he'd caught.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Scorpion screamed in terror and scuttled backwards to get away from his bomb, only to scuttle over the edge of the crag. He nearly fell but managed to catch himself with his left leg which he hooked on the edge of the crag at the last second and left himself hanging upside down.

"SHISHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed, "You're one hilarious old guy!"

"GRRR… STOP LAUGHING YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Scorpion snapped.

"I'm quickly growing tired of all this," Han admitted, he walked over to Scorpion and pulled him back onto the top of the crag.

"So who is this guy?" Luffy inquired.

"From what I can tell, he's a bounty hunter who's after Ace," Han answered.

"Ooooh, you're after Ace?" Luffy questioned, "SHISHISHISHI! NEAT!"

"Of course I'm after Ace," Scorpion boasted. "I'm the greatest bounty hunter around, perhaps you've heard of me: SCORPION THE GALLANT HUNTER!"

"Nope," Han replied, "Never heard of you. And I'm a bit of a hunter myself. Although, it appears that I've stumbled across yet another scorpion living in this desert. But I must ask, why are you hunting someone as dangerous as 'Fire Fist' Ace? For his bounty?"

"OF COURSE NOT!" Scorpion replied, "IT'S A MATTER OF PRIDE! I promised them I'd capture him. And now he's here"

"Them?" Luffy repeated, "Who?"

"Wait a minute… ACE! I LOST HIM!" Scorpion suddenly realized, he turned around and stared through his telescope at the boulder he'd seen Ace sitting on. "GRRR! DAMN IT! THIS IS THE LAST THING I NEED! I CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE HIM NOW!" Scorpion turned to his ostrich, "POPO! WE'RE HEADING OUT TO WHERE I LAST SAW HIM!"

Han shook his head, _"He's going to great lengths to impress whoever he promised that he'd capture Ace," _he thought to himself,_ "I'll bet he's the reason Ace is in Alabasta."_

"So you're going out after Ace?" Luffy questioned. "If you're as tough as you say you are, this'll be a great fight!"

"HAH HAH HAH!" Scorpion laughed, "Of course it will! I am the Gallant Scorpion! I never fail to capture my target!"

**-x-**

Ace had taken the picture of Scorpion from Ricky and was staring at it while Ollie and the other Straw Hats gathered around him to question the two boys.

"My brother and I have been on his trail and I know he's close," Dip explained. "We followed him from the badlands."

"We need more details," Usopp said, "What's his name?"

"Scorpion," Dip answered. "He's a bounty hunter."

"Hold on, you sure?" Zoro asked.

"What possible reason would you kids have for chasing a bounty hunter?" Nami wondered.

"I have business with him as well," Ace admitted. "A man who defeated Blackbeard is somewhere in Yuba. He goes by the name 'Scorpion', one of my two reasons for traveling here was to meet this man."

"_THAT GUY_ DEFEATED _BLACKBEARD_?" Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, and Vivi all questioned at the same time.

"I call bullshit," Ricky stated with a frown marring his face.

**-x-**

**Desert Showdown:**

**-x-**

Scorpion rode on Popo's back with Luffy sitting behind him in the saddle Scorpion had tied onto the ostrich.

"Hey kid, are you sure your friend will be alright on his own?" Scorpion inquired.

"Yeah, Han said he meet us wherever Ace is," Luffy answered, "I don't know him that well but if he says he'll meet us there, I believe him." Luffy grinned and changed the subject, "So old guy, are you really gonna fight Ace?" Luffy knew he was riding with someone who was actively hunting his big brother, but honestly, the thought of the funny old guy and Ace fighting sounded like fun. And if the funny old guy was as tough as he said he was then it should be a cool fight.

"HAH HAH HAH!" Scorpion laughed, "OF COURSE! You're a lucky boy, you get to witness a huge battle. Me, the World's Greatest Up-and-Coming Bounty Hunter locked in combat with one of the most vile man to ever cross these sand-covered parts! I've been on many a heart-pounding adventure, I've had epic battles with everyone from Double Barrel Danny to Hell Battler Luther and every fight ended with my opponent begging me for his life!"

"SHISHISHISHI! I DON'T KNOW WHO ANY OF THOSE GUYS ARE!" Luffy laughed. "But your name must be known throughout the world!"

"No," Scorpion confessed, "BUT SOMEDAY SOON! HAH HAH HAH!"

"YOU'LL BE FAMOUS!" Luffy cheered. "SHISHISHISHISHI!"

"I'll tell ya this, kid," Scorpion said, "I'm gonna beat 'Fire Fist' Ace. And after him everyone else is gonna be a synch."

"Whoa!" Luffy gasped, "This I've gotta see! Shishishishi!"

"Easy," Scorpion warned him, "You'll be mindful not to mock me, boy. Whenever I do something I make sure I do it right. A man should live his life to the fullest and set aim to big ambitions. It's important that I show 'em that."

"Show who?" Luffy questioned.

"Gah!" Scorpion gasped before quickly changing the subject and shouting, "HERE COMES SCORPION, THE GALLANT HUNTER!"

**-x-**

"Ace…" Ricky said as he sat next to Ace on the boulder and stared at the picture of Scorpion, "If this guy beat Blackbeard, I'm Marine Admiral Akainu."

"And since Ricky's clearly not an unwavering believer of Absolute Justice, you can safely say he's not Akainu," Ollie pointed out, "Ace, the only way that guy would've beaten Blackbeard is if he fed him a pie laced with lethal poison."

"I know," Ace admitted, "But even if rumors of him beating Blackbeard in combat aren't true, I'm hoping that he might at least know where he is so I can continue my search for him. And the only way to find out is to meet him face-to-face."

"Ace?" Chip repeated. "You don't mean you're… the real 'Fire Fist' Ace?"

**TMP!** Han suddenly landed on a nearby boulder. "Oh Han, there you are," Ace commented, he held up the picture of Scorpion, "Have you seen this guy?"

"Actually I have," Han told him, "But if you're looking for him, don't worry about it, cause he's looking for you. In fact… they should be coming right about now." Han turned to look off into the desert while the others all looked the same way.

"There's two," Ace stated as he stared off into the desert and listened carefully, "Maybe a bird."

Chopper's nose twitched, "They're here," he reported.

Ricky had reclaimed the picture of Scorpion and was staring intently at the tattoo on the man's right temple. Upon closer inspection it was made up of two hearts, a pink one and a blue one. The pink one had a 'D' on it and the blue one had a 'C'. Ricky looked over at Dip and Chip and grinned.

Scorpion rode Popo up to the top of a sand dune and spotted Ace standing on top of the boulder, "I'VE COME FOR YOU 'FIRE FIST' ACE!" the man shouted, "I'm the Scorpion, a true indomitable hero! I've traveled a great distance to challenge you!"

"It's him, _that's_ Scorpion," Vivi realized.

"Hey kid," Ricky commented to Dip, "Looks like _he _found _us_. That means no charge."

The two boys silently peeked over a boulder and stared at the man in shock.

Just then, Luffy peaked out from behind Scorpion, "OH, HEY GUYS!" Luffy greeted them, "YOU'RE ALL HERE! AND HAN TOO!"

"LUFFY!" the Straw Hats all exclaimed.

"Why are you riding with the Scorpion?" Sanji demanded. "He's enemy!"

"_It's really him,"_ Scorpion thought to himself as he broke out into a nervous sweat, "'Fire Fist' Ace in the flesh."

"What's wrong Scorpion?" Luffy asked.

"It's uh… AAHH HAH HAH HAH!" the bounty hunter started laughing to hide his nervousness. "SO SORRY ACE, BUT THIS IS THE DAY THAT YOUR LUCK RUNS OUT! ALL THOSE HEROIC TALES YOUR SUPPORTERS FLATTER YOU WITH END TODAY!"

"Stupid… turn back…" Dip whispered.

"How come?" Ricky inquired as he knelt down next to the two boys, "Sounds to me that he really wants to fight."

"THIS IS SO EXCITING!" Luffy exclaimed, "ACE, THIS IS A SERIOUS FIGHT! So don't pull any punches!"

"I WASN'T PLANNING TO!" Ace snapped. "But before we fight, there's something I wanna know…"

Scorpion didn't hear what Ace was saying because he was currently fighting to keep from panicking, _"Why am I falling apart?" _he wondered, _"This is what I wanted. I won't wimp out now! I'm invulnerable! I can't die… not as long as I remember that they need me!"_

"READY! HERE I COME!" Scorpion shouted, "RAAAHHH!" Luffy jumped off of Popo as the ostrich raced towards Ace, who jumped up on top of the boulders and bounded towards him.

**CLICK! ** Scorpion pulled a large red cartage that had a steel chord wound around inside it and snapped it onto the nozzle of his bazooka. "YOU'RE FINISHED!" **KA-BOOOOM!** Scorpion fired his bazooka and a steel net fired out of it and snapped around Ace who hadn't even bothered to move.

"Heh," Ace chuckled. **FWOOSH! **His body glowed orange and flames shot out and sent th steel net flying back the way it had come.

"GAH!" Scorpion shrieked as he saw his own net coming at him, "CRAP! CRAP! CRAP!"** SHU-WHUP!** The steel net snapped around the bounty hunter who was knocked off of Popo and began crying out in pain as the net that had been exposed to Ace's flames burned him. "AAAH! HOT! HOT! HOT-HOT-HOT!"

"Whoa!" Usopp exclaimed, "Ace just threw the net right back at him!"

Ricky looked over at Chip and Dip and noted that the boys were looking on with worry.

Scorpion threw the net off of him and looked over his shoulder to see Ace still standing the same spot with flames dancing on his shoulder. "AH HAH HAH HAH!" the man laughed, not allowing himself to be discouraged, "I GUESS I SHOULD BE THANKFUL! If defeating you were easy, it wouldn't be much of a victory! Hah hah!"

"Oh yeah?" Ace replied, "Well you have some skills yourself."

"I'm glad you approve," Scorpion said as he got back up to his feet, "Cause this fight isn't over! POPO! THE COMPRESSED EXTINGUISHER GUN!"

"CAAWW!" Popo crowed, the ostrich darted over and dropped a metal yellow backpack in front of Scorpion before running off to get out of the way.

Scorpion pulled the backpack on and pulled the long thin gun before he pulled a hose off of the backpack and snapped it onto the end of the gun. **Clack!** "A special compressed air gun filled with extinguisher foam!"

"Uh… it's _what_?" Zoro questioned.

"Looks like he _did _do his research," Han noted, "Ace is made of fir so he's decided to fight with a gun that's like a high powered fire extinguisher."

"But does it work?" Sanji wondered.

"DON'T BE FOOLED BY THE FOAM!" Scorpion called out as he ran at Ace, "this bad boy packs enough power to blow a hole clean through ya! RAAAAHHHH!" **CHOOOOSSSHHH! **Scorpion fired his air gun and a white torrent of foam fly at Ace, who quickly leapt out of the way, causing the compressed air and foam to blow a hole straight through the boulder that was behind him, **SHOOM!**

Ace ran at Scorpion and the man kept firing his extinguisher gun at him, **CHOOOSSSHHH! CHOOOSSSHHH! **Ace dodged all the bursts of foam and drove his fist into the man's stomach when he got in range, **POW!**

"GAAHHH!" Scorpion gasped, he doubled over and clutched his stomach then staggered forward and skidded down the edge of a sand bank.

"It was a nice try," Usopp commented, "But you never had a chance my friend."

"I suspected as much," Ace stated as he stared down the sand bank at the downed form of Scorpion, "You lied about defeating Blackbeard. You figured using his name would draw me out into the open. Am I right?"

"Ugghhh… that's right…" Scorpion groaned, "A clever… deceit… Hah hah… KOFF! KOFF! I'd say that first round was a draw! Now it's time to get serious!" The man attempted to push himself up off of the ground but his arms gave out and he ended up dropping onto his back.

"STOOOOP!" Dip suddenly shouted, "YOU CAN'T BEAT HIM, FATHER!" The boy's cry caused the Straw Hats to stare at him in surprise.

"I suspected as much," Ricky muttered.

"Did he say 'father'?" Luffy questioned.

"KOFF! KOFF! Son… I'll be fine," Scorpion coughed.

"STOP THE FIGHT!" Dip shrieked as he and Dip slid down the sand bank and joined their now identified father at the bottom of it.

"Chip… Dip…" Scorpion called out as his son ran over to him.

"Father, you don't have to do this!" Dip told him. "'Fire Fist' Ace is too powerful!"

"What're you doing here?" Scorpion asked as he reached out and gently ruffled his sons' hair, "why aren't you at home? When did you leave the badlands?"

"And here comes the flashback," Ricky noted as he casually sat down in the sand and made himself comfortable. **WHAP!** Nami promptly slapped him on the back of the head.

"What's a 'flashback'?" Chopper asked innocently as he sat down next to Ricky.

"Well you see…" Ricky started to explain but Nami cut him off by hitting him again, **WHAP!**

"DON'T YOU DARE!" she warned him.

"I guess I'll tell you when you're older," Ricky resolved as he rubbed the back of his head.

**-Scorpion's Flashback-**

Weeks ago, at a small farm in the badlands, Scorpion worked out in the field while his two sons helped out.

"FATHER!" Dip called out as he stood up and held out a big potato, "ISN'T THIS THE BIGGEST POTATO YOU'VE EVER SEEN IN YOUR LIFE?"

"Yes, that is a big one," Scorpion commented. "Hah hah hah!"

**-x-**

That night after dinner, Chip and Dip sat against the farmhouse and stared up at the star-filled night sky.

"We sure are lucky," Chip said, "Think of all the people out there that didn't get to eat a potato today. But I wonder what it's like to eat until your tummy gets full."

"You idiot, keep your voice down," Dip hissed. It was moot point though, because Scorpion heard him from around the corner and stopped his work so he could listen. "How do you think dad would feel if you were to say that? He gave up his dream of being a bounty hunter so he could support us." Scorpion got closer and listened in on the two boys.

"I heard about this hero who travels across the sea and goes on big adventures," Dip continued as he showed his brother the Wanted Poster of Portgas D. Ace. The depicted pirate was shirtless, wore his signature orange hat and was winking at the photographer while a smirk was spread across his face.

"Do you think maybe you and me would be able to do something like that?" Chip inquired.

"Of course not," Dip said, "We're gonna live our entire lives here working this withered land, just like father. So don't waste time dreaming, haven't you learned anything from him? Dreams don't ever happen in the real world."

Scorpion couldn't take it any longer, he leapt around the corner and growled at his two sons, "I THOUGHT I TAUGHT YOU BOYS BETTER THAN THAT? You think I did all this so you'd stay here? Dreams are all that's worth having in this world! And I'll prove it! I'll track down 'Fire Fist' Ace and defeat him in the world's greatest battle! MY DREAM!" Scorpion lunged forward and hugged his sons, "Then I'll return home to you boys and we'll see how worthless you think a man's dreams really are!"

**-End Scorpion's Flashback-**

"Please, we understand now what you've been trying to teach us!" Dip said, "This battle's too much for you! You've gotta come home!"

"Hah hah hah hah!" Scorpion laughed, "Don't be silly! Remember boys, I'm the world's greatest bounty hunter. If I've said it once, I've said it a million times, I've fought the toughest, meanest men around and bested every one."

"Dad, you don't have to lie," Chip cut in.

"Uhhh hah hah," Scorpion chuckled, "You found me out. The truth is… I'm a terrible liar and a terrible father to boot."

"I'd hate to interrupt a touching family moment," Han cut in as he walked over so he was standing next to Ace at the top of the sand bank. "But any guy who's crazy enough to go up against Ace so he could impress his sons and show them the power of a man's dreams, is a good father in my book. Leaving your kids alone and risking your life to do that weren't the best ideas but you taught your boys a valuable lesson."

Scorpion smiled, "You see boys?" he asked them, "If you remember nothing else that I've taught you, remember this: even the most insignificant person can rise up to challenge the world's greatest hero if he believes in himself. That is the entire reason I did this, to show you… show you boys what it means to follow your heart's desire. Men need dreams, goals that burn deep inside like an eternal flame. That is what sustains us all. Ambition. Always challenge what other say can't be done, even if it seems impossible. Believe and life will deliver paradise. Hah hah! Forgive me boys, but the only way to make you see this truth was to put my life on the line. My sons, always follow your heart."

Scorpion stood back up and stared up at Ace, "WAIT FATHER!" Dip protested.

"WATCH AND LEARN BOYS!" Scorpion exclaimed, "WITNESS YOUR FATHER'S UNCONQUERABLE SPIRIT!" He slowly made his way back up the sand bank towards Ace. "So long as I hold onto my dream… I won't back down. DO YOU HEAR ME, ACE?"

"…" Ace remained silent and stood still in the same spot from before. Han slowly stepped away from him so he didn't get caught in the fight that didn't involve him.

"POPO!" Scorpion shouted. "THE BAZOOKA!"

"CAW!" the ostrich ran over and placed the bazooka in front of Scorpion then ran off again.

Scorpion picked up his bazooka and stared through the viewfinder at Ace. "PREPARE YOURSELF!" Scorpion shouted, "THIS IS THE END!" **Fissshhh… **Scorpion lit the fuse on his bazooka and waited for it to burn down.

"I WON'T LET YOU DO IT!" Dip cried as he and Chip ran up and grabbed their father from behind with a hug. "WE NEED YOU!"

"GET DOWN!" Scorpion ordered his boys, "TAKE COVER!"

"We understand you had to leave us to make your point," Dip admitted, "we get it father. We won't give up on our dreams, like you said. Please listen to us and stop fighting! COME HOME! We need you around THAT'S _OUR_ DREAM!"

"I'm sorry, daddy," Chip apologized, "Don't be mad at us anymore! We'll be good, I promise. And I won't complain ever again. I'm scared daddy, I wanna go home!"

His son's cries finally reached him, Scorpion dropped his gun and hugged his boys. "I LOVE YOU TOO, BOYS!"

"LOOK OUT FOR THE GUN!" Han shouted. Scorpion's dropped bazooka bounced down the sandbank and bumped against a boulder. It landed with the nozzle pointed upward and went off, **BOOOM! **The spotted bomb that Luffy had caught earlier blasted out of the nozzle. **SHUNK! **Spikes shout out from the bomb and it slammed into the top of the crag that was towering over the embracing father and sons. **KA-BOOOOOM! ** The bomb exploded and the rocky crag was blasted apart causing large chunks of rock to come falling down towards the man and two boys.

The Straw Hats and Ollie all gasped in shock while Ricky tore off his weight bands.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Scorpion and his sons screamed, the man leaned over his sons and hugged them to protect them from the falling rubble.

Luffy ran down the sandbank looking to save the family, "GUUUMM… GUUUUMMM…"

"I got it," Ace interrupted. "FIIIIREEE FIIIIST!" **FWOOOSSSHHH! **His arm glowed orange and he threw a punch causing a mighty column of flames to fly out and engulf the falling rocks.

"Speed Step!" **ZOOOOOM! **Ricky's feet pounded the ground and kicked up a wake of sand as he sped down the sandbank in the blink of an eye. Then ran under the falling rocks and scooped up, Scorpion, Chip, and Dip, then sped back up the pass.

But Ricky's legs still weren't used to moving that fast, especially when carrying three other people, Ricky's legs gave out at the top of the sandbank and he tripped. But before he went crashing down to the ground he tossed Scorpion and his two sons away from him and shouted, "LUFFY! DON'T JUST STAND THERE, CATCH THEM!" Luffy nodded and sprinted after the airborne trio looking to get under them.

**FWOOOOM!** The flames from Ace's arm kept going and not only engulfed the falling rocks but the crag they'd come from as well. **THOOOM!** The crag toppled over and ended up in a ruined heap on the ground.

"GUUUM… GUUUM… BAALLOOON!" **SHOOM!** Luffy inflated his big body became round, **BA-BA-BOING!** Scorpion and the two boys came crashing down on the rubber pirate, Luffy grabbed Chip and Dip and held onto them but Scorpion bounced off of Luffy's rubber belly and went crashing to the ground next to him.

**Fwoooo…** Han whistled in surprise as he stood in front of Ollie and the other Straw Hats, "Ricky and Ace normally had a great teamwork dynamic," the monster hunter admitted, "but with the way those three work together, it's clear that they're brothers."

"I'll say," Ollie agreed.

"Hey, you guys okay?" Luffy asked the two boys as he deflated leaving the two lying on top of his normal thing body. The boys scrambled off of Luffy and ran over to their father who was lying unmoving on his back having landed badly when he bounced off of Luffy.

"FATHER!" Dip exclaimed, "FATHER, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

"That's what we were about to ask you," Ace commented, he had Ricky's arm thrown over his shoulders and was helping his weak-legged brother over to the boys.

"Ace, please don't beat up on our dad anymore!" Dip pleaded as he and Chip leaned over their father and clung to him.

"Scorpion… hey… are you still alive?" Luffy asked as he looked down at the bounty hunter.

Scorpion sat up and glared at him, "Of course I'm alive!" Scorpion snapped, "You think I'd die and leave my sons behind? The Scorpion's not going out that easy!" Dip and Chip hugged their father and cried into his chest. It had been a close call. Scorpion smiled and hugged his boys consolingly. "I love you. You boys are my life. I was foolish. Now come on, let's go home."

"A word of caution," Ricky warned the man, he stepped away from Ace and stood shakily on his own. "Don't use Blackbeard's name." Ricky lifted his sunglasses and his eye patch to reveal the 'x' shaped scar over his right eye. "This is what he's capable of. I was his former Nakama, and he tried to kill me to get a treasure I had. If he hears about you claiming to have defeated him, he'll think nothing of killing you and your sons to keep his reputation intact."

Scorpion flinched, "I'm done bounty hunting," he told him, "Now I'm just going to go home and spend some time with my boys. He won't hear his name from me."

"Would you happen to know where he might be though?" Ace inquired. "I need to bring him to justice for what he's done."

"He hasn't been here in Alabasta," Scorpion admitted, "But I heard someone mention that he was sighted somewhere west of here."

Ace bowed to the man, "Thank you, that might be helpful," Ace said.

**-x-**

The sun was setting and the Straw Hats and Whitebeards were gathered at the edge of the crags.

"**BYYEEE!" **The pirates and the princess all turned and saw Chip and Dip waving to them as they sat on Popo's back. Scorpion walked alongside the ostrich as they headed home.

"BYYYEEEE!" Luffy called after them with a big goofy wave.

"So Ace…" Ricky said to his brother, "now that you know Blackbeard was never here, are you going to leave us?"

"Ace, can't we stick around a little longer?" Ollie requested. "Whitebeard gave us two and a half weeks leave. It's only been thirteen. We've still got a week left."

"You two are welcome to stay if you want," Ace told her, "But I've gotta continue my hunt."

"Ace, Scorpion said he was west of here," Ricky pointed out. "That could mean anywhere between the next island, Fishman Island, or the New World. Will sticking around another day or two really throw you that much off the trail?"

"C'mon Ace!" Luffy chimed it, "You could at least get to Yupa with us."

"Luffy…" Usopp groaned, "IT'S _YUBA_!"

"The lead on Blackbeard was only one of the reasons I was here in Alabasta," Ace admitted, "My other reason was to check on you two and make sure you were in good hands."

"And what's the conclusion?" Ricky inquired while the Straw Hats looked interested.

Ace smirked, "Requires further investigation." Luffy and Ricky smiled.

"Figured as much," Han whispered as he cast a quick glance over at Nami.

"So you're really gonna stick around?" Luffy asked with a big smile.

"Yeah," Ace answered. "I can spare a few more days."

"WOOOHOOOO!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper cheered.

"In that case, we'll have a bonfire tonight!" Luffy decided.

"Quit deciding things on your own!" Sanji scolded him.

"With how cold it gets in the desert at night, we might as well camp here for another night," Zoro resolved. "Who knows how long it would take us to find another suitable camp ground."

"WOOO! BONFIRE PARTY!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper cheered.

"Glad to have you staying with us," Ricky said as he patted his brother on the back. "But should I be worried that you still don't trust me alone with my new Nakama yet?"

"Nah, Ace is just a big old softy," Han told him. "He's doing his duties as a big brother by making sure you're taken care of."

Ace gave Han a hard look, "I think I liked it better when you were quiet," he commented.

"Taken care of?" Ricky repeated with a confused expression.

**Tweek!** Nami pinched Ricky's ear and pulled him down to her, "If we're camping here, you'd better help out setting up," she ordered. "Last night you spent the whole time the rest of us were setting up training with Zoro and Sanji, you didn't help at all, you lazy jerk." Ace watched with a smile as Nami dragged Ricky off by the ear.

"Yup, still gotta keep an eye on her," Ace remarked.

"At the moment, the kid looks like he's in good hands," Han commented.

"Yeah, till she gets angry again and hits him for no reason," Ollie muttered before she stalked after Ricky and Nami.

Han looked over at Ace, "I think she's forgetting how heavy-handed _she _used to be with him."

Ace nodded in agreement and watched his two younger brothers frolic with their Nakama and begin setting up camp. A smile crossed his face as he thought to himself, _"I guess it wouldn't hurt anyone if I stuck around a little longer."_

**-x-**

And so with the three Whitebeard Pirates still along for the trip the Straw Hats continue their long journey across the desert to Yuba. But another case of desert madness will lead Luffy, Ricky, Zoro, and Chopper to discover some mysterious ruins.

Also, I had a commissioned piece done. You can find the link on my profile page.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	39. Chapter 39

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of its characters. However, I _do_ own Ricky, Ollie, and Han. Just not the characters the latter two are based off of.

**Mezcal Madness:**

**-x-**

The desert sun was blaring down overhead as Zoro and Chopper trekked their way through the seemingly endless expanse of desert. Zoro had Luffy's unconscious rubber body thrown over his shoulder while Chopper walked next to him in his Heavy Point form.

"You seem to be handling all that weight alright," Zoro noted, impressed by reindeer he'd been pulling all across the desert's sudden show of strength and endurance.

"I'm in my Heavy Point form," Chopper explained as he walked beside him carrying Ricky, Ricky's weights, and the money-filled bag. "I weigh a lot more now, so everything else seems lighter."

"**Uggghhh…"** Luffy suddenly groaned as he began to wake up.

"Looks like someone's back with us," Chopper observed as he looked over at Luffy who was stirring on Zoro's shoulder and looking around him in confusion.

"Have you recovered what's left of your sanity?" Zoro asked the groggy captain.

"Wha… what happened?" Luffy wondered.

"You are such a pain," Zoro muttered, not bothering to answer.

"Where are the others?" Luffy inquired.

"No idea," Zoro admitted.

"Huh? How can you have no idea where they are?" Luffy questioned.

"Pretty easily actually," Zoro answered.

Then Luffy noticed Ricky on Chopper's shoulder, "What happened to Ricky?"

"YOU KNOCKED HIM OUT, YOU MORON!" Zoro snapped.

"We tried everything and he won't wake up!" Chopper complained.

"So we're lost again?" Luffy realized.

"YES WE'RE LOST!" Zoro and Chopper shouted at him, "AND GUESS WHOSE FAULT THAT IS?"

"Uh… my fault?" Luffy asked obliviously causing the other two to growl at him.

At the current moment, Ricky wasn't even conscious enough to break the fourth wall and mumble the word 'flashback'.

**-Flashback from an Hour Ago-**

The eight Straw Hats and the three Whitebeards continued their journey towards Yuba when Luffy suddenly let out a loud yell.

"RAAAAHHHHH!" the rubber pirate had swirls in his eyes as he ran off screaming.

"What's he doing?" Nami wondered as she and Vivi once again rode on Eyelash.

"Looks like he's freaking out again," Ricky noted, from where he was standing beside the camel. He shook his head at his younger brother's antics and adjusted the strap of the black money bag hanging from his shoulder.

Luffy was so delirious he wasn't even bound by gravity to the sand and began running on midair.

"How's he running on air?" Sanji questioned.

"He musht've eaten another cactush." Usopp realized, he was once again leaning on a walking stick with his tongue hanging out, "He'sh gone crazshy."

"Geez, why can't he stay out of trouble for just five minutes?" Nami complained.

"Sorry," Ace apologized on his brother's behalf. "Luffy's always had a knack for trouble. But usually he can get himself out of it."

"Yeah, but we've already wasted enough time waiting on him," Nami pointed out. "If we ever want to make it to Yuba, we've got to get him now." Nami looked over at Ricky and batted her eyes at him, "Riickyy, would you mind getting your brother so we can keep on schedule?'

"I'll do it," Ricky replied, "But I want to state for the record that I was going to get him anyway. Chopper, you got another one of those knock-out shot, things?"

"I don't think he'll be of much use," Zoro informed him, as he looked over his shoulder at Chopper passed out on the sled.

"Here kid," Han offered as he pulled a pistol out from his coat. "It's loaded with three tranquilizer darts each strong enough to down a whale."

"If it doesn't completely knock him out, it should at least slow him down enough for you to knock some sense into him," Ollie reasoned.

"Right, thanks," Ricky said as he accepted the gun from Han. "Zoro, come with me."

"Huh? Why me?" Zoro asked.

"It's important to use the buddy system when traveling in unfamiliar territory," Ricky answered, "And I don't think we should subjugate our guests to our Captain's lunacy."

"I've gotten Luffy out of trouble almost as many times as you have," Ace reminded him.

"No, he's right," Zoro realized, "You're our guest and he's our Captain. We'll get him." Ricky nodded and he and Zoro trekked off towards Luffy with Chopper and the sled dragging across their deep footprints.

"Right, let's get going," Nami resolved as Ricky and Zoro followed Luffy over a large dune.

"But don't you think we should wait for the others?" Vivi questioned.

"They can catch up to us by following our footprints," Sanji told her.

"And Ricky's got his Treasure Sense," Ollie added.

"Knowing him, they shouldn't have a hard time finding us again," Nami commented, "And in the meantime, we can find some place to relax."

"Shoundsh good to meee," Usopp groaned as the remaining Straw Hats and Whitebeards continued onward.

Vivi looked off in the direction Luffy, Ricky, Zoro, and Chopper had gone in, _"I hope that they really will be alright," _the Princess thought to herself.

"Don't worry about them," Ace reassured her, once again seemingly able to read her thoughts. "There's nothing my two kids brothers can't handle when they're working together."

**-x-**

"I'm guessing you have a plan then?" Zoro asked expectantly as he and Ricky stood at the top of a sand dune and watched Luffy run around screaming below them.

Ricky held up the pistol Han gave him, "I'll need you to distract him so I can get a good shot in. If Luffy notices me, even in that state, he'll be nearly impossible to hit." Ricky glanced down at Chopper, "Hang tight little brother," he addressed the unconscious reindeer, "I'll be right back." Ricky headed off and began making his way around Luffy so he could shoot him with the tranquilizer from behind.

Zoro pulled the weight bands off his wrists and dropped them down on the sled Chopper was lying on, avoiding the reindeer's small body while at the same time anchoring the sled in place under the two thousand kilograms of additional weight. Zoro gripped the handle of _Wado Ichimonji _as he began to make his way down the dune towards Luffy.

"Alright you moron, snap out of it!" Zoro called down to Luffy who was running around swinging his fists at an invisible opponent. Luffy's attention was drawn to Zoro and with swirls still in his eyes he glared up at the swordsman. _"You'd better hurry up, Ricky."_

"YYYOUUU!" Luffy snarled up at Zoro. The juice from the Mezcal Cactus was making him hallucinate and the image of Crocodile was suddenly imposed over Zoro. "CCRROCODILE!" Luffy's snarling caused 'Crocodile's' eyes to widen in surprise, "II'LLL KIILL YYOU!"

"WHAT'S GOING ON WITH YOU?" 'Crocodile' protested.

"SHISHISHI!" Luffy cackled madly, "I'VE GOT YOU NOW! GUUUM… GUUUUM…"

**BANG! **His vision might've been off, but Luffy's ears were still sharp, he heard the loud gunshot, and leapt to the side to avoid the bulled that was whizzing at him from behind. Luffy watched with a grin as the dart flew passed him causing 'Crocodile' to have to draw a sword and blow it off course with a fast swing.

"WOULD YOU WATCH WHERE YOU'RE AIMING THAT THING?" 'Crocodile' snapped.

"**I didn't expect the gun to be so loud!" **a familiar voice behind Luffy protested. Luffy whirled around to face his new opponent.

"YOU!" Luffy shouted, "MR. 2!"

"_Mr. 2?"_ Ricky repeated, _"Why does Zoro get to be a Warlord of the Sea while I'm just the freaky transvestite henchman?"_

"I'LL BEAT YOU FIRST!" Luffy hollered as he charged at 'Mr. 2'. "GUUMM… GUUMM…" Luffy charged with his rubber arm stretching out behind him.

'Mr. 2' raised his gun and fired at the charging pirate, **BANG!** Luffy quickly avoided his foe's second shot. "BUUULLLEEEET!" **BOOM! **Luffy shot his fist passed him and connected with 'Mr. 2's' stomach sending him flying backwards.

With the annoying henchman out of the way, Luffy turned his attention back to 'Crocodile'. "Now it's just you and me!" Luffy ran at 'Crocodile' who still seemed shocked at seeing his henchman go flying.

"I guess I'll just have to do this myself," 'Crocodile' resolved.

"GUUUUMMM… GUUUUMMM… SUBMARINE!" **SHOOM! **Luffy shot his fist out and drove it down into the sand where it continued to stretch out towards his opponent.

"Subma-what?" 'Crocodile' questioned, **POW!** Luffy's fist popped out of the sand and connected with a surprise uppercut causing 'Crocodile' to reel back. But 'Crocodile' didn't go down, he glared at Luffy and charged him, "THAT'S IT! Now you're gonna get it!"

Away from them, Ricky was on his back staring up at the desert sun in surprise, "Well, Luffy just removed all my reservations about shooting him," he remarked as he slowly got back up to his feet, he picked up the pistol again and glanced down at it, "I've got one shot left, gotta make it count." Ricky looked over at Luffy and Zoro and saw the two fighting with Luffy facing away from him.

"YOUR!" **SWISH! **"GONNA!"** SWISH! **"PAY!" **SWISH!** Luffy punctuated each word with a punch that Zoro just managed to dodge.

Ricky pointed the gun and fired the last tranquilizer dart, **BANG!**

"I'M DONE PLAYING AROUND!" Zoro yelled as he swung his sword at Luffy. **WOOSH!** The sharp gust of wind sent Luffy and the dart that was flying at him from behind flying backwards. Luffy fell to the ground enabling, giving Zoro a clear view of Ricky who was staring down at the dart that was sticking out of his left shoulder.

"On second thought…" Ricky commented, "Maybe giving the gun… to the guy with barely any depth perception… _wasn't_ such a good idea." **FWUMP!** Ricky promptly collapsed to the ground unconscious leaving Zoro alone against the still delirious Luffy.

"Damn it, now what?" Zoro muttered, he charged at Luffy who got back up and once again started throwing wild punches at him. _"How did I end up following a Captain like this?"_

**KA-POW! **Luffy and Zoro lashed out and each drove a fist into the others face. They were both knocked out cold from the hard punch but still remained standing.

**Ssshhhwwwooo… **The wind began to blow passed the unmoving forms of Luffy, Zoro, Ricky, and Chopper while their Nakama got further and further away from them.

**-x-**

A while later, a blanket of sand had been blown over them. Chopper's blue nose stuck out of the sand and started twitching. "OOOOWW!" Chopper yelped as he sat up and began coughing up sand. "The sand's hot!" Chopper pulled himself the rest of the way out of the sand and stared down the dune he was on top of. "GAAH!" Luffy and Zoro were down below each with his fist embedded in the others face. They were buried in the sand up to their shoulders showing that they'd been there a long time.

Chopper ran down and started screaming, "WAAAAH! WHAT'S GOING ON?" he shrieked.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD HAPPENED TO YOU TWO? HEY ZORO! HELLO? WAKE UP!" Chopper pulled one of his healing potions out from his medical bag, uncapped it and stuck it under the swordsman's nose. The potion's potent fumes were enough to rouse Zoro.

"Ugghh… KOFF! KOFF!" Zoro groaned and coughed as he attempted to breathe around the strong fumes. He pulled away from Luffy and remained half-buried in the sand as he leaned over and wheezed. "Thanks for that…"

"So what happened?" Chopper asked.

"Long story," Zoro grunted.

"Luffy's still stuck in the sand," Chopper noted.

"Just leave 'im there for now," Zoro instructed. "Where are the others?"

"I don't know," Chopper answered. "When I woke up everyone was gone."

"How considerate of them," Zoro muttered.

"What happened to Ricky?" Chopper inquired.

Zoro glanced around him. "He got knocked out earlier," he answered, "he's probably buried under the sand."

"WHAT?" Chopper shrieked, "BIG BROTHER'S BURIED?"

"Calm down!" Zoro ordered he pointed to where Ricky had been when he got knocked out with the tranquilizer dart, "he's over there… somewhere."

Chopper went in the direction Zoro pointed and began sniffing, his blue nose managed to pick up Ricky's scent: blood and gold. **SKUSH! SKUSH! SKUSH!** Chopper dug through the sand until he eventually uncovered the unconscious body of Ricky.

"ZORO, I FOUND HIM!" Chopper exclaimed, he pulled out the same potion he used to rouse Zoro but even the potent fumes weren't enough to wake Ricky. "He's not waking up…"

"He got knocked out by one of Han's tranquilizer darts," Zoro informed him, he'd used the time to dig himself out of the sand and was now standing behind Chopper. "Since the guy's a monster hunter, I'd guess they're pretty potent. We're gonna have to carry him until he wakes up."

"I'll do it!" Chopper volunteered.

"You sure you can handle it?" Zoro asked, "he's got his weights so he's bound to be heavy."

Chopper shifted into his Heavy Point form, "I can handle it, I'm tough," he boasted.

Zoro grinned, "Good, I'll just go and find my weight bands and then we'll catch up with the others by following their footprints." With that decided, Zoro walked over to where Chopper had been lying in the sand and began digging for his weights.

"Um… Zoro?" Chopper called out to him, "_What_ footprints?"

Zoro and Chopper stared around them and realized that the wind had blown the sand over any tracks their Nakama had left.

"Chopper, you can track stuff with your nose, right?" Zoro questioned.

Chopper sniffed the air for any signs of the others, "I can't smell anything at all," he eventually reported. "I don't know which way to go."

"Can you tell which way the wind is blowing from?" Zoro inquired.

"The wind's blowing in from our left," Chopper informed him. "But that's about all I can tell."

"Okay, then we know they're not in that direction," Zoro reasoned. "So let's grab Luffy and Ricky and go in a different dirction."

"Oh, okay," Chopper agreed. And so, with only Zoro's questionable sense of direction as a guide, they grabbed Luffy and Ricky and headed off in search of the others.

**-End Flashback-**

Zoro dropped Luffy and he and Chopper continued along their decided path.

"HEY GUYS!" Luffy shouted as he got up and ran after them. "YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE ME HERE!" With the only one of them with a sense of direction currently unconscious, all they succeeded in doing was getting lost.

"Soooo hoooot…" Luffy groaned a while later as they wandered along Zoro's random path.

"Is Luffy going to be alright?" Chopper asked as he looked back at Luffy who was slowly trailing after them.

"It'll take a lot more than a cactus to kill him," Zoro replied.

"Zoro… is being a pirate always like this?" Chopper inquired. "You know, climbing mountains, crossing deserts…"

"Well, we aren't really a normal pirate crew," Zoro noted, "And there's our insane Captain."

Chopper slumped forward with Ricky still hanging on his shoulder, "I'm wondering if maybe I got on board the wrong ship."

"What do you know," Zoro commented, "I was just starting to think the same thing myself."

"Hey, other than Big Brother Ricky, you were the first out of everyone to join Luffy's crew isn't that right," Chopper queried.

"Yup," Zoro answered, "But the rest of 'em came along pretty quickly after that."

"What made you join in the first place?" Chopper asked.

"Why do you ask that?" Zoro questioned.

"I know I just joined," Chopper admitted, "But it seems like everyone on the crew sort of does their own thing instead of really working together, especially you."

"That's pretty accurate," Zoro said, he and Ricky sometimes worked together but they always had a common goal at the time. "I have my own reasons for being here and joining the crew in the first place. It's like that for the others too. None of us have the same goals in mind as Luffy and Ricky. We all basically do our own thing for our own reasons. It may seem a little weird at times but it works for us anyway. It can look crazy, like we have no idea what teamwork is… especially when you look at our Captain, he's a real handful."

"Yeah, I'm with you on that one," Chopper agreed as he glanced back at Luffy who was still silently trailing behind them.

"But still," Zoro continued, "What is teamwork exactly when you get right down to it? Is it just about protecting each other and helping each other out? I guess most people would say so. But they're just fooling themselves. I think real teamwork is about more than that. It's about individuals taking individual risks if you ask me. We work together by working separately, you stand up and risk your own life, do what you can the best that you can, and then you turn to the others and expect the same from them. When you think about it that way, what's so wrong about everyone on the crew having their own agenda?"

"I think I understand," Chopper commented, "So that's what Usopp meant when he said 'do whatever you can'."

"Heh heh," Zoro chuckled, "It sounds like a copout coming from him though. As for why I stayed on board with this crew…" Zoro and Chopper paused and looked back at Luffy, "Working beside him all this time has ended up giving me another goal to work for."

"So what's your new goal?" Chopper inquired.

"Sorry," Zoro apologized, "I don't know how to explain that one." They continued onward but Luffy finally spoke up.

"**SOMEPLACE SHADY!" **Zoro and Chopper looked ahead of them at a lone crag, then back at Luffy knowing he was about to do something reckless. "FINALLY!" **SHOOOM! **Luffy shot his arms out ahead of him and grabbed onto the big rock, "GUUUMMMM… GUUUUUMMMM… ROOOOCKEEEETTT!" **SWOOOM! **Luffy slammed into Zoro and Chopper and sent the three of them and the unconscious Ricky flying towards the crag.

Zoro smashed through the top of the crag and then came crashing down to the ground next to Luffy who was casually sitting on a rock.

"AAAHH!" Luffy sighed, "Nice and cool! Shishishishishi!"

"I SHOULD CUT YOU IN HALF!" Zoro snapped.

"Right, sorry," Luffy apologized. "Sorry about that. Shishi! Hey where's Ricky and Chopper?"

"**AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" **a familiar scream rang out from a dark hole in the sand in the place that Chopper and Ricky had landed.

Zoro looked at the hole in confusion, "What's that HOOOOLLLLEE!" **SKUUUSSHHH!** Zoro sank down into the sand leaving only a dark hole in the place.

"Hey, where'd you guys go?" Luffy wondered. "What's with the big holes?"

"**HOW SHOULD I KNOW THAT, YOU IDIOT?" **Zoro yelled at him from under the sand.

"You okay down there?" Luffy inquired as he stared down the hole Zoro had fallen through.

"Damn it," Zoro complained as he sat up and stared around the large dark room he, Chopper, and Ricky suddenly found themselves in.

"Um… Zoro… where are we?" Chopper asked timidly, as they peered around the dark room.

While they were inspecting their surroundings neither of them noticed Ricky sit up and look around, "Ugghhh… great Zoro," Ricky groaned, still groggy from the tranquilizer, "Your horrible sense of direction knows no bounds… you got us lost… _underground_."

"Watch it!" Zoro growled.

Chopper cheered, "BIG BROTHER, YOU'RE AWAKE!"

"Oh boy, Ricky's okay!" Luffy added as he stood next to Chopper.

Zoro looked at him in surprise, "What the hell are you doing down here?"

"Lowered myself in," Luffy answered.

"WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?" Zoro demanded.

"Why not?" Luffy questioned.

"CAUSE NOW WE'RE ALL STUCK DOWN HERE!" Zoro snapped.

"Unn… no worries Zoro…" Ricky reassured him, "I should have expected this when I got hit with that dart... combine Zoro's lack of navigational skills... with Luffy's impulsiveness... and Chopper's natural clumsiness... there was no way you _wouldn't _get lost. Now that I'm conscious... I'll get us out of here."

"And where is _here_ exactly?" Chopper wondered as they stared around the dark room the now found themselves in.

**-x-**

**Mysterious Ruins:**

**-x-**

"What is this place?" Chopper wondered. Ricky had shaken off the effects of the tranquilizer and had taken his weights and the money bag back so now the reindeer was back in his Brain Point form walking through the underground room with Luffy, Ricky, and Zoro.

"Ohh, maybe it's a Mystery Room!" Luffy suggested, "Maybe they've got something really cool hidden down here!"

"Who's 'they'?" Zoro questioned.

The holes they had fallen through were about a hundred feet above them, which explained the deep imprints Ricky, Chopper, and Zoro had made when they fell in. The dark underground room appeared to be big enough to fit a small town and was filled with stone columns that didn't reach the high ceiling of the top of the room.

"Judging from the size of the place and all those ruins around us, I'd guess that it's some kind of tomb," Ricky observed. "Since the entire place is buried under the sand, I'd guess it's been here for a really long time, maybe centuries. That's the limit of my general observations, in addition, I'm getting this really creepy feeling."

"Creepy how?" Zoro inquired.

"Like when you sense treasure?" Luffy asked.

"More like when I sense a Devil Fruit," Ricky answered. "It's got an ominous hint to it that makes it feel like there's some kind of lingering darkness about this place."

Chopper stopped and glanced around him while the other three continued onward, Ricky's description of the ominous feeling cause a sense of fear to rise up in him.

"Maybe that's sign that we shouldn't be here?" Chopper offered timidly before quickly running to catch up with the others.

"HECK NO!" Luffy exclaimed, "I wanna know what they hid in the Mystery Room!"

"Who's _'they'_?" Zoro asked again.

**-x-**

"I'm exhausted!" Nami exclaimed. "Why don't we take a break?"

"Of course, Miss. Nami!" Sanji quickly agreed. They'd made it to what appeared to be a small town made up of ruins conveniently placed on top of a sandy hill. But what set this town of ruins apart from Erumalu was that the ruins appeared to have been caused by time rather than drought and abandonment.

Ollie eyed Nami and Vivi and watched as they got off of Eyelash, "Which of you is the Princess again?" she quipped.

Nami glared at her then looked down at Usopp who was lying stomach-first on the sand with his tongue hanging out, he appeared to be ten-times as exhausted as Nami claimed to me. "Come on Usopp, you really are pathetic."

"Easy for you to… say…" Usopp groaned, "You got to ride Eyelash… I've been walking the whole time."

"Thanks for the ride Eyelash," Nami praised the camel, Eyelash beamed and grunted at the pretty girl's praise. Nami looked passed the preening camel and saw Vivi staring off into the desert. "Hey, you okay, Vivi?"

"The other four," Vivi replied, "How will they find us here?"

"Don't worry about it," Nami reassured her, "Ricky's got a Treasure Sense which means he can sense things of material value. He gave me, Ace, and Ollie jewelry that he personally crafted and can use to find us in a situation like this one."

"And if that fails, he's got my Vivre Card," Ace added as he and Han casually sat down against one of the stone walls.

"The only reasoned for him _not to _find us are if he's unconscious or he sensed a valuable treasure out in the desert and stopped to find it," Ollie reasoned, the archer hoisted herself up onto the top of one of the ruins walls then reached into the neck of her cloak and pulled out the square of paper that was Ricky's Vivre Card.

"Might as well take a nap then," Ace reasoned as he tipped his orange hat down over his eyes, "This way we'll be rested when they finally get here." With that, he immediately fell asleep.

"I hope they're alright," Vivi said, still staring off into the sand, "You've all seen how dangerous the desert can be."

"How long do we have before we reach Yuba anyway?" Han inquired. "We've been traveling through this desert for days."

"Since we made it to these ruins we should be able to make it to Yuba by night if we keep walking," Vivi informed him.

"Finally we're getting close," Nami sighed.

"So these ruins," Sanji spoke up, "They're of old buildings and stuff?"

"Yes, and they've been sitting here for a long time," Vivi answered, "Civilizations began here in Alabasta thousands of years ago. Many kingdoms have risen and fallen in that time for many reasons, resettlement, the search of water, the occasional war. Ruins of civilizations like this one exist around the country. Many of them we know almost nothing about."

"And the centuries passed one-by-one leading to the current Alabasta Kingdom," Sanji resolved as he sat down against the wall and made himself comfortable. "An epic that always repeats, kingdoms rise and fall, here one day, gone the next, it's romantic."

"Sanji!" Nami scolded him. The Princess of the _current _Alabasta Kingdom was right next to them and was trying desperately to keep _her_ civilization from falling.

"Oh, um, my apologies," Sanji quickly apologized, "Really sorry Miss. Vivi. I was just babbling on, pay no attention to me."

"It's alright," Vivi replied, "Actually, I've found myself thinking the same thing lately. What makes a country? Not its ruler, even if the ruler dies that country's people will keep on living. Culture, faith, those can remain the same even when a country's rule changes. So is it really necessary to preserve everything just as it is now? What needs protecting, and what do we let go of? I've been thinking about this ever since the sand pirates and the town with the fake rebel soldiers, it's all just so complicated now."

"You're asking questions without an answer," Han told her. "Whether you try to preserve it or not, in the long run, this country will still be here. You need to focus more on the present and what you can currently do to benefit your country and its people."

"Well for now, all we can do is stop Baroque Works," Vivi decided, "That organization is about to cause a pointless war with their malicious scheming. They're trying to destroy this country and we have to stop them, no matter what the cost may be. I don't care how difficult it is or what the dangers are, they absolutely have to be stopped. Crocodile will never get what he wants, not while I'm still alive."

"Well I guess we should get going now," Usopp announced as he pushed himself up off of the sand and to his feet.

"Usopp, are you sure you're alright?" Vivi inquired.

"Oh, are you kidding?" Usopp retorted, "I'm feeling so strong right now, it almost hurts."

"Um… you're legs are shaking," Ollie felt obligated to point out.

'MY LEGS ARE SHAKING BECAUSE I'VE GOT SO MUCH ENERGY!" Usopp shouted. "You haven't seen strong until you've seen Captain Usopp in action! I won't waiver or fall for one second!"

**WHOP!** Sanji jabbed Usopp in the back of his shaking legs with his fingers causing the sniper to waiver and fall on his face.

"WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?" Usopp demanded.

"Just to make sure no one _actually _believed you," Sanji teased him.

"Alright, we should get going," Nami decided.

"What?" Vivi questioned, "Shouldn't we wait for Luffy, Ricky, and the others?"

"You're such a worrier!" Nami reprimanded her, "Luffy is absolutely determined to beat Crocodile. And Ricky said it himself, there isn't a place in this desert he wouldn't be able to find me, Ace, and Ollie when the three of us are together. There's no doubt in my mind that they'll catch up to us before we reach Yuba."

Han nudged Ace awake, "Wake up, we're setting off again," he stated.

"Not much of a nap," Ace commented, but got up none-the-less. Ollie jumped off of the wall and landed next to him, Nami and Vivi got back on Eyelash and the group set off again.

**-x-**

"Well, our eyes are bound to be adjusted now," Zoro commented as he, Ricky, and Chopper mad their way through the 'Mystery Room'. They could now properly see their surroundings, the room was actually a huge dome fill with ruins, light was streaming in from the two holes in the top that Ricky, Zoro, and Chopper had fallen through.

"HEY, WHAT'S THIS THING?" Luffy exclaimed from up ahead. The other three came over and found him standing in front of a big stone cube. The cube was slanted due to being partially sunk into the sand and had strange characters carved into the side facing them. "OOO! A MYSTERY BLOCK!"

Zoro brushed the strange characters with his fingers, "I can't read this, can any of you?"

"Not a word," Ricky admitted, "Chopper?"

"I've seen something just like this in a book before," the reindeer noted. "These characters are like an ancient alphabet. But that just means that this place could've been here for centuries. It's probably characters from a long forgotten language."

"Awww…" Luffy groaned, "that Mystery Block's boring." The rubber pirate flopped down on his back, "at least we're some place cool and shady."

"Then why's this place underground?" Zoro wondered.

"Well, I don't know why," Chopper admitted, "I could've been built underground or maybe it was buried some time after it was built. If Big Brother's ominous feeling is anything to go by, I think they're trying to hide the building for some reason."

"That reason could very well be written on the block," Ricky stated as he pushed his sunglasses up and continued staring at the strange characters.

"Whoever made this place, it must've taken them a long time," Zoro reasoned, he turned away from the block and walked over to Luffy, "And whatever it is, it has nothing to do with us, so what's the point of thinking about it? At the moment, we should be thinking about how to get outta here,_ right Captain_?"

"Why?" Luffy questioned, "It's nice in here."

"I'll fly us out of here with the eye once we're done investigating this ruin," Ricky told him. "It's a mysterious puzzle and I wanna know what it says. The world's a big place, if none of us can read it, there's bound to be _someone _out there that can." Ricky looked over at Chopper. "Do you have some paper and a pencil on you?"

"I think so," Chopper answered, he took off his medical bag and began rummaging through it.

"YEAH!" Luffy cheered, "Now we can stay in the shade longer while those two do the boring stuff! It's really hot outside anyway."

"The others could be in Yuba by now, "Zoro protested.

"Are you really refusing an opportunity to relax in the shade?" Ricky asked him. "Just give us a couple minutes and then we'll get out of here and go find them."

"Whatever," Zoro muttered, he laid down next to Luffy and enjoyed chance to relax in the shade of the underground dome.

**Skish!Skish!Skish! **Ricky held the piece of paper Chopper had given him up against the block and scraped the pencil Chopper had given him sideways across it so he could trace the characters that were carved into the stone. The paper was small so he only ended up getting a few characters from one line.

"It's not much," Ricky admitted as he and Chopper eyed the paper, "but if we can find someone that can read this much, then they should be able to read the rest."

"But how're we gonna find it again?" Chopper inquired. "We only found it in the first place when we got lost. I doubt we'd be lucky enough to find it again."

"You're right," Ricky agreed, "We need something to lead us back here." Ricky pulled the money bag off of his shoulder and tossed it down in front of the engraved ruin. "I've got thirty-five million berries worth of gold and money in there. It should be enough to find it again."

"Do you really think we'll find someone that can read it?" Chopper questioned.

"Like I said, there's bound to be _someone _who can read it," Ricky reasoned, "If we're lucky, since this looks like an ancient Alabasta ruin, someone from this country might be able to read it. After we beat Crocodile, they'll owe us, so we can use a favor to find a translator."

"CROCODILE!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed, "WE'VE GOTTA GO AND KICK HIS ASS!"

"Right," Ricky agreed, "We're done investigating for now. Chopper on my back, Luffy, Zoro, get near me. I wanna make this quick so I don't risk losing control." Chopper climbed up onto Ricky's back and hung on tightly while Luffy and Zoro got up and walked over to him. Ricky reached up and pulled his eye patch up with his sunglasses and then opened his scarred Ricky eye to reveal the blood red Eye of the Devil. **WOOSH!** Ricky snapped his arms down and the four of them levitated up off of the ground and then shot up through the hole and back out into the hot desert sun. Ricky eventually landed on top of the large boulder that was above the dome.

Ricky quickly pulled his eye patch back down and then closed his good eye and used his treasure sense to feel for the treasure on Ace, Ollie, Nami, and Vivi. "Found them," Ricky eventually announced as he turned to face north-west, "This way."

"Alright, let's get down and going then," Zoro resolved. But Luffy had other ideas.

While the other three weren't paying attention, Luffy jumped back off of the boulder and backed away from it, **SHWUP! **He stretched his rubber arms out and grabbed onto the sides of the large boulder and then launched himself forward, "GUUUUMMMM… GUUUUUMMMMM… ROOOOOCKEEEEET!" **SHOOOOOM! ** Luffy shot himself over the boulder and slammed into his three Nakama, **WHAM! **The four of them went flying off of the boulder and flew over the sand in an incredible speed.

"WOOOOOHHOOOOO!" Luffy cheered, "SHISHISHISHI!"

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Chopper screamed in terror.

"WWAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Zoro screamed along with him.

"Come on guys," Ricky reprimanded them, "It's not the fast flying that's the hard part, it's the landing you have to worry about."

They stayed airborne for a while despite Ricky and Zoro's weights but eventually they came crashing down, **BOOOM! **Luffy kept going and bounced off of the hard ground until he skidded to a stop and sat up in the middle of a hot patch of desert sand.

"SHISHISHISHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed, "We've gotta be close now!" The dust from Luffy's fall cleared and he saw Ricky, Zoro, and Chopper all embedded in the ground off behind him.

"Yeah… that settles it…" Chopper groaned, he was upside down in the sand with only his legs and shorts visible. "I definitely chose the wrong ship to join…"

"Yup… I know what ya mean Chopper…" Zoro grunted as he was once again buried up to his chest in the sand. "Cause… that's just what I was thinking…"

"Relax guys," Ricky aid as he pulled himself out of the crater he'd left in the sand and casually dusted himself off. "You'd hate it if you joined up with one of those _boring _pirate crews. Our crew is bound to do incredible and crazy things, a couple bumps along the way shouldn't be anything you can't handle."

"RIGHT!" Chopper exclaimed as he popped out of the sand and folded his small arms across his chest, "I'm tough, I can take it."

"Well I don't have to like it!" Zoro argued as he struggled free.

"C'MON GUYS!" Luffy called out, "LET'S CATCH UP SO I CAN BEAT UP CROCODILE!"

Luffy started to run off but was halted by a high-pitched whistle from Ricky, **TWEEEEEEE! **Luffy whirled around to face him, "You're heading north-east, the other's are north-west of us." Ricky pointed in the correct direction and Luffy quickly corrected his course and ran off again, this time with Ricky, Zoro, and Chopper following him.

**-x-**

"You're falling behind!" Sanji called back to Usopp who was trailing behind the others, limply dragging himself onward with his walking stick. The sun was beginning to set causing the desert sky to turn a pretty red color.

"Uggghhh… uggghhhh…" Usopp groaned.

"What happened to all that strength and energy you had, _Captain Usopp_?" Sanji taunted.

"Oh that…" Usopp gasped, his face turning purple from exertion, "I meant it in more of a metaphorical sense not literally."

"If you go any slower, vultures will _literally _start to peck at your body," Han told him, "cause right now, you look like the walking dead." Usopp flinched at the thought of being eaten alive by vultures and managed to drag himself just a little faster.

"Hang in there, Usopp," Nami advised, "Just a little bit longer." As Nami continued to look back at Usopp she saw that Vivi was staring off behind them too. "Still worried, huh?"

"Oh, no," Vivi hastily answered, she certainly looked worried though.

"It's written all over your face," Nami noted.

"I guess it is," Vivi admitted, "I'm sure they're okay, really."

"If it'll make you feel better," Ollie spoke up as she walked beside them with Ricky's Vivre Card in her palm, "Ricky's on the move and heading towards us. They'll be here anytime now."

"I seriously doubt you'll ever stop being a worrier," Nami commented to Vivi, "But that isn't always necessarily a bad thing."

"You know, you guys are amazing," Vivi said, "I've been thinking about it ever since Little Garden. You all seem to have such faith in one another. How do you do that?"

"How?" Nami repeated. "I guess it's not really something I'm conscious of, I never really thought about it before."

"That's what's so amazing," Vivi remarked, "That kind of unconditional faith in others is really difficult to come by."

Ace perked up and appeared to be listening to their conversation intently.

"I can't say for sure," Nami admitted, "But I think it's because we do whatever we can the best that we can. Before I met them, I thought that the only person I could trust was myself. I spent eight years stealing money from pirates so I could buy my hometown back from a monstrous pirate. Then Ricky showed up, he started talking about Nakama and how they are the people you can rely on for anything and trust above all others. I was skeptical at first but when I really needed them, they were there for me. Ricky stepped in and he fought the monster even though he only had one arm at the time, and if he hadn't beaten him, Luffy would've done it. But at the time, Luffy was so confident that Ricky could beat the monster that the thought of him losing didn't even phase him. The trust and faith they had in each other was something I didn't see in any of the other pirates I robbed, it's what set them apart from all the others. I learned that when you're alone, your strength is limited, there's only so much that one person can do after all. You need friends, but at the same time it amounts to nothing if those friends aren't trying every bit as hard as you to do what they can do." Nami shrugged and looked back at Vivi, 'Well… I don't know if that was an answer…"

"It was great," Vivi assured her.

"It's really hard to keep your thoughts straight in this heat," Nami remarked, "hehehehehe!"

"_Actually, that answered a lot," _Vivi thought to herself, _"really."_

"_That answered a fair bit for me at least," _Ace commented internally and small smile spread across his face.

"Stop!" Ollie called out as she stared intently at the Vivre Card in her hand. "They're on the other side of that dune."

Nami grinned at Vivi, "See?" she asked, "Nothing to worry about."

**-x-**

"They're just on the other side of that dune," Ricky announced.

"I can smell Nami's perfume!" Chopper chirped.

"WOOOHOOO!" Luffy cheered as he raced up the dune.

"HEY! WE'RE WEARING WEIGHTS HERE!" Zoro shouted after him, "SLOW DOWN!"

The quartet reached the top of the dune and all of them smiled when they spotted the others stopped on the other side.

"FOOOUUUUNND YYOOOUUUU!" Luffy exclaimed, he jumped up and down and waved to his Nakama, his brother, and his brother's Nakama.

"Oi kid," Han called out to Ricky, "what took you so long?"

"In case you were wondering, your tranquilizers work," Ricky informed him, "I tested one personally and woke up in an underground cave."

"What did, I tell ya?" Ollie asked, "The only thing that could've kept Ricky was if he was unconscious or got distracted finding a treasure in the desert."

"Ricky…" Nami growled as she eyed the First Mate and immediately noticed the fact that he was no longer carrying anything, "Where's the money?"

Ricky thought for a moment about how to answer before he eventually shrugged and said, "I guess it's missing."

"YOU _LOST_ OUR MONEY?" Nami screamed, she launched herself off of Eyelash intent on punishing him but Ollie intercepted her and caught her by the back of her cloak.

"He said it was missing," Ollie scolded her, "Not that he lost it. Ricky would never lose money. He knows exactly where it is.

"You'd better explain why you no longer have our money!" Nami ordered, "It's as much mine as it is yours! And it's _your_ responsibility to look after our funds Mr. Financial Manager!"

Ricky pulled a folded piece of paper out of his bottom right pocket and unfolded it to revealed the characters he'd copied. "Can any of your read this?" Ricky inquired, "Vivi?" Everyone answered negative. "We found this block hidden in this underground dome, I wanna know what it says but I can't read it. I copied some characters so I can hopefully find a translator and I left the money in the dome so I could find my way back to it."

"Let me get this straight," Nami stated, "You left our money in a hole in the middle of the desert… SO YOU COULD READ THE SYMBOLS ON SOME ROCK?"

"Um… yes," Ricky answered uneasily.

"YOU MORON!" Nami screamed, she tore herself free from Ollie and charged Ricky, who turned and ran. "THAT MONEY WASN'T JUST YOURS TO THROW AWAY! WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT GIVING AWAY _MY _MONEY?"

"I can get it back!" Ricky protested as he ran away as fast as his weights allowed.

"YOU'D BETTER!" Nami hollered as she chased after him. "NOW HOLD STILL SO I CAN _KILL YOU_! YOU'RE ONLY MAKING IT WORSE FOR YOURSELF!"

**SSSKISH!** Ricky promptly skidded to a stop, Nami was caught off guard by the fact that her threat had actually worked and ended up crashing right into him, **WHAM! **Ricky found himself on his back with Nami sprawled on top of him.

Ricky looked up at her sporting his signature sly grin, "Looks like you caught me," he noted, "Now what are you going to do?"

Nami pushed herself off of him then slugged him on the shoulder, **POW!** "You can't just leave our money in a random hole in the desert without our permission!" she scolded him. "We're already low on supplies, that money was the one thing we had going for us so we could buy some more."

"I know that," Ricky admitted, "And I've still got five million berries on me. It's not like I left all our money there."

"Still, you have a responsibility!" Nami insisted, "It was your job to carry our money and keep it safe, now its gone. One way or another, you failed your task. Is that rock of yours really that important?"

"It could be," Ricky replied, "There's no telling what it says. The ruin could be centuries old. And an ominous feeling I got when we were in the dome told me that was the ruin says could be very important."

"Hmph," Nami grunted as she sat back on his stomach and folded her arms across her chest, but then her face softened. "I'm glad you guys are okay. Vivi was really worried." Nami glared at him again, "But you're STILL going to be punished!"

"Eh, do your worst," Ricky retorted, "I'm not scared of you."

Back with the others, Olie was glaring at Nami's back with her fists clenched at her sides. Han shook his head and glanced over at Ace, "She certainly has her own unique way of handling him," he commented.

"I'll say," Ace agreed, "I have yet to decide if its a good or bad things though."

"HEY USOPP!" Luffy exclaimed, "GIMME YOUR STICK, I LOST MINE!"

"NO, IT'S MINE!" Usopp refused, "HEY! LEGGO!"

Vivi shook her head and smiled as she watched the antics of the pirates that had befriended her and now were treating her as one of their own._"I've learned so much just by knowing this strange pirate crew," _Vivi thought to herself, _"Maybe, maybe these people can help heal my country."_

**-x-**

Next chapter the princess and the pirates finally make it to Yuba, but meanwhile, their enemies begin to mobilize and the remaining Officer Agents gather at the Spider's Café.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	40. Chapter 40

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of the related characters, just the original characters that appear in this story.

**Spider's Café**

**-x-**

The desert sun was still in the process of setting as the princess and their pirates neared the end of their long journey to Yuba.

"When did I turn into your camel?" Ricky growled as he led the group with Nami on his back.

"The same time you decided it was a good idea to leave our money in an underground cave!" Nami scolded him. "I told you that you were going to be punished for it, now since you're not carrying the money bag any more, you're carrying me."

"So your idea of punishment is having me carry a petty girl on my back?" Ricky asked dryly. "I think you might be losing your touch cause that's not much of a punishment in my book."

"Of course it isn't," Ollie agreed as she walked behind them glared daggers at Nami's back, "The Pirate Princess will say anything if it keeps her from actually having to walk to Yuba like the rest of us."

Nami looked over her shoulder and glared at the archer, "There's a difference between _needing_ to be carried and _wanting _to be carried," she retorted. "I could walk to Yuba just fine, but it seems like a waste of my effort when we've got Eyelash and this guy."

"And here comes the bickering again," Ricky muttered loud enough for both of them to hear, "The only thing that would make the rest of this trip even _more_ unpleasant is if it was still blazing hot out."

The others all trailed behind them with Vivi leading the pack, without Nami convincing her to ride Eyelash, the Princess was now walking amongst the pirates. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Ace, and Han soldiered onward while Chopper managed to keep up with them in his Brain Point form, now that it was getting dark it was getting cooler and the reindeer could handle traveling, besides, they'd lost the sled. As usual, Usopp was at the back of the group looking exhausted.

"Ugghhhh… will someone please carry me too?" Usopp groaned. "C'mon Eyelash…"

"GRUMPH!" the now passengerless camel refused with a shake of his head. "Gruhgrahgrum."

Chopper quickly translated, "He says 'Not happening, no male passengers'."

"You guys!" Vivi called out, "We're close now! Yuba's just passed those rocks up ahead. One last push and I'm sure we'll make it."

Her words were met with a loud cheer, everyone was glad that the long journey was almost over.

"YUBA OR BUST!" Luffy exclaimed as he ran passed Vivi and shot ahead of the group.

"That's Yuba!" Sanji automatically started to correct him as he and Chopper followed Luffy passed Vivi, "Oh wait, he finally got it right."

"Come on Zoro, I'm light!" Usopp pleaded as he staggered after the swordsman passed Vivi.

"Suck it up," Zoro retorted.

"Hey! Carry me too, Zoro!" Luffy added.

"Morons!" Zoro snapped, "The only one carrying anybody is Ricky!"

"Ricky!" Luffy, Usopp, and even Chopper called out, "CARRY US TOO!"

"Hey! Get off!" Ricky complained as he suddenly had to deal with Luffy and Usopp hanging off of his shoulders, Chopper sitting on his left foot, and Nami on his back. "Damn it, I'm already carrying two thousand kilograms in weights, get the hell off! There's a camel _right there_!"

"Hehehehe," Nami laughed then looked over her shoulder and grinned teasingly at Ollie, "See? These three don't _need_ to be carried, they _want _to be carried."

Ollie silently glared at her as she, Zoro, and Sanji followed Ricky and his four passengers.

"Damn kids," Zoro muttered as he eyed the four younger pirates hanging off of the First Mate.

"Miss. Nami, you shouldn't have to ride with those numbskulls!" Sanji swooned, "I'll gladly carry you the rest of the way to Yuba."

"That's okay Sanji," Nami reassured him, "Ricky can handle it. And it's more fun this way."

Ace and Han hung back with Vivi and Eyelash at the back of the group, "So now that we're almost there, what do you plan to say to this rebel leader?" Ace questioned the Princess.

"I'm going to tell him that everything that has happened was Crocodile's doing," Vivi answered, "That way I can convince Koza to call off this rebellion before any more lives are lost."

"And you're sure he'll believe you over your resident Warlord?" Han inquired. "You're the King's daughter, do you expect them to treat you like an objective party?"

"Like I said the other day, Koza and I are childhood friends," Vivi reminded him, "I'm certain he'll believe me. The only one here who wants to destroy Alabasta is Crocodile."

**-x-**

Crocodile sat in a plush couch in a dark room with an enormous crocodile in front of him.

"The Operation will begin at the stroke of noon two days from now," Crocodile announced, he looked over at Ms. All Sunday was standing on the other side of the room staring out a window, "Have you completed the arrangements?"

"Yes, everything's in place," Ms. All Sunday informed him without looking away from the window. "I've called Mr. 2 back here. It appears that he failed utterly in his assignment to capture and kill Mr. 3. The Officer Agents have been instructed to gather tonight at eight o' clock. They're meeting at the Spider's Café."

"Yes, very good," Crocodile commented.

"It's already passed five o' clock," Ms. All Sunday informed him, "I'd imagine that the Officer Agents will begin gathering at the café any minute now."

**-x-**

Off the western shore of Sandy Island, passed a few rocky crags clusters, in the heart of the badlands of the Sandora desert was a small café with a water tower attached to the side. On the frame over the front door was a sign reading 'Spider's Café' and a second fish-shaped sign swung back and forth from its place beside the green painted door which had a 'closed' sign hanging from the knob. Inside a record player was set on the counter of the bar filling the café with soft music. The café was unoccupied with the exception of a loge figure who sat casually in chair behind the bar.

The bartender was a woman with wavy dark blue hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, she wore black pants, a purple tank top with green designs that clung snugly to her thin curvy frame. A colorful bandana was on top of her head and contained her wavy hair with the exception of the ponytail and a long dark blue lock that went down passed the front of her face to her shoulder. She also wore a pair of square-framed glasses and silently read a book. This was **Paula the Proprietor of the Spider's Café**.

**Krek! Ring-a-ding! **A bell rang as the door was pushed opened. "Ho ho! Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!" a fast feminine voice called out. The voice belonged to what appeared to be a dumpy middle-aged woman, she had a head of bushy dark red hair and wrinkled skin. She wore a green headband, sunglasses with purple lenses, purple lipstick, a long-sleeved white collared shirt, purple flower-printed pants, and sandals. She wore a woven basket on her back and hanging from the collar of her shirt was a green necktie decorated with red spots, it was shaped like a Christmas Tree which was reference to her codename: **Ms. Merry Christmas**.

"That was an exhausting trip!" Ms. Merry Christmas barked as she briskly made her way across the café to the bar. "My back is really killing me here! This is your fault Mr. 4! You're so slow! If we'd gotten here quicker my back wouldn't hurt right now!"

"Oooooohhh…" a man drawled from the still open door. He was a large fat man with a large girth that almost entirely filled the doorway, he had a head of blond hair and wore an orange scarf around his neck as well as a bulky long-sleeved light green shirt. The outfit was completed with black pants, white shoes on his big feet, and a baseball bat that was even taller than the man himself that was strapped diagonally across his back and was secured in place by four straps that went diagonally across his chest and met at his stomach in a round clasp. The front of the man's green shirt was divided into quarters by a thick dark green line and the top left quarter was divided in half diagonally causing the design on the man's front to resemble a '4' that represented the man's codename: **Mr. 4**. "Iiiiii'mmmm… sssooooorrrrr…"

"Yes yes yes yes!" Ms. Merry Christmas quickly interrupted before turning her attention to Paula. "How's business these days Paula? Your place sure is empty today! It's an empty place – Place – empty – place – empty – plempty!" (**A/N: Ms. Merry Christmas speaks really fast so in an attempt to accurately transcribe her dialogue I am going to write it without using periods or commas, punctuation marks that symbolize a pause or an intake of breath.)**

"Heehee, well it is certainly good to see you again, Ms. Merry Christmas," Paula commented in a smooth feminine voice as she stood up and casually leaned on the bar while Ms. Merry Christmas took a seat on one of the stools. Mr. 4 slowly lumbered his way over to the counter as well. "And you too Mr. 4. You will have the place all to yourselves for a while. I can go ahead and brew some tea for you if you don't mind waiting a few minutes for it to steam. Is it chamomile as usual, Mr. 4?"

"NO!" Ms. Merry Christmas barked impatiently, "I DON'T WANNA WAIT FOR TEA! I want something I can drink right now! Something fast! Right away – right away – no waiting – right now! GOT IT?"

"You seem to be in good spirits," Paula remarked as she went to fetch the drinks, "Is work going well for you right now?"

"In my line of work or you don't do well you die!" Ms. Merry Christmas rapidly replied, "So obviously it's going well you stupid woman! Stupid woman – stupid woman – stuman!" Paula placed a cup of tea down in front of the female agent and her male partner that was finally seated on a stool at the bar.

"How forgetful of me, I'm sorry," Paula apologized. Ms. Merry Christmas wasted no time in downing the tea.

"**Un… deux… Ula!" **A distant voice called out drawing the attention of Ms. Merry Christmas and causing her to glare at the record player. **"Un… deux… Kura!" **

"RAAAH! WHAT IS THAT NOISE?" Ms. Merry Christmas demanded, "What kind of crazy singers are you using in this place these days anyhow?"

"Singers?" Paula repeated, "I have a classical sonata playing right now. There are no words, there shouldn't be any singing. Strange."

Strange was right, the source of the singing was revealed to Mr. Bon Kurei as he danced his way towards the Spider's Café. Akumai, the green haired navigator and another of his men followed behind the eccentric Officer Agent and attempted to copy his dance moves.

"Un… Deux…" Mr. 2 counted.

"ULA!" his men all chorused.

"Head in clouds and feet on the ground!" Mr. 2 recited as he balanced on his left foot and pushed himself up onto his toes and did a graceful pirouette with his other leg bent up behind him. "And un…duex…" **ULA! **"Fly like a fish in a stream!" Mr. 2 instructed he raised his arms up into the air in a movement similar to a swim-stroke and joined his hands together over his head in an 'O' shape. "And un… duex…" **KURA!** "And spin! Just remember: Spin! Spin!" Mr. 2 pushed himself up onto his toes and tip-toed forward, "Pretty shoes! And mascara! Pretty shoes and mascara!"Mr. 2 turned around and faced the backs of his men and all of them struck a pose where they stood on the tip of their toes with their other leg up behind them and their arms joined together above their head.

"LET'S HEAR YOU BOYS SING IT!" Mr. 2 commanded.

"OKAAAAMAAAA WAAAAAYYYY!" all four of them sang together.

With the dance over, Mr. 2 finally entered the Spider's café and took a deep bow as he greeted those inside, "Hello to all! How deux you do?"

"You're a freak," Paula deadpanned.

"I am not a freak, Paula!" Mr. 2 snapped. "I am merely a talented dancer practicing my craft!" Mr. 2 took a seat on a barstool further down from Mr. 4 and Ms. Merry Christmas and called out, "I'll have an Octopar!"

"Octopar? What's that?" Paula repeated.

"AN OCTOPUS PARFAIT!"" Mr. 2 shouted, "ISN'T IT OBVIOUS? GAAAA HAHAHAHA!"

Mr. 2 looked over at the doorway and saw his men still waiting there, "Oh, you're still here," he noted, "You guys can leave now. And don't forget to practice those new dance moves that we talked about!"

"Right!" Mr. 2's men all agreed before they danced away.

Mr. 2 looked over at one of the tables and saw Ms. Merry Christmas lying on it with Mr. 4 massaging her aching back. "Oh, the fatty and the old hag are here with us," Mr. 2 remarked.

"WHY DON'T YOU JUST SHUT YOUR FAT MOUTH?" Ms. Merry Christmas snapped, "YOU FREAKY OKAMA!"

"WELL!" Mr. 2 gasped before waving his hand dismissively, "Nice to see _you_." He turned his attention back to Paula, "Did you hear? Even Mr. 1's team is being mobilized for this assignment, I've never actually had the pleasure of meeting him and his partner. I'm really very excited! GAAA HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

None of the officer agents noticed the figure lurking outside the window of the café, the bandages and the hood would have done a good job hiding the man's identity if it wasn't for the black wick-like hair that was styled in the shape of a '3' sticking up into plain view.

**-x-**

Hours passed and Mr. 2 Bon Kurei, Mr. 4, and Ms. Merry Christmas were still waiting in the Spider's Café for the Mr. 1 Pair to show up. The sun set and the moon rose as eight o' clock drew near.

"Aahhh…" Mr. 2 signed, "Moment by moment the night grows later." A quick glanced at a nearby clock told the gathered Officer Agents that it had just turned 7:59.

As a nearby clock stuck 7:59 a dark figure appeared at the edge of the badland clearing that the Spider's café was situated in. The figure's silhouette was that of a large muscular man who appeared to be dragging something along with him.

"Oh, I'm so bored!" Mr. 2 announced to the other occupants of the café. "TIME TO PRACTICE MY SPINNING!" Mr. 2 quickly stood on the tip of his toes and began spinning around in place. "SPIN! SPIN! SPIN! I'll just spin to pass the time!"

"FWAAAH! FWWAAAAHH! FWWAAAAHHHH!" Mr. 4 laughed and slowly applauded as he leaned against the bar and watched the Okama spin in place.

"QUIT IT!" Ms. Merry Christmas barked, "JUST LOOKING AT YOU HURTS!"

"OOOO! WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM, YOU OLD HAG?" Mr. 2 stopped spinning and demanded, "DO YOU WANNA FIGHT?"

"DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN HANDLE ME?" Ms. Merry Christmas growled while Mr. 4 continued to laughed and clap.

"Come now, why don't you two cut it out?" Paula suggested, "Stop fighting!"

The clock struck 8:00 and the mysterious figure outside stood outside and threw the two bundles he had been dragging at the door of the café.

**KER-WHAM!** Mr. 2, Mr. 4, Ms. Merry Christmas, and Paula all looked at the door in alarm as Mr. 2's men came flying into the café and landed in a heap on the floor.

"HEY, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?" Mr. 2 demanded as he stared down at Akumai who at least seemed to be conscious, or at least twitching. "WHY ARE YOU LYING THERE ON THE GROUND INSTEAD OF PRACTICING LIKE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING?"

"W-we w-were until h-h-him…" Akumai stammered.

Mr. 2 looked through the hole in the wall where the door had previously been and saw the man standing outside.

"**Oh, so these men are acquaintances of yours," **came the man's deep and level voice. He had a muscular frame, dark skin and silver hair that was shaved short and gave off a shine as if it were metal. The man had a thin unibrow and a small head in comparison to his long thin limbs and fingers. He wore a white sash around his waist, loose pair of beige pants what were tucked into bandages that were wrapped around his ankles and feet, and a long sleeveless coat that was black with gold lining. The coat was opened and revealed the man's abs of steel and the Japanese symbol for '1' tattooed on his chest. This was the highest ranking Officer Agent under Mr. 0 himself: **Mr. 1**.

"They looked suspicious out in the desert," Mr. 1 continued as he stared calmly at Mr. 2, "Don't worry, I doubt they'll die. You seem unnecessarily concerned about them. Fostering friendships will only make you weaker."

"THOSE MEN ARE MINE, THEY DON'T BELONG TO YOU!" Mr. 2 hollered as he leapt at Mr. 1and swung his leg around at the man's head. **SWISH!** Mr. 1 dodged the kick and lashed out for a punch but Mr. 2 spun out of the way and leapt up into the air, "UN… DEUX… GRAH!" Mr. 2 came down and lashed out for another kick but Mr. 1 dodged it. "UN… DEUX… RAAH!" Mr. 2 lashed out his hand then swung his leg around him multiple times for a series of missed kicks. "UN… DEUX…" **THWAK!** Mr. 2 finally connected and kicked Mr. 1 in the stomach with his strong dancer's legs.

Mr. 1 went flying backwards and crossed his arms across his chest as he crashed through the stone wall behind him, **KRASH! **An almost perfectly circular hole was left in the wall as the stones clattered to the ground.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Ms. Merry Christmas exclaimed, "HE FLEW STRAIGHT THROUGH THE WALL! HE BARELY SEEMED TO NOTICE IT WAS HAPPENING!"

Mr. 1 kept going and flipped over in midair and landed on his feet outside, **SKISH!** "Do you want to die that badly?" he growled as he stared through the hole at Mr. 2, he held his long arms out at his sides with his fingers loose when he was stopped by an unlikely source.

"HOLD IT!" Paula ordered as she stood in between Mr. 1 and Mr. 2 in an attempt to keep them from killing each other. "That's enough playing around, Mr. 1."

"I'm not done," Mr. 1 stated, "Move, Ms. Double Finger. I still haven't killed him yet."

"STOP IT!" Mr. 2 shrieked, Mr. 4 had pinned him to the ground to stop him from continuing to attack the higher ranked male agent and the Okama was struggling furiously. "JUST GET OFF ME, FATTY! LEMME AT HIM!"

"Mr. 2," Paula called out to the struggling Okama, "It's time for you to calm down as well. It's eight o' clock. All the agents that should be here are here. Once more, a letter containing our orders has arrived at the Spider's Café."

Paula removed her bandana and her glasses and let dark blue hair fall free from her ponytail. A moment later, she stood there wearing a revealing brown outfit which consisted of a bikini top that was attached to a pair of tight pants by a spider web pattern. Over that she wore a long-sleeved jacket that only went down to the middle of her back and was lined in fur. Paula the Proprietor of the Spider's Café was really Mr. 1's partner: **Ms. Double Finger**.

"We're instructed to head to Rainbase the City of Dreams," Ms. Double Finger announced to the other Officer Agents. "In that city we'll meet someone… and man we know but whose face we have never seen." Mr. 2, Mr. 4, and Ms. Merry Christmas all stared in surprise while Mr. 1 remained impassive, "We're heading to meet the Boss."

**-x-**

**Yuba the Town of Rebels:**

**-x-**

**TOMP! TOMP! TOMP! **Bunchi the Turtle, Ms. All Sunday's personal sea transport was stomping through the sand pulling a large carriage behind him. Inside, Mr. 1 and Ms. Double Finger sat on one side while Mr. 2, Mr.4, and Ms. Merry Christmas sat opposite them.

"To think, you've been Ms. Double Finger this whole time Paula," Mr. 2 commented, it was just setting in for the Okama as well as Ms. Merry Christmas that the woman they yelled at and ordered around was actually ranked _higher _than them. "That's very interesting."

"Hmhm, who knows," Ms. Double Finger lightly chuckled as she sat across from the other three with her arms folded across her chest, "Perhaps I would have told you, but none of you ever asked me about it."

**-x-**

At Rain Base the City of Dreams one of the northern-most cities in Alabasta Kingdom, the citizens went about their lives and actually seemed happy, and why wouldn't they when they had a Warlord of the Sea living in the same town as them?

Crocodile's now identified hideout was a casino with a statue of one of his signature giant crocodiles decorating the pyramid-shaped roof. The size of the casino was incredible, it was by far the largest building in the entire city and could see by anyone from anywhere in the city. Who knows what terrible atrocity Crocodile committed in order to get all the money to construct such a large building.

Mr. 0 sat on a plush couch in his personal VIP room, two of his enormous pet crocodiles were lurking about as well and Ms. All Sunday was still staring out the window at the city below.

"The Officer Agents should all be on their way here to Rain Base as we speak," she reported, "I sent Bunchi to get them, I expect them to arrive sometime later tonight."

"The Billions that we lost in Nanohana, you were able to find replacements?" Mr. 0 inquired.

"I've made the assignments for the replacements," Ms. All Sunday stated, "And as far as contacting the new Billions, I've dispatched the Lizard Runners to see to that."

"Good to hear," Crocodile commented, "Things are almost ready."

**-x-**

"LOOK UP AHEAD!" Vivi called out, "I CAN SEE A LIGHT!"

"Does that mean we've made it to Yuba?" Luffy asked, he sprang off of Ricky and darted ahead leaving the first mate still carrying Nami, Usopp, and Chopper. Luffy squinted and stared off in a distance, "I can't see anything."

The Princess and the pirates stood silently and stared ahead of them, those of them with depth perception could make out a town up ahead. But all of them could hear the strong wind that was blowing around it.

"Something here doesn't seem right..." Vivi observed, "There's something wrong down there, I can tell!"

"The wind up ahead is moving surprisingly fast," Nami noted, "Could it be…"

**SSSHHHHWWWOOOOO… SHHHHWWWWWWOOOOOO…**

The eleven travelers got closer and saw a strong sandy wind blowing through the darkened city of Yuba, "OH NO!" Vivi cried out in alarm, "THE ENTIRE CITY IS BEING STRUCK BY A SANDSTORM!"

"LET'S KICK ITS ASS!" Luffy shouted.

"Right," Zoro and Sanji agreed as they slipped off their weights and charged off towards the sandstorm along with Luffy.

"Everyone off," Ricky ordered as he nudged Chopper off of his foot and tossed Usopp off of his shoulder, Nami quickly got off on her own, lest he decided to physically remove her. Ricky quickly removed his four weight bands then ran after the other three.

"There they go again," Ace commented with an amused grin, "Defying the forces of nature."

"If it even _is _a force of nature," Han added.

"RICKY!" Luffy yelled out, despite the speed increase that Zoro, Sanji, and Ricky were experiencing due to their lack of weights, Luffy was still keeping ahead of them, "This one's actually in the city, how do we stop it?"

"We'll have to do it in two parts," Ricky reasoned as he brought up the rear of the group and stared passed the others at the huge sandstorm up in front of them. "Let's fan out and blow it backwards out of the city, then once it's away from the buildings we'll cancel it out."

The four pirates split up, "GUUMMM… GUUUMMM… BAAAALLOOOOON!" **SHOOM!** Luffy inflated and swelled up with air, then twisted his rubber body around and blew out a strong torrent of air from his mouth. **SHWWOOOOOO!**

To his right, Ricky drew _Akakyuuketsuki_ and used two hands on the handle to spin it around in a circle, creating a strong spiral of wind, **WOOOSSSHHH!**

On the far right, Zoro drew _Kitetsu III _and _Yubashiri _and spun both of the swords around like a pair of propellers, creating two blasts of wind that combined and became even stronger, **FWWOOOOM!**

On the far left, Sanji swung his leg out in front of him, F**WOOOSH!** Then kept spinning and swung out his other leg, F**WOOOSH!** As Sanji kept spinning and kicked he unleashed small bursts of air that blew into the sandstorm.

The four Straw Hats marched forward and when combined their fourth streams of wind gradually blew the sandstorm backwards. They kept at it until they made it out of the city. Zoro drew his final sword then he and Ricky leapt straight into the heart of the spiraling sandstorm. **SKISH!**

"Red Blade… TORNADO!"

"DRAGON… TWISTER!"

The two swordsman spun clockwise to counteract the counter-clockwise spiral of wind, with the two of them spinning together in the center of the storm, the sand lost its power and eventually fell unmoving to the ground.

"Well, that's one crisis averted," Ricky commented as the four of them headed back into Yuba, and slowly made their way through the sand-filled city. The buildings were coated with sand and the palm trees were withered.

"This place doesn't seem much better than that Erumalu place," Zoro commented.

"HEEEEYYYY!" Luffy hollered, "WHERE IS EVERYBODY?"

The four pirates glanced around them but the only person they could see was an old man staring at them in shock.

"Oi, you there," Sanji called out to the old man, "Where's the Rebel Army?"

"D-don't t-tell me y-you're here to j-join those f-f-fools!" the old man stammered, he'd seen there power when they drove off the latest sandstorm, if monsters like these four joined with the rebels the entire kingdom could fall. The man grabbed a barrel and threw it at Sanji's head, **WOOSH!** Sanji twisted to the side to avoid it.

"We're not here to join the Rebel Army," Ricky stated, "We just wanted to talk to the leader. We… uh… we've been sent by the World Government to see if we can stop the war that's threatening to break out in your country."

"But Ricky, we're not…" Luffy started to say, **WHAP!** Zoro interrupted and quickly clamped a hand over his mouth to keep Luffy from being honest.

"We heard that the Rebel Army was based here," Ricky continued, "So, if you'd be so kind as to take us to the leader, we can get our business underway."

"I'd be happy to take you to the Rebel Army," the old man replied as he climbed out of the ditch he'd been digging and approached the four 'government agents', "Anything to stop this war without bloodshed. But um… you see… they're not here."

"…what?" Luffy, Ricky, Zoro, and Sanji all chorused.

"The Rebel Army isn't based here anymore," the old man explained, "Sandstorms like the one you just chased off are a regular occurrence here, those fools moved to Katorea."

"…" the four Straw Hats stared blankly at the old man. They'd traveled for DAYS through a scorching hot desert so Vivi could speak with the leader of the rebel army only to find out that THE REBEL ARMY WASN'T EVEN BASED HERE ANYMORE!

"I see…" Ricky said, he was visibly forcing himself to remain calm, "And where's this Katorea place located? Is it far from here?"

"Katorea is one town over from Nanohana," the old man answered, "It's where the merchants get their perfumes."

So not only were the rebel army no longer here in Yuba but they were currently located RIGHT NEXT TO WHERE THEY HAD STARTED!

"**What's going on?"** the four Straw Hats turned to find that the others had caught up, it was Vivi who had spoken.

"Oh, everything's fine," Ricky informed her, "Yup, we saved everybody in the city."

"Oh, thank goodness," Vivi sighed in relief. She didn't seem to notice Ricky's obvious attempts to hide his irritation. Nami, Usopp, and Chopper however, quickly dove behind Eyelash for cover from the impending explosion.

"Yup," Ricky agreed, "We saved _that guy_." Ricky pointed to the old man causing Vivi to stare at him in confusion. "Get this, it's the funniest thing, it turns out the Rebel Army isn't even based here anymore. They relocated to some place called Katorea which, wouldn't you know it, is one village over from Nanohana. It's back where we started. We traveled for four days, through a blazing hot desert, through all that filler, for _nothing_. Please excuse me, while I go destroy something." Ricky stalked off with his fists clenched leaving Vivi staring in shock.

"It was an honest mistake," Ace reassured her, "I don't think he holds it against you."

"The lazy bum is just upset that you made him do all that extra traveling," Nami guessed, "Don't worry about it."

**BOOOM!** An explosion rang out from the outskirts of the city where Ricky was obviously venting his frustrations.

"I'll go calm him down," Ollie volunteered, she drew her bow then darted off after Ricky.

"Here are your weights back by the way," Ace spoke up as he pulled two weights off his wrists and handed them back to Sanji. Han pulled off the two weights he'd been wearing and gave them back to Zoro. Chopper, who was in his Heavy Point form, was once again wearing Ricky's four weighted bands.

"You must be exhausted from all the time spent in that heat," the old man commented to the Straw Hats, "Sorry, but this city is a bit dried up. It doesn't have much relief to offer. But still, you're free to rest here for a while."

Vivi pulled up the collar of her cloak to keep the old man from recognizing her as the Princess of the country and took a moment to take in his appearance. The man was old and thin and had a bushy gray mustache. He wore a droopy gray turban on top of his head, and a tattered brown cloak over a worn set of desert robes and around his waist he wore a green sash with purple poke-a-dots.

The old man eyed the 'travelers' and his eyes rested on Vivi for a moment, "Like I said before, three years of no rain has made the land increasingly dry, sandstorms became a regular occurrence here. Little-by-little the oasis that we knew was swallowed up, until the town became what you see now, and dying wasteland. When the flow of supplies to the town ended, the Rebel Army couldn't maintain their drawn out struggle so they packed up and moved on to Katorea."

"Grumphhgraahhhgrrummgraaahhh…" Eyelash spoke up.

"Eyelash says that he used to carry Rebel Army goods to Katorea," Chopper translated.

"YOU DAMN CAMEL!" Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji yelled as they attacked Eyelash and started kicking him. "YOU SHOULDA SAID SOMETHING!"

"Graahhhu," Eyelash grunted.

"'Whatever'," Chopper interpreted.

"YOU MADE US WASTE ALL THAT TIME!" the three Straw Hats shouted as the continued attacking the camel.

"Looks like they're angrier at Eyelash than they are at you," Han remarked to Vivi.

"Well duh," Luffy replied, "Vivi made an honest mistake, the dumb camel knew and just didn't say anything."

"Did you say… Vivi?" the old man repeated, he turned to the Princess and stared at her in shock.

"SHE'S NOT A PRINCESS OR ANYTHING!" Luffy shouted, Ricky was no longer there to cover for him, so Luffy was being loose-lipped as usual.

**WHOMP! **Zoro clubbed Luffy on the head, then grabbed his mouth and stretched it off of his face, "YOU HAVE THE BIGGEST MOUTH!"

"Vivi… is that really you?" the old man asked as he reached out and placed his hands on the girl's shoulders. "You're alive! I can't believe it! Thank goodness, it's me Vivi, don't you recognize me?" Vivi stared at the old man in front of her, his face was wrinkled and thin, all that stood out was his bushy gray mustache and hair. "I look different… I lost some weight, I suppose…"

"AH!" Vivi gasped in horror when she finally recognized the man. "Toto… is it… really you?" The fat man that her father had named the Mayor of Yuba was now nothing but a living skeleton with a layer of skin over his bones.

Vivi covered her mouth and stared to sob as she remembered what the man had said to her eleven years ago. _"So long, my Princess, I won't see you for a while but as soon as Yuba's up and running be sure to stop by."_

"Toto? That's this guy?" Luffy questioned, even though he hadn't been listening to Vivi's story.

"For whatever its worth, Vivi dear," Toto told Vivi, "I have faith in you and the King. He's a good man, a true King who would never betray his country. I know it." Tears leaked out of Toto's eyes and he dropped down to his knees and started sobbing. Vivi knelt down in front of the man and attempted to comfort him. The Straw Hats and the two Whitebeards remained silent and let the two speak in peace.

Toto stopped crying and clenched his fists, "THIS REBELLION IS RIDICULOUS!" he shouted, "A BUNCH OF FAITHLESS FOOLS! True, our country hasn't seen so much as a drop of rain in three years, but I still put my trust in the King as I always have. Most of the country still has faith in him actually."

Toto shook his head and continued, "So many times… I tried to stop them so many times. But they won't listen to anything I say. The rebellion isn't stopping. They're strength, supplies, and men have reached the limit however. They're intention is to settle everything once and for all with the next attack. They're backs are against the wall. They're stuck in a corner… prepared for death."

"Ah," Vivi gasped, the rebels were ready to die to fight in the manipulated war, this was exactly what she was trying to _prevent_.

"Please Vivi!" Toto urged her, "you have to stop these fools from tearing our country apart!"

**-x-**

A camel-drawn wagon was pulled into Katorea and eventually stopped outside a group of tents. The driver got off and addressed the gathered rebels, "Where's leader?" he asked.

"He's inside," one of the other rebels informed him.

The driver, a round faced man who used to serve under Koza when they were the Sand Sand Band, headed into a nearby tent and once again found the Leader of the Rebel Army once again sitting alone in the dark. "Koza," the driver called out to the leader, "I've notified all of our contacts in the other towns."

Koza got to his feet, "This is it," he stated, "the time to strike has finally arrived."

"It has," the driver agreed, "We aren't nearly as well armed as I'd like us to be though."

"I know," Koza admitted, "but there's no other choice now. We have a duty to protect our country. No one else can do it. Only we can."

**-x-**

Vivi offered a handkerchief to Toto who'd gone back to crying.

"Toto, old friend," she said to the old man causing him to look up at her. "Please don't be worried."

"Vivi dear…" Toto whispered.

"We'll succeed," Vivi assured him. "I've brought some strong friends back with me. You've seen what they're capable of, and they're willing to help us."

"…" Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper all remained silent as if waiting further orders from the Princess. Only Ace and Han noticed when Ricky and Ollie came back and joined the others in silently watching the Princess comfort the old man.

"We're going to stop the rebellion," Vivi vowed.

"Thank you, Vivi…" Toto replied.

With the moon now high overhead, Vivi's resolve strengthened even further. After witnessing what Crocodile's manipulations had done to her people she was determined to stop the war he'd been manipulating them into. The rebel soldiers might not have been based in Yuba, but that wasn't going to stop her from trying to save as many lives as possible, she'd find another way to stop the rebellion.

**-x-**

Vivi and the Straw Hats have finally made it to Yuba, but the rebels were revealed to be in Katorea and are preparing to mobilize. Next chapter, Crocodile meets with the Officer Agents and begins to enact Operation Utopia.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	41. Chapter 41

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of the related characters, just the original characters that appear in this story.

**A/N:**** Sorry about the late update. I've been really busy this week. It's here now though, and at long last it's finally time for: NAMI VS. OLLIE.**

**Operation Utopia:**

**-x-**

"Great job today everybody!" Usopp called out. It was clear that Yuba had at one point been the base for the rebel army because the Straw Hats – minus their Captain – and the three Whitebeard Pirates were currently situated in a room at one of Yuba's many inns. Five bunk beds had been crammed into the room which probably served as a barracks at one time. Everyone's bags and supplies had been piled together in an empty corner along with Ricky, Zoro, and Sanji's weights.

"Really, we all did excellent work," Usopp continued, "Now let's all lie down on these comfy beds and get some rest, okay? We'll need our strength!" **Swish! **Usopp jumped into bed and didn't even bother covering himself with the blanket before he attempt to fall asleep after the long journey to Yuba. "Goodnight you guys…"

**THWAP! **Zoro threw a pillow from the middle of the room and sent Usopp rolling across his bunk into the wall. "Please," Zoro scoffed, "this whole trip you've been nothing but lazy!"

"WHY YOU!" Usopp exclaimed. "QUIT COMPARING ME TO YOU AND ALL THE OTHER SUPERHUMAN FREAKS!" Usopp grabbed his pillow and hurled it at the swordsman's head with his usual accuracy, **THWAP!**

"Now you're annoying me…" Zoro growled as the pillow dropped to the ground leaving him glaring at the sniper.

"YAAH!" Usopp exclaimed as he jumped out of bed and threw the pillow Zoro had thrown at him, **THWAP! **It whizzed by Zoro and connected with Chopper who was taken by surprise and toppled over. "I think _blue nose_ wins today's award for laziest talking animal in the desert!"

Chopper jumped up off of the ground and pulled himself up into Usopp's face with the sniper's collar. "YOU TRY WALKING AROUND IN A FUR COAT!" the reindeer snapped.

"Sanji, I think that's my bed," Vivi pointed out as she stared at the cook who had made himself comfortable under the sheets in _her _bunk below Nami.

"I know," Sanji replied with a suave smile, "I thought you might have trouble sleeping here all alone tonight, Miss. Vivi." **THWAP! **A pillow connected with Sanji's face.

"And the award for biggest perv goes to Sanji," Usopp commented as he and Chopper grinned at the now irritated cook.

"Alright, slingshot boy," Sanji snarled as he slipped out of Vivi's bed and advanced on his Nakama, "I'm gonna shove that pillow so far down your throat you'll choke on it!"

In an instant, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper were flinging a seemingly unending supply of pillows around the room at each other.

"Crazy kids," Han muttered from his top bunk in the corner, in the bunk beneath him, Ace was already sound asleep with his orange hat tilted down over his eyes. At least he'd actually passed out in a bed rather than in the middle of a meal or conversation.

Nami looked down at Vivi from her top bunk and grew embarrassed by her immature male Nakama and they yelled and threw pillows at each other. Nami grabbed her pillow and threw it at the group then yelled, "YOU GUYS DON'T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF…" **THWAP! **She was cut off when a pillow impacted with the side of her face.

Nami glared in the direction the pillow had come from and saw Ricky sitting up in the top bunk of the bed adjacent to hers, completely engrossed in his book that he'd reclaimed from her now that they'd finally made it to Yuba. He didn't appear to have thrown the pillow but the green clothed archer that was leaning against the wall with her legs draped over Ricky's so they hung off the side of the bed struck her as the more likely culprit.

"I'm sure _more_ yelling and pillow throwing will stop _all _the yelling and pillow throwing," Ollie quipped not even bothering to look away from Nami's accusing gaze.

Nami grabbed the pillow Ollie at thrown at her and threw it back, **THWAP! **"ACT YOUR AGE!" Nami shouted.

Ollie glared at her and gripped the pillow tightly, "You have no idea who you're dealing with, little girl."

"I'm not scared of you!" Nami retorted, **WHAP! **She reached out to the side and snagged a wayward pillow from the ongoing pillow fight below her. "BRING IT ON!"

**SKISH!** Ollie leapt from Ricky bed to Nami's and smacked the navigator upside the head with her pillow, **WHAP!** Nami was sent flying off of the bed, but landed safely on top of the four male pillow fighters, effectively ending their pillow fight. As Nami pushed herself off of the cushion made from the bodies of her male Nakama, Ollie dove from Nami's bunk and swung for the younger girl's head with her pillow, **SWISH! **Nami ducked under it and slipped behind the archer just as she landed and connected with the shot to the back, **THWHAP! **

"Oi, kid," Han called across the room to Ricky, who was still reading his book, "You gonna do something about this?"

"It's been brewing since they first met," Ricky stated without looking up, "They might as well get it out of their systems now while they're only using pillows."

**SWISH! SWISH!** Ollie ducked two swings from Nami's pillow then countered with a shot of her own, **THWHAP!**

Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper pulled themselves off of the ground and retreated to their beds to watch Nami and Ollie go at it with different degrees of enthusiasm. Zoro laid on his back and merely watched out of the corner of his eye, hearts were in Sanji's eyes and the pillow fight had his undivided attention, and Usopp and Chopper sat up on their respective beds and cheered. Vivi glanced around her and noted that no one else seemed to attempting to stop the two female pirates, so she shrugged and sat down on the edge of her bed and silently watched along with the rest of them.

**THWHAP! THWHAP! **Ollie continued her assault and peppered Nami with numerous pillow-shots to the head and chest. **WHOMP!** A hard upward swing knocked Nami off balance but Ollie quickly grabbed Nami by the collar with one hand while she drew back her pillow with the other. "Consider it brought, little girl," Ollie taunted.

**SWISH! **Ollie was caught off guard when Nami suddenly slipped down out of her desert cloak, leaving her in her dancer girl outfit, and then threw the loose cloak in Ollie's face. With her sharp vision obscured by Nami's cloak Ollie couldn't see to defend herself from Nami's follow-up assault, **THWHAP! THWHAP! THWHAP! **Ollie reeled backwards as Nami smacked her over and over again with her pillow. The sight of Nami weaving and swaying in her revealing dancer girl outfit overloaded Sanji's brain and caused the cook to faint. **FWUMP!**

"Pervy cook," Zoro muttered.

**SWISH! **Ollie finally threw Nami's cloak off of her in time to duck Nami's next swing, then countered and swung her own pillow at Nami's head, **SWISH!** The thief ducked down and used her quick hands to grab onto the loose side of Ollie's cloak and give it a hard yank, **WHUP!** Ollie was pulled off balance and stumbled right into Nami's follow-up pillow-shot,** THWHAP! **Ollie staggered backwards but managed to stop herself before she fell over. She glared at Nami then grabbed her green cloak and pulled it off leaving her in a green tank top, a pair of green tights, and her green boots.

Nami, the shorter and slimmer of the two, had a much larger chest which bounced with every swing and heaved with every deep breath. Ollie had the more athletic frame with longer, more defined arms and legs. But everyone's view of the two female pirates was obscured when their pillows smacked together in midair and burst, **THWHAP!** Feathers went flying and fluttered around the two.

With a sudden inspiration, Nami snatched one of the guys' abandoned pillows off of the ground and spun around while swinging it around her. **SWISH!** The fluttering feathers from the two pillows were blown into Ollie's face, once again obscuring her vision, leaving her wide-opened when Nami spun around again and walloped her with a solid pillow-shot to the face, **WHOMP! **Ollie was knocked off her feet and went crashing to the ground, **FWUMP!**

Nami stood over Ollie breathing deeply with the pillow held loosely in her right hand, "I think this… _little girl_… just proved that she's not only… unafraid to face you… when she has to… but that she can _beat you _too." Nami winked and stuck her tongue out at the archer.

"It was just a stupid pillow fight," Ollie muttered as she got back up and stalked over to the bunk underneath Ricky's and flopped down on it.

Ricky leaned over the side of his bunk and glanced down at Ollie, "That's what happens when you face the fan-service character in a fan-service fight." **THWHAP! **Ricky was pelted in the face with a pillow and looked to the side to see that Ace had woken up at some point, "How long have you been awake?"

"Long enough to hear you break the fourth wall again," Ace replied.

Nami put her cloak back on and climbed back into her bed, as she made herself comfortable she locked eyes with Ricky who was positioned feet-to-feet with her and smirked at him before she laid back and closed her eyes. Ricky looked at her with an amused smile before returning to his reading.

"So…" Ace spoke up as he sat up and glanced around the now quiet room, "What did I miss?"

**-x-**

Outside the inn, the moon shone high above the Yuba Oasis, Luffy sat in the ditch that once the oasis' water source and watched Toto dig in the sand.

"Hey old guy!" Luffy called out, "There's still no water, my throat's drying up. How can you stand to live here? It's horrible."

"The water will come," Toto assured him as he continued to dig in the sand. **SHUNK! SHUNK! **"The Yuba Oasis still has life in it yet. The dream of Yuba can't be ruined by a bunch of lousy sand. The King left this land in my hands and I'll keep it alive. I'll dig out the sand as many times as it takes."

"Okay then, let's dig," Luffy decided before he started digging down into the sand like a dog. The sand Luffy was sent flying out behind him splattered on Toto's back and fell in his hole.

"HEY!" Toto complained as he held up his arm to keep from getting sand in his face. "You're filling up the hole I've spent all this time on!"

"Hmm?" Luffy questioned as he stared at the old man as the stood in his hole which was already up to his stomach.

"I'LL NEVER GET THIS WORK DONE IF YOU KEEP FILLING MY HOLES!" Toto yelled.

"But… I'm digging just like you old guy," Luffy told him.

"No, I'm digging holes and you're filling them up!" Toto scolded him with animated hand gestures. "The sand from the hole you're digging is going into the hole I'm digging. In other words, you're not helping!"

"Ah, so it's a Mystery Hole!" Luffy realized, before he went right back to digging and throwing sand out behind him into Toto's hole.

"I SAID KNOCK IT OFF!" the old man yelled. But Luffy kept digging and kept sending sand flying at him, "Uhh… I give up…"

**-x-**

North of Yuba, in Rain Base, Crocodile's casino towered over the rest of the city. The casino was by far the most notable structure in the city and was made noticeable by the gold crocodile decorating the roof of the pyramid-shaped building The casino looked almost like a castle, and even had a moat surrounding it which the patrons could cross by going over the red carpeted bridge.

Inside the building, the Baroque Works Officer Agents were gathered in the VIP room. A quick glance out one of the windows would reveal water from the moat and the giant crocodiles that were swimming in it, this led the Officer Agents to believe that they were currently below the actual casino. The Officer Agents were sitting at a long table with Mr. 4, Mr. 2, and Mr. 1 in three of the four chairs on one side while Ms. Merry Christmas and Ms. Double Finger sat opposite them in two of the four chairs on the other side. A final chair was situated at the head of the table but was currently facing away from the agents.

"GIMME A BREAK!" Mr. 2 exclaimed, "How much longer are we gonna have to wait around like this? Are you at least going to serve refreshments? I could be practicing my dance instead of sitting here!"

"FWAAAHH… FWWAAAHH… FWWAAAHH…" Mr. 4 laughed at the eccentric Okama.

"Mr. 2, just sit still over there and wait quietly," Ms. Double Finger ordered.

"YEAH!" Ms. Merry Christmas barked. "Shut up you stupid man! Stuman! Stuman!"

"You calm down too, Ms. Merry Christmas," Ms. Double Finger added.

"**Fufufu,"** came the laughter of Ms. All Sunday as she walked down a long flight of steps and stared down at the Officer Agents seated at the table. The Vice President of Baroque Works had changed her outfit and now wore a white full-length fur coat, and a white cowgirl hat to match. "I guess it isn't too surprising that you all don't get along. Oh well, it isn't necessary that you do anyway."

Ms. All Sunday continued to address the Officer Agents as she made her way down the rest of the steps, "Thank you all for coming so far to attend this little gathering of ours in Rain Base, the city where gambling is the only King and every man and woman dreams of going home rich. Welcome to Rain Dinners, the largest casino in the whole city."

"Ms. All Sunday, can we skip the formalities and get to the point?" Mr. 1 requested.

"Yes, I was just getting to that Mr. 1," Ms. All Sunday replied as she passed behind the male agents as she walked along the table.

"LET'S GET THIS STARTED ALREADY!" Ms. Merry Christmas shouted as she banged her hand on the table, "Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Start! Start! Start! Now! Now!"

"Of course," Ms. All Sunday agreed when she was finally standing at her place at the far end of the table across from the backwards chair situated at the table's head, "but there's something that needs to be taken care of. It's time to meet our boss, whose face you have never seen. I've been acting as his face and his voice for some time now, delivering the orders as he saw fit. There's no longer any need for such secrecy however."

"**Finally, the time has come for Operation Utopia," **came a gravelly voice, and the previously empty chair at the head of the table spun around to reveal Mr. 0, better known in these parts as Sir Crocodile Alabasta's Hero.

"GAAH!" Mr. 2 and Ms. Merry Christmas both gasped.

"OOOOOHHHHH!" Mr. 4 exclaimed in a much longer drawn out reaction.

"Crocodile," Mr. 1 noted as he recognized that Warlord of the Sea.

"This will be the greatest and final operation that Baroque Works carries out," Crocodile stated.

"It seems you're familiar with our boss," Ms. All Sunday commented as she stood calmly at the other end of the table, "Or his public identity anyway. "

"Yes, or course we are," Ms. Double Finger answered, "But why is one of the Seven Warlords leading us?"

"Yeah!" Ms. Merry Christmas added, "We didn't expect to have such a big-shot guy for our leader!"

"Can we get this straight?" Mr. 2 attempted to clarify, "We've been working for a pirate since the first day?"

"So then you are actually our boss," Mr. 1 realized.

"That a problem?" Crocodile growled at his subordinates, causing some of them flinch.

"It's not a problem," Ms. Double Finger stated, "but it is a bit confusing, the Seven Warlords are pirates sanctioned by the Government. Why would you need a company like this one?"

"I do not seek money or status," Crocodile stated, "It is something more… military strength. Allow me to explain myself…" Crocodile paused as he put an expensive cigar in his mouth and lit it up, "Let me tell you my true objective, my goal, and the final operation that Baroque Works will be conducting…"

**-x-**

**SHUNK! SHUNK! **Back in Yuba, Toto had gone back to digging his hole but stopped as he glanced behind him in Luffy's direction, "Maybe he finally figured it out?" the old man commented, "The sand stopped coming." Toto climbed out of his hole and peered down into Luffy's, "He was able to dig that in such a short time? Even as tired as he must be from the journey?" The old man could barely make out Luffy's sleeping form down in the darkened bottom of his incredibly deep hole.

Toto got Luffy out of the hole and carried the sleeping pirate into the room in the inn but seeing that all ten beds were occupied he ended up wrapping Luffy up in a blanket and setting him down on the floor.

"Sleep well tonight, you've earned it," Toto whispered to the sleeping pirate.

"Food and water…" Luffy mumbled in his sleep as the old man made his way to the door.

"Pleasant dreams," Toto quietly spoke as he left the room and closed the door behind him.

"NO!" a lone eye snapped open and Ricky sat up with a start, his forehead was soaked in sweat and the deep gasping breaths he was taking showed that the dream he'd been having was definitely not pleasant.

Ricky glanced around the room and saw that his usual roommates, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper had slept through his late night awakening as usual. Across the room, Han was still asleep and Ace appeared to be sleeping still with his orange hat tilted down over his eyes. Ricky frowned when he spotted Luffy sleeping on the floor, then glanced down and noted that his shout hadn't woken Vivi or Ollie either. The only person he _had_ woken was sitting up in the bed adjacent to his and was staring at him with concern.

Ricky shrugged sheepishly and waved her off as he slipped out of bed and landed silently on the floor. Ricky pulled his sleeping younger brother up off of the floor then hefted him and the bundle of blankets he was cocooned in up onto his now empty bunk. After pulling the sheets over the bundle Luffy was already wrapped in, Ricky quietly crossed the room and slipped out the door.

"Hmph," Nami muffed to herself, rather than belay her concerns, he'd just fueled her suspicions, she quickly slipped out of bed and followed after him. As they left, neither of them noticed the pair of eyes watching them from beneath the brim of an orange hat.

**-x-**

Nami didn't have to go far to find him, Ricky was sitting just outside the inn against the front wall staring up at the night sky. Nami walked over and sat down next to him and just stared at him until he looked at her and acknowledged her presence.

"You should get back to bed," he advised.

"Not until you tell me what's going on," Nami replied.

"It was nothing," Ricky assured her, "don't worry about it and go back to…"

"Liar," Nami bluntly interrupted. "'Nothing' doesn't cause someone to shout and wake up in a cold sweat."

"Then if you already know the answer, why bother asking the question?" Ricky asked.

"Because I was _hoping_ you'd tell me the truth," Nami answered, "but it looks like I'm going to have to be more direct about it." Nami gave him a hard look that told him just who he was dealing with and how stubborn she was. "My guess is that you had a nightmare from your time as Red Eye, it wouldn't be the first time you've mentioned not sleeping due to nightmares. I just wish you'd trust me enough to know that I want to help you."

"You want to help me?" Ricky repeated, with a dark undertone, "How are you supposed to _help me_ forget killing an innocent father in front of his wife and kids? I wasn't just watching it, it's from _my _perspective, _I _did it. How _the hell _are you supposed to help me with that?"

Nami reached out and cupped his chin and turned his face so he was looking her in the eye, "Because I know you," she answered, "it may have been from your perspective, but you didn't do it. You _couldn't _do it. That… _thing_ in your eye socket isn't _you _it's a completely separate entity that forced itself on you and took control of your body. You're incapable of hurting any innocent person. That's why I lll…" Nami trailed off and her face flushed, but she quickly corrected herself, "That's why I like you so much." Nami leaned in to show him how she really felt but at the last second she veered to the side and just kissed him on the cheek.

Nami blushed as she smiled up at him, "If images of the things you've seen during the eye's rampage are going to wake you up at night then at the very least I'm going to make sure you don't have to stay out here all alone."

Nami leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder, Ricky looked down at her with a small smile then shook his head and looked back up at the star-filled sky. But after a moment Nami called out, "Ricky… I'm cold…"

Ricky looked back down at her, "Well, you seem to be the problem solver tonight," Ricky pointed out, "How 'bout you solve that one too."

Nami grinned and her hand flashed out and pulled his cloak opened, she pushed off of the wall and resituated herself against his side and took a moment to drape his arm over her shoulders before she pulled his cloak closed around her and once again rested her head on his shoulder.

"Ahhh… that's better…" Nami sighed. Ricky gazed down at her with a fond smile then looked back up in the sky. Neither of them noticed the figure watching from the doorway, he was conveniently missing his hat and ruby necklace but was wearing a warm smile.

"Nami…" Ricky spoke up, "Get your hand… out of my pocket."

"Hehehe, where would you prefer I put it?" she teased him.

"I don't care," Ricky answered, "just keep your hands _out of my pants_!" Ace chuckled to himself as he turned and headed back to bed, content in knowing that his brother was in good hands.

**-x-**

"You mean something like that really exists on this island?" Mr. 2 questioned as Crocodile concluded his explanation of his plans back in the VIP room of Rain Dinners. "And we're going to steal the whole country along with it? This assignment is making me tremble all over!"

"So these new orders are the final pieces of one final plan that Baroque Works has been working towards?" Mr. 1 asked.

"Yes, that is correct," Mr. 0 answered. "Every assignment performed as an agent, every mission finished since Baroque Works was founded has been part of this single operation. And those letters in front of you, are the final orders that you will receive. The time has finally come for Alabasta Kingdom to disappear." The Officer Agents unfolded the letters that had been placed on the table in front of each of them at some point during the explanation and led their last assignment. "Once each of you has completed the assignment before you, this desert kingdom will destroy itself from the inside out. The rebel and royal armies will have nowhere to go, nowhere to turn, as a result they will fall neatly into the hands of Baroque Works." After reading their instructions the Officer Agents used the lit candles on the table to destroy all the evidence. "If all goes according to plan, in a single night Alabasta Kingdom will become our utopia. This mission is the final and most important act that Baroque Works will carry out. Failure is not an option. We begin tomorrow at noon."

"Yes sir!" the Officer Agents all chorused.

"I wish you luck," Crocodile concluded.

**Tmp! Tmp! Tmp! **The sound of footsteps drew everyone's attention to the top of the staircase where Mr. 3 now stood wearing a cloak with blue vertical stripes, bandages on his face, his usual blue-rimmed glasses, and the wick-like 3 his hair was braided into.

"About this Operation Utopia," Mr. 3 called out, "May I ask you to postpone it for a while?"

**-x-**

**Luffy versus Vivi:**

**-x-**

Mr. 0, Ms. All Sunday, and the Officer Agents all stared up at Mr. 3 as he stood at the middle of the large staircase leading down into the room.

"How did you get here?" Ms. All Sunday asked with a dangerous undertone in her voice, "The location of this room is a secret."

"So what little hidey-hole did you crawl out of to get here Mr. 3?" Mr. 2 inquired as he slipped out of his chair and got in a fighting stance, "Now I will finally complete my mission!"

"Hold on, Mr. 2," Crocodile ordered as he remained seated at the head of the table with a cup of tea in his hand.

"I didn't crawl out of anywhere, thank you very much," Mr. 3 replied, "I merely followed you all from your little meeting at Spider's Café. It was easy enough to do. I just hitched a ride on the back of Bunchi's car unseen." Mr. 3 bowed to Crocodile, "Boss, at last we meet. I have come here to humbly beg for your forgiveness and to ask that I may be given a second chance." Mr. 2 remained standing as Mr. 3 continued his way down the rest of the staircase, "You see, Mr. 2, I knew there was only a matter of time before someone was sent to eliminate me after I failed to complete the assignment that I was given. That is why I made the decision to change my course slightly and head directly for the headquarters at the Spider's Café."

"You said that you had failed to complete a mission," Crocodile stated as Mr. 3 reached the bottom of the steps and walked towards him. "What are you talking about?

"Huh, oh you know," Mr. 3 answered, "How I was unfortunately unable to prevent the Straw Hats brats and Princess Vivi from escaping."

**KRESH! **The handle of Crocodile's cup shattered in his hand as he glared at Mr. 3 and stood up, "You're telling me that you got away… all of them?" the Warlord growled. "You're saying that they're still alive? What were you talking about on the transponder snail? You said that they were dead! Princess Vivi and her bratty little irate friends, YOU DID DEAL WITH THEM, DIDN'T YOU?"

"The transponder snail?" Mr. 3 repeated, "I don't know what you're talking about. I never used a transponder snail the entire time I was on Little Garden. Not even once."

"WHAT?" Crocodile snarled.

_"Yeah… hello," the voice Crocodile had assumed was Mr. 3 spoke from the other end of the Transponder Snail, "you've reached the Crap Café. Can I take your order?"_

Crocodile sat down and attempted to calm himself as he lit up a new cigar, "This isn't good news," he stated, "Although it does explain why the Unluckies haven't returned from Little Garden." Everyone remained silent awaiting the President's full response to Mr. 3's failure. "I assume that you at least got rid of one or two of them…"

"No, not exactly," Mr. 3 confessed, causing Crocodile to glare at him, Mr. 3 threw up his hands in a desperate plea for his life, "WAIT! THE INFORMATION I WAS GIVEN WASN'T ENTIRELY ACCURATE! There were three pirate escorts along with Princess Vivi, and on top of that there was this really funny-looking man with a long nose, and the red haired First Mate!"

"DAMN IT!" Crocodile yelled as he shot up to his feet.

"PLEASE BOSS!" Mr. 2 called out as he stood in his place at the table as well, "Can you please explain to the rest of us what's going on with all this insanity? None of this makes any sense!"

It took a moment but Crocodile explained about the Straw Hats and Princess Vivi knowing his identity and how he had instructed Mr. 3 to eliminate all of them on Little Garden. Mr. 13's sketches of Luffy, Zoro, and Nami were laid out on the table along with a picture of a younger Princess Vivi.

"ALL OF THEM!" Mr. 2 exclaimed, "I MET ALL OF THESE PEOPLE! I RAN INTO THEM ON MY WAY TO THE CAFÉ!"

"Really?" Crocodile questioned, Mr. 2's lucky encounter appeared to have overridden the incompetence of Mr. 3 who was standing sheepishly beside him at the head of the table after handing over his sketches of the three Straw Hats and Princess Vivi.

**Skish! **Mr. 2 used the memory feature in his Clone Clone Devil Fruit Powers and transformed into Luffy and called out in Luffy's voice, "There was this guy!" **Skish! **Luffy turned into Zoro, "And this guy!" **Skish! **Zoro turned into Nami, "And this girl!" **Skish! **Nami became Usopp, "And this guy!" **Skish! **Usopp became Chopper, "And this thing too!" **Skish! **Chopper turned back into Mr. 2. "and an auburn haired one that I didn't get to touch, plus one more." Mr. 2 slapped his hand down on Vivi's picture, "So Ms. Wednesday is really a Princess posing as an agent? YOU MEAN THESE PEOPLE ARE ALL ACTUALLY THE ENEMY?"

"That's correct," Crocodile answered. "These people have uncovered who I really am. They need to be taken care of or they'll interfere with the plan." Mr. 2 sank down into his seat and dropped his head on the table, he actually seemed upset that the people who had saved him and quickly become his friends were actually the enemy.

"Mr. 3, you're right about one thing," Crocodile commented. "It does seem like have two additional people and one animal. Their group is bigger than we expected. Setting the pet aside, there is the pet aside there is something that we can safely assume for the moment. Princess Vivi and her little friends are likely to be in Alabasta already. Now to prepare… Mr. 2, make photos of all of those faces you displayed."

"But… but Boss!" Mr. 3 sputtered, "I promise that I will eliminate Princess Vivi and the others with my own two hands!"

**WHAP! **Crocodile swept to his feet and grabbed Mr. 3 by the throat, "JUST SHUT UP YOU DAMN FOOL!" Crocodile roared as he clenched his hand on Mr. 3's throat while the Officer Agent struggled to breathe. "Now, Mr. 3… listen very carefully… do you have any idea why I gave you your rank? Why you're an Officer Agent? In terms of fighting skills alone, even Mr. 4 has you beat. Do you understand that? I promoted you because of your underhanded tenacity when it comes to completing an assignment! You have greatly disappointed me."

The other Officer Agents stared in shock but knew better than to interfere, then before their eyes Mr. 3's skin dried up, his body became thin and wrinkly as if all the moisture had been sucked out of him.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING TO HIM?" Ms. Merry Christmas demanded.

"He's… just shriveling up…" Ms. Double Finger noted.

Crocodile released his hold on Mr. 3's throat and let the shriveled man drop to the ground.

"Waaaateeerr…" Mr. 3 wheezed, "I neeed… waaateeeerrr…"

"You can have all the water you want," Crocodile replied, "Down there…" **Clik! **Crocodile pressed a button in the armrest of his chair and a trapdoor opened under Mr. 3 and sent him plummeting down into a large empty tank below the VIP room.

"Where am I now?" the wrinkled Mr. 3 wondered, "Underwater?" Mr. 3 stared around him in surprise and noted several sealed archways leading into the glass tank from the moat that surrounded the casino.

"It appears to be feeding time," Crocodile remarked as he stared out the window as one of his giant crocodiles swam passed.

"It looks almost like a giant aquarium," Mr. 3 commented, **SKUSH! **He turned around and shrieked in terror as one of Crocodile's signature crocodiles pushed its way into the tank through one of the archways. It was only now that he was so close to the green beast that was easily one hundred times his size that he noticed the banana-shaped growth that was coming out of the top of its head, "A BANANAWANI!"

**RRRAAWWWRRR! **The bananawani snarled as it opened its large tooth-filled mouth.

"**AAAAAHHHHHHH!" **Mr. 3's scream of fear and terror could be heard by everyone above him in the VIP room.

"Nothing but trouble," Crocodile muttered as he made his way back to the table, all of the seated agents looked shocked at the manner that their boss had dispatched their fellow Officer Agent. "But no longer!" **WHAM! **Crocodile slammed his hand on the pictures of Vivi, Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp, the latter four were all wearing Mr. 2's ballet outfit and were in silly poses. "Now the rest of you, listen up. Take a good look at these five, they are determined to stop the rebellion in Alabasta. If we leave them alone, they are bound to come to us."

"I understand that," Mr. 2 stated, "But boss, even if the girl is the Princess of this country, do you really think that she could prevent the rebellion at this point?"

"Unfortunately, she has a connection that she can take advantage of," Crocodile explained, "Princess Nefertari Vivi and the Rebel Leader Koza were apparently friends when they were children." **SHUNK! **Crocodile sank his hook into the corner of Vivi's picture. "The rebels have seven hundred thousand, even if the rebellion can't be stopped now, Princess Vivi is certainly capable of bringing real confusion to their ranks. I've already sent many of the Billions to join with Koza's rebel forces. The fact that I have not yet heard anything from our men must mean that Vivi and her friends have not taken any action. This is good, wherever the cost, they must be prevented from making contact with the rebel army before the operation is complete and we have won." Crocodile glanced down the table at the Vice President, "Ms. All Sunday…"

"Yes sir?" Ms. All Sunday replied.

"Given the current circumstances, we should use transponder snails," Crocodile decided, "Contact the Billions that are in Nanohana. Tell them to kill on sight without any hesitation. Do not allow Princess Vivi and the pirates into Katorea!" **WHAM!** Crocodile slammed his fist on the table, "Vivi must not be allowed to meet with the Rebel Leader Koza!"

"Yes sir," Ms. All Sunday agreed as she headed off to perform her duties.

"Now the rest of you get going as well," Crocodile addressed the six Officer Agents. "You don't want to miss the fun, do you?" The Officer Agents all rose to their feet. "We are very close to realizing our utopia." Crocodile remained seated and lit up another cigar, Mr. 3's striped cloak floated passed the window, "I'd hate to be disappointed by any of you, you understand?"

"Just leave it to us, boss, sir," Ms. Double Finger assured him.

"AND WE'RE OOOOOFFF!" Mr. 2 sank.

"Go enjoy yourselves," Crocodile ordered with an evil grin.

**-x-**

Early the next morning, Vivi and the pirates left the inn and were ready to set off again.

"I'm sorry I don't have any more to offer you, Princess Vivi," Toto apologized.

"No, please don't worry about it," Vivi reassured him. "Well, we should be off now Toto."

"Oh, Luffy, here take this with you," Toto instructed as he pulled out a small barrel that he could hold in one hand and gave it to Luffy.

"WOW! WATER!" Luffy exclaimed as he stared down at the water barrel in his hands.

"WATER!" Usopp echoed.

"You found some then?" Luffy questioned.

"Yes, it was last night a little bit after you fell asleep digging that huge hole of yours," Toto informed him, "I finally reached a moist area underneath the dry stuff. The water there is the moisture I was able to extract from the damp sand."

"Whoooa!" Luffy gasped, "That sounds pretty complicated, but thank you!"

"That right there is genuine Yuba-water," Toto told him with a smile, "it's not much, but it's all I was able to get."

"Right, then I drink it with care," Luffy vowed.

And so, with Nami once again riding Eyelash, the Princess and the pirates set off to see if they could still stop the rebellion.

**-x-**

A little bit later as they left Yuba behind them, Ricky was once again at the head of the group with Luffy and Ollie next to him while Zoro, Sanji, Han, and Vivi walked around Eyelash, Usopp, Chopper in his Walk Point form, and Ace trailed behind the others at the back of the group. But with no warning, Luffy suddenly stepped out of ranks and sat down against a small bare tree that was growing out of the sand.

"Now what?" Ollie groaned, as one the group stopped and stared back at Luffy.

"HEY LUFFY!" Usopp shouted at the Captain, "WHAT'RE YOU DOING OVER THERE?" Luffy remained seated with his arms folded behind his head and a frown on his face, he didn't look like he was moving any time soon.

"Luffy?" Nami asked as she slipped off of Eyelash and stared at Luffy along with the others.

"Um… is everything alright?" Vivi inquired.

"I quit," Luffy stated.

"Huh?" everyone chorused.

"What's that mean?" Vivi questioned, "Quit what, Luffy?"

"Oh come on," Usopp groaned, "We don't have time to put up with every little mood you have right now, Luffy. Come on, let's go."

"Yeah, shouldn't we get going?" Chopper added.

"Yes, and fast," Sanji stated. "If we don't get back to the Katorea place the way we came and stop the rebellion that's about to begin then a million of Alabasta's citizens are gonna start fighting and things will get real ugly real quick!"

"Hopefully this time we can skip the filler," Ricky remarked, he flinched and waited for Ace to hit him. But the blow never came.

"Actually, I agree with you," Ace admitted, "Hopefully the trip back will go quicker. I've gotta get going."

"Yeah," Ricky agreed, "But it looks like Luffy's pretty set in this mood of his. Luffy… let's get going, I'll guy you dinner when we get there."

"No," Luffy refused.

"He just refused food," Ace realized, "This _must _be serious."

"Come on, we're doing this for Miss. Vivi!" Sanji insisted, he grabbed Luffy by the collar and attempted to pull him up. But Luffy grabbed him by the wrist and tossed him aside with ease despite the weights that the cook was once again wearing. The cook shot back up and glared at Luffy, "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?"

"Vivi, right now, all I wanna do is kick Crocodile's ass," Luffy announced, "You understand? Maybe we can keep the people from starting a rebellion but that won't stop Crocodile. Besides, we won't be able to accomplish anything in Katorea. We're pirates, everyone knows things are better off without us around."

"He has a point," Han admitted.

"He _does _do that sometimes," Ace informed him.

"Yes… but not often," Usopp added.

"No, that's not true!" Vivi protested.

"You want it to work out so nobody dies in this fight," Luffy pointed out. "Isn't that right? None of the citizens, none of us either. We're up against one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and a million people on top of that. And you still want everyone to end up all safe and sound." Luffy looked Vivi right in the eye, "You'll never win that way."

The Princess was breathing deeply and appeared to be getting emotional.

"Come on Luffy, can't you at least show Vivi a little sympathy?" Nami asked.

"Stop," Ricky told her as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "He has a point to his, stay out of it so he can get to it."

"AND WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT, HUH?" Vivi demanded, her hood fell off as she glared down at Luffy. "WHAT IS SO WRONG ABOUT NOT WANTING TO SEE PEOPLE DIE OR GET HURT?"

"'Cause people die, that's why," Luffy bluntly stated.

**SWAK! **Vivi slapped him and fell over and sent rolling away from his tree. "STOP TALKING LIKE THAT!" she shouted. "I WON'T LISTEN TO IT! SAY THAT AGAIN AND I WILL _REALLY _HURT YOU!" Vivi paused and took a few deep breaths as she stared down at Luffy who seemed surprisingly effected by her slap. "That's the whole point of what we're doing here! Don't you understand? NO ONE IN ALABASTA, NOT THE REBEL ARMY, OR THE ROYAL ARMY, OR THE PEOPLE IS TO BLAME FOR THIS! NONE OF THEM HAVE DONE ANYTHING WRONG! WHY SHOULD ANY OF THEM HAVE TO PAY FOR WHAT'S HAPPENED WHEN EVERY LAST BIT OF IT IS CROCODILE'S FAULT?"

Luffy got back up and lunged at Vivi and hit her, **WHAP! **"So you're saying…" Luffy growled, "THAT IT'S ONLY ALRIGHT FOR YOU TO DIE?"

"WHOA LUFFY, YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR!" Usopp shouted at him.

"DAMN IT LUFFY!" Sanji snapped.

Vivi pushed herself back up and tackled Luffy down to the ground his hat went flying as he was driven down into the sand under the Princess, **WHUMP! **"Just being in this country for the limited time that I have and looking around… even _I _can tell…" Luffy said.

"TELL WHAT?" Vivi demanded, **WHAP! POW! WHAP! POW!** While straddling Luffy's stomach the Princess alternated between slapping him and punching him.

"WHAT THIS COUNTRY NEEDS MORE THAN ANYTHING!" Luffy shouted through his beating. "YOU THINK THAT PUTTING JUST YOUR LIFE ON THE LINE IS ENOUGH TO STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING?"

"_The dream of Yuba can't be ruined by a bunch of lousy sand," Toto had said the night before as he continued to dig out the water in the desert._

"Well what else exactly should I be putting on the line with it then, Luffy?" Vivi asked as she continued alternatively slapping and punching Luffy. "WHAT LUFFY?"

"_I CAN'T LET HIM GET AWAY WITH THIS!" Vivi shouted in the ruins of Erumalu._

**Whup! Whup! **Luffy reached up and caught both of Vivi's arms by the wrist. "I don't have anything else that I can put on the line…" Vivi whispered, "just me…"

Luffy threw her off of him and shouted at her, "WELL YOU CAN AT LEAST TRY PUTTING ALL OF OUR LIVES ON THE LINE _TOGETHER_! **AREN'T WE NAKAMA?**"

The dam broke and Vivi's tears started falling as she openly cried. "Well aren't we?" Luffy questioned further. Vivi cried as she finally realized Luffy's point, now she had friends that treated her as one of them and were willing to put their lives on the line along with hers to save her country.

"There, now you see," Luffy said as he picked up his hat and dusted it off. "Now you understand. You _can _cry." Just as Vivi had assured Toto that they'd stop the rebellion the night before, Luffy in his own odd was has just assured Vivi that they would be there for her every step of the way.

"I know how much you hate this," Luffy told her, "You want to get Crocodile the most." Nami stepped forward and knelt down next to Vivi and hugged her and allowed the Princess to cry into her chest.

The other Straw Hats silently stood by, each agreeing with their Captain. Ace smiled at Luffy's dedication to the people he considered his Nakama while Han and Ollie silently looked on.

"So now tell me," Luffy said as he put his hat back on and got to his feet and then growled, "Where can I find Crocodile?"

**-x-**

Next chapter Vivi and the pirates change course and head for Rain Base to find Crocodile while things continue to heat up on the battlefront.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	42. Chapter 42

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of the related characters, just the original characters that appear in this story.

**A/N:**** I'm altering my update schedule to FRIDAYS **_**OR **_**SATURDAYS. I have an inconsistent work schedule that changes weekly. I plan to continue to update every week but depending on my work schedule I may update on Saturday instead of Friday. I'll push to post the new chapter at the usual time of Friday's around noon (EST) but if I don't get around to it, I'll make sure it's up by noon on Saturday (EST) at the very latest. **

**Battlefront:**

**-x-**

"Luffy was right, change of plans," Vivi resolved, "We're going to go and find Crocodile."

Vivi pulled out a map and unrolled it, the Straw Hats and the three Whitebeards gathered around her to see where they were going. "This is the Capital City Alubarna where my father rules…" Vivi pointed out as she pointed to a dot labeled 'Alubarna' that was in the middle of the desert to the east of the Sandora River. "And the Rebel Army is camped here in Katorea, getting ready to invade Alubarana…" Vivi pointed to another dot labeled 'Katorea' that was south of Alubarna and was right next to a dot labeled 'Nanohana' on the southern shore."

"So we just need to get to Crocodile before the rebels can get to Alubarna," Sanji resolved.

"This is where Crocodile is…" Vivi told them as she pointed to a dot on the west side of the Sandora River labeled 'Rain Base', it was north of a dot labeled 'Yuba Oasis' and that was a great deal north west of a dot labeled 'Erumalu' which was along the eastern shore of the west half of Sandy Island. "Over here… Rain Base."

"It's a city a bit to the north of us," Vivi explained, "About a day's journey from here."

"Wow, a lot quicker when we decide to skip the filler," Ricky remarked.

**Whap!** Ace slapped him on the back of the head, "As much as I agree with you," Ace stated, "I'm not going to allow you to keep breaking the fourth wall."

"What are they talking about?" Chopper asked Han.

"It's best to just ignore it," the Monster Hunter advised, "Unless you want your view of the world completely shattered don't pay it any attention."

And so, the Straw Hats and the Whitebeards altered their course and headed north towards Rain Base and Crocodile.

"Uugggghhhh…" Luffy and Usopp groaned a few hours later as they hobbled after Eyelash while walking like a pair of zombies.

"Oi, stop with the zombie walk," Ricky ordered as he glanced uneasily over his shoulder at the two younger pirates, "You're freaking me out."

"Did I, or did I not, tell you two to quit it with the pathetic groaning?" Nami demanded as she looked over her shoulder from where she was riding behind Vivi on Eyelash.

"But it's too hot…" Luffy complained.

"You get to ride the camel…" Usopp added.

"You could at least let us ride Eyelash for a little bit…" Luffy groaned.

"You're a big fat camel hog!" Usopp snapped.

"Nami-hog!" Luffy exclaimed. **THWAK-WAK! **A moment later they were both on the ground sporting lumps on their head.

"HOW DARE YOU INSULT MISS. NAMI!" Sanji yelled down at the pirates he'd just kicked.

"Hey Chopper," Zoro called out to the reindeer who was walking next to him in his Walk Point form, "You've managed to make it all day without collapsing."

"I'm trying hard not to," Chopper told him. The heat was still borderline unbearable for the thick-furred reindeer but he was pulling through it.

"Rain Base isn't as far away as Yuba was," Han reassured the reindeer as he walked on his other side, "So look at it this way, if we keep up this pace we'll be there in a few hours and will finally be able to get out of the hot desert."

"Ahh," Chopper sighed as he looked ahead at Vivi who was guiding Eyelash and leading the group, "Vivi… does this Rain Base place have a water supply?"

"Oh yeah," Vivi answered, "No shortage there. It's a gambling town, almost completely isolated from all the fighting."

"Gambling?" Ricky and Nami repeated at the same time, the latter had beri signs in her eyes.

"No way!" Zoro protested with a slightly fearful look on his face, "We're not going there so you two can gamble!"

"I guess people need someplace to relax, even here in Alabasta," Sanji reasoned.

"GUUUM… GUUUM… NO WAY!" **SHOOM! **Luffy's rubber arms shot out to the side with his small barrel of Yuba water clutched in his hands. "NO! NO! NO!" Luffy's arms swung and stretched around him as Usopp did a frantic dance and attempted to grab the barrel from him. "GUUUUM… GUUUUMMM… KEEP AWAY!"

"COME ON! GIMME SOME!" Usopp complained as he tried and failed to grab the barrel from Luffy's flailing arms. "Come on Luffy! Just gimme one sip! Isn't that why he gave it to us?"

"The old guy from the sandstorm place gave it to _me_!" Luffy told him, "He had to dig all night just to get this much of it! We can't just go drinking it like its regular water! SO NO WAY!"

**Whip! **"It doesn't seem like all that much anyway," Ricky remarked as he stared up at the small barrel he'd snatched from Luffy while he was still trying to keep it away from Usopp.

"GAH!" Luffy shrieked, "RICKY GIMME THAT BACK!"

"What's the magic word?" Ricky taunted him, making no move to actually drink from the barrel.

Luffy glared at Ricky then turned to his oldest brother who was walking casually at the back of the group, "ACE! Did you hear? _Nami _swindled _Ricky_!"

"WHAT?" all three Whitebeard Pirates stopped in their tracks and stared at Luffy, then Ricky who had raised his sunglasses so he could glare at his younger brother, then Nami who was still sitting on Eyelash behind Vivi.

"_You_…" Ace said as he pointed to Nami, "swindled _him_?" Ace finished pointing at Ricky.

"Yeah, twice," Nami confirmed as she slid off of Eyelash and stared at the three Whitebeards in concern. "What's the big deal?"

"This is the guy whose swindled _Whitebeard_!" Ollie motioned to Ricky while still staring at Nami in open shock.

Ace was instantly standing in front of her and before Nami could react he grabbed her… AND HUGGED HER! **WHAP! **"Welcome to the family!" Ace exclaimed.

"Yeah Nami, congratulations!" Luffy chirped from her other side.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?" Nami demanded, completely flustered by the odd reaction.

She didn't receive an answer, instead Ace and Luffy were now walking beside Ricky, Luffy took the opportunity to snatch his water back.

"So… when's the big day?" Ace inquired with a smirk.

"Shut up," Ricky growled, Nami noticed that he was actually blushing.

"Oh come on," Ace teased him, "I remember it quite clearly, I said _'Ricky, you should take it easy, how would you like it if one of those girls swindled you?'_. And then you said _'Yeah right, if a girl swindles me, I'LL MARRY HER!'_"

As one, everyone but the three brothers turned and stared at Nami who was now sporting a blush that matched Ricky's.

"I WAS THIRTEEN!" Ricky protested. "You can't honestly be taking that seriously!"

"But you said you would!" Luffy insisted, "And Nami's swindled you _twice_!"

"I'm not marrying anyone!" Ricky refused.

"Well that's just poor sportsmanship," Ace commented.

**BOOM! BOOM! SWISH!** A split-second later, Ace and Luffy were left staring down at Ricky's abandoned weights with both of their respective hats missing.

"RICKY YOU BASTARD!" the shouted in perfect sync as they whirled around and spotted Ricky walking behind Chopper with Luffy's straw hat and Ace's orange hat stacked on top of his black cowboy hat. Luffy and Ace ran at Ricky, but Ricky darted forward, stopping for an instant to snatch Chopper pink top hat off of his head, then slipped between his brothers and kicked up a cloud of dust in his wake as sprinted off ahead of the group.

"RICKY! GIMME BACK MY HAT!" Ace, Luffy, and Chopper all shouted as they ran after Ricky.

**FWOOOSH! **Ace's feet ignited in flames and he rocketed after Ricky.

**KLOMP! KLOMP! KLOMP! **Chopper's four legs pumped rapidly as he ran at the fastest speed his Walk Point form would allow.

**WHUP!** Luffy grabbed onto Chopper's antlers and let the reindeer run ahead of him, then launched himself forward, **WOING! ** "GUUUUMM… GUUUMMM… ROOOCKEET!"

Ricky looked over his shoulder and saw his three Devil Fruit powered brothers quickly gaining on him, **SSKIISSHH! **He skidded to a stop, the whirled around and ran back the way he'd came.

**FWWOOSSHH!** Ace saw Ricky sprint passed him and shot flames out of his hands to stop himself in midair, he looked over his shoulder and saw Luffy still flying towards him, "LUFFY! WAIT, NO!" **WHAM! ** Unable to stop himself, Luffy slammed into his oldest brother. Chopper tried to stop but tripped on the sand Ricky kicked up in his wake as ran passed him, **WHUMP! KER-WHAM!** Chopper slid forward and collided with Ace and Luffy and sent all three of them crashing to the ground and tumbling off through the sand.

"That's what you get for messing with me," Ricky taunted as he casually walked away from his three brothers, the top of his head looked like a colorful totem pole with his black cowboy hat on the bottom, Luffy's yellowy straw hat on top of it, Ace's orange hat above that, and Chopper's pink top hat on the very top. Ricky glanced up at the sky and grinned, "See that Sabo, score one for the guy without Devil Fruit Powers."

"So… about this wedding…" Nami said as she grabbed Ricky's shoulders and pulled herself up onto his back, her blush was gone and she was now sporting an amused smile. "I definitely want my sister and Genzo to be there. And I want to have my choice of wedding dress, I want something fancy but not too extravagant. And…"

"ENOUGH!" Ricky interrupted, "I'm not marrying you! It was just a stupid thing I said when I was thirteen and had my first mug of grog! I'm not taking it seriously and you shouldn't either!"

"Well… that's no way to talk to your fiancée," Nami complained, still sporting her amused smile, then continued as if she hadn't spoken. "Now, I know tradition dictates that the bride's family pays for it… but you can't honestly expect Nojiko to afford an entire wedding, right? I'm sure you'll be able to afford it no problem."

"I'M NOT PAYING FOR YOUR DAMN WEDDING!" Ricky shouted.

"She's taking this surprisingly well," Zoro commented.

"She's just teasing him…" Usopp told him, "…I think…"

"Every girl dreams about her wedding at some point," Sanji stated, "I looks like it's the same case with Nami. I just wish it wasn't with _that guy_ because I'm going to be practicing objecting."

"You guys have seen him get swindled _twice, _you don't understand how huge this is," Han said, "_No one's _swindled that kid. He's made Whitebeard's Division Commander's look like chumps. But there's a girl in this world who has not only swindled him… but done it twice… I can't believe it."

"So much for her not deserving him…" Ollie muttered, "Any girl who's managed to pull one over on Ricky has a right to stake some kind of claim in him. Maybe I was wrong about her…"

**-x-**

In Katorea, yet another camel-pulled carriage loaded with weapons entered the main gate into the rebel base. Koza had finally left his tent and was sitting outside among some of his most faithful.

"Please Koza!" pleaded Kappa, a ten year old boy with an upturned nose and a backpack that was stuffed with a hammer, club, and a bat. "Just let me join you and the rebels!"

"I will not," Koza outright refused.

"WHY NOT?" Kappa demanded hotly, "Don't I have every right to be a part of the rebellion too? I hate the King and the royal army! Let me fight with you so I can prove it!"

"Show him Falafra," Koza instructed a large man standing behind him. The man stepped forward and slid his cloak down his arm to reveal the stub that was left of his hand wrapped in bandages and that he no longer had a shoulder, just a chunk of missing bone.

"He got that wound trying to protect me in the middle of a battle," Koza informed the boy as he motioned to Falafra's missing shoulder. "Would you like to see the medical tents and the grave sites too? It isn't pretty."

Kappa shook off his shock at seeing the wounded rebel, "I'm not scared!" he insisted. "YOU CAN'T SCARE ME! The cities have dried up and a lot of people have died 'cause the King stole all the rain from everyone! My friends got sick cause there wasn't enough water! IT'S ALL THE KING'S FAULT! I ONLY WANT THE CHANCE, JUST LET ME FIGHT! I'm not scared, of getting injured or even dying!"

"And that's why you're different from us," Koza replied, "And why I can't let you join our ranks. We're _all _afraid and none of us wanna fight."

"WELL WHY DO YOU FIGHT THEN, KOZA?" Kappa shouted.

"We don't do it because we want to," Koza told him, "We do it because we have to. Because that's what our country needs us to do. Whether you understand that or not makes little difference, so just leave." Kappa stood in place and looked on the verge of tears, Koza stood up and glared at the boy, "Damn it, BATTLE IS NO PLACE FOR A CHILD! YOU HEAR ME?"

Koza turned and headed followed by his officers.

"What's wrong?" one of the rebels accompanying Koza inquired. "It's not like you to yell at a kid like that."

"It was like looking at myself when I was his age," Koza confessed. "It made me angry." He briefly remembered fighting a full grown man as a child to protect the Princess. "And the worst part is, I haven't changed a bit since then." Koza spun around and looked down at a map that was splaying out on a table. "Have we gathered all the weapons we require?"

"No," one of the rebels answered, "It's proving quite difficult."

"We need to begin contacting all the other cities," Koza decided. "As soon as we have all the weapons we will begin our final all-out attack on Alubarna."

**-x-**

Up north, in the capital city of Alubarna, King Cobra was going through his own problems with the upcoming war.

"Sire, it's only a matter of time now before the rebel army attacks Alubarna," **Chaka the Jackal** the acting Captain of the Royal Guard reported to the King. He looked the same as before with dark skin, medium length black hair, and a wide nose that made him look like a wild dog. He wore a pale green tunic tied closed with two sashes a thick pale red and crimson vertically striped one and a thin purple one. Over his outfit he wore a green coat over his shoulders like a cape. A long sword was sheathed at his right hip.

Beside him stood **Pell the Falcon**, the lightly shorter of the two with lighter hair. His eyes were highlighted by the purple face paint that was around them and made them look as if they were shaped like a falcons, the face paint continued down his face to his chin in two thin purple lines. He wore a long white robe with brown four-point stars decorating it. He wore a matching white hat which consisted of a bandana decorated with the same four-point stars on his robes and an additional length of cloth that fell down from the bandana and covered his neck. Like Chaka, he had a long sword sheathed at his right hip.

"We must take action against the rebels quickly before it's too late," Chaka continued.

"I SAID NO!" King Cobra snapped as he sat on his throne. "We will not attack them! This is not some little quarrel, if we strike first, they will strike back."

"Sire, we are barely clinging to power now as it is," Chaka pointed out.

"That does not matter," the King replied. "I don't care about my rule at the moment. Ever since the Dance Powder incident, it's been clear that someone's trying to tear apart our country. Are you suggesting that we attack our citizens before we determine who's behind all this? Because that would be the true destruction of our kingdom! A country _is_ its people!"

"But sir, whoever's behind this hasn't showed himself so far," Chaka protested. "We can't sit back and wait for this unknown force to show itself, we must act! Can't you see?"

"Please understand, I can't," the King refused. He wouldn't make the first move, he wouldn't attack his people.

Chaka and Pell left the royal chamber and discussed the King's decision, "The King will not allow us to take the offensive now," Chaka stated.

"We can barely even keep our own soldiers happy at this point," Pell pointed out. "I would fell much better if we had Igaram with us at a time like this. Even as we speak, he and Princess Vivi are still out there somewhere trying hard to figure out who is behind this. I hope they can."

"CHAKA! PELL! COME QUICKLY!" a guard called out as he came running towards the two.

"What is it?" Chaka asked.

"IT'S CARUE!" the guard exclaimed, "HE'S RETURNED TO THE PALACE!"

"Carue's back?" Chaka and Pell questioned at the same time.

A moment later they burst into the royal chambers and found, King Cobra sitting on his bed reading the letter Vivi had sent with Carue, the duck in question was in the corner slurping down barrels of water after his long journey through the desert to the capital.

"We heard you majesty," Chaka announced, "Who sent that letter? What does it say?"

"There's no mistaking it," Cobra said, "It's my Vivi's handwriting."

Cobra handed the letter to Pell, Chaka looked over his shoulder and the two began reading it.

_**Father, **_the letter began. _**Everything I've written here is true beyond a doubt. Please read this letter carefully. I've discovered the identity of the person who's trying to destroy Alabasta Kingdom. It's the Warlord of the Sea, Sir Crocodile. Because of Crocodile, Igaram is dead. He died as he lived, a hero to his country…"**_

"It's Crocodile…" Cobra growled. "I stupidly thought he was loyal to the World Government. I never even wondered if he was the one behind all this."

"How can he be dead?" Pell wondered as he sank down to his knees after reading Vivi's letter.

"He died as he would have wanted," Chaka resolved, "Protecting Princess Vivi and Alabasta."

_**But now father,**_ the letter eventually continued, _**I've joined forces with an amazing group of people. They've given me great confidence and power. If I continue to work beside them, I believe we will be able to make a difference in this country. I have reason to hope now, Alabasta can and will be saved! Please have faith father, we can do this. – Vivi**_

"Vivi's letter mentioned that you fought very valiantly as well Carue," Chaka addressed the duck. "You served her well."

"QUACK!" Carue quacked having just downed five barrels of water.

"Oh, it looks like you've been hurt," Chaka observed as he noted the bandages wrapped around Carue's wing.

"QUA!" Carue smacked Chaka's hand away. _"Okay," Luffy addressed the others as the Straw Hats stood in a circle each wearing a bandage on their left arm , "no matter what happens on that island, remember, this thing on all our arms is a sign of our friendship!" _Carue pulled away and made sure Chaka didn't touch the bandage.

"Chaka," King Cobra addressed the Captain of the Royal Guard. "We know the enemy's identity. Prepare the soldiers to move out. Vivi's courage and Igaram's death won't be in vein! We're going to take action now. We'll head for Rain Base… and Crocodile."

"Please, do not be so hasty, your Majesty," Pell urged him, "Rain Base is far away and there are many preparations to be made."

"Once more," Chaka added, "Crocodile has many of the citizens firmly on his side. Even more of them than you do, sire, with all due respect."

"If we send forces to Rain Base now, your majesty, the rebels will use our absence to attack," Pell pointed out, "And they will take the palace easily! In which case…"

"It doesn't matter if the Rebel Army destroys this palace completely," the King interrupted. "It is only a building. I've told you before, a country is its people. Even if our Royal Army does fall in the end, if we could just defeat Crocodile this country can still be reborn as long as its people are safe and whole! If we battle the Rebel Army instead, then that will all change, in that situation Crocodile's the victor, understand?"

"Yes, I see," Chaka stated, he and Pell finally understood.

"For right now, we don't even have to focus on the Rebel Army," King Cobra decided. "We just need to take out Crocodile. This is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea we're fighting. He's strong and cunning. There will be many casualties but we must accept that and battle onward. Chaka, we need to hold a War Council, assemble the Officers. Pell, scout ahead and conduct reconnaissance."

"Right," Pell agreed.

"_Forgive me for having underestimated you, your majesty," _Chaka thought to himself. _"You are a true man of your country."_

"We head for battle tomorrow morning," King Cobra announced. "All soldiers are to head for Rain Base."

**-x-**

"Hey Luffy, thanks a lot," Vivi said to Luffy as he walked alongside Eyelash on their way to Rain Base. Luffy, Ace, and Chopper had since reclaimed their respective hats from Ricky. "I never would've been able to make this decision on my own."

"Okay, then give me food," Luffy told her. **Pow! **Luffy punched a fist into his open hand. "After I beat up Crocodile, give me food, I'll eat till I explode."

Vivi smiled at him, "I promise I will."

"Now… about the venue…" Nami spoke up from on Ricky's back as she continued to tease him about their 'wedding'. "I know you don't believe in God so that rules out a church."

"You could do something outdoors," Ollie suggested causing a huge tick mark to appear on Ricky's forehead. "Decorating would be simple, you'd just have to find the right flowers. Although, it'd have to be quick job, you're wanted pirates and can't afford to stay in one place for _too_ long."

"Since when are you two so chummy?" Ricky grumbled as he cast an irritated glance at the archer walking next to him.

"I haven't seen you this worked up since I got here," Ollie explained. "I'm taking full advantage of the opportunity to tease you before I leave."

"Hey do you think we could actually have the wedding back at Cocoyashi?" Nami spoke up, "I know a bunch of people there who'd be shocked to see me get married."

"Oh Nami," Usopp called out as he caught up with them, "I have um… ahahaha… a wedding present for the bride and groom." Clearly, everyone was taking their turn at teasing the usually unshakable First Mate.

"THERE'S NOT GONNA BE A DAMN WEDDING!" Ricky snapped at him.

"I finally finished that thing you asked for," Usopp explained, "BEHOLD!" Out from his artillery pouch be pulled three blue pipes. The pipes all had holes and buttons on their sides which would allow them to combine together in numerous different configurations. "I call it, THE CLIMA-TACT!"

"Clima-Tact?" Nami repeated.

"That's right," Usopp replied, "At first glance they look like ordinary pipes, but you can combine them in different ways for different attacks." Nami stared curiously down at the three pipes as she fitted them together like the segments of her bow-staff so they now made one long staff. "Here are the instructions…" Usopp handed Nami a thick folded piece of paper with writing on both sides of it. "Now about payment…"

"You said it was a wedding gift, right?" Nami reminded him, "If it's gift I shouldn't have to pay for it. Thanks Usopp!" Nami quickly hugged the sniper then began unfolding the instructions so she could attempt to understand her weapon.

"You want some help with that thing?" Ollie offered as she eyed Nami's Clima-Tact. Nami looked surprised by the offer. "As women, we have to face the fact that unless we have a freakish Devil Fruit Power we're always going to be physically weaker than men."

"Hmph," Zoro grunted, having heard that excuse before many years ago.

"So…" Ollie continued, "We have to make up for it by being smarter, more technically sound, and by employing weapons to make up for the difference in strength." Ollie pulled her bow off of her shoulder, "I have a metal bow that doubles as a bow-staff… a multitude of arrows for many different situations," **Swish! **Ollie flicked her wrists and her sleeves rolled back to reveal the metal arrows strapped to her forearms, "And two metal arrows that I can use for close combat. Now whether my opponent is a man or a woman, I'll know that it's at least a fair fight."

"…" Zoro was now staring at Ollie with something similar to respect.

"There's a difference between wielding a weapon and mastering it," Ollie explained to Nami, "I know I can't get you to master your new weapon in couple of hours, but as a fellow weapon-wielding woman, I'll at least help you so you know how to use it properly." Nami glanced at Vivi then nodded resolutely and followed Ollie a little ways off so she could learn how to use her new weapon.

Ricky fished into his pocket and handed a bundle of bills to Usopp, "Nami never actually agreed to pay you for that weapon. As the Financial Manager, that's my job." Usopp nodded his thanks and stuffed the money into a pocket on his pouch.

"I have yours too," Usopp informed the First Mate. He reached into his weapons pouch and pulled out Mr. 5's .44 caliber six-shot flintlock revolver and a small tin that made a rattling noise as he handed it to Ricky. "I took your Explosion Balls, doubled amount of gunpowder you used, and molded them into the shape of a .44 caliber bullet. I call them Explosion Bullets."

"Good," Ricky replied, "Now I want you to keep that."

"Huh?" Usopp questioned.

"You're a man of many talents," Ricky told him, "And as our crew's sniper I think it'd be helpful for you to have an extra weapon, just in case."

"B-but, I only shot a gun that one time!" Usopp sputtered, "And I missed, I don't even know how to shoot one properly."

"I can help you there," Han offered, drawing Usopp's attention to him. "I'm sure your old man probably would've taught you how to shoot if he'd stuck around. But since I'm the most gun-savvy guy you've got with you at the moment, I'll give you the benefit of my experience."

Usopp glanced at his Nakama then at Vivi before he nodded and followed Han in the opposite direction that Ollie and Nami had gone so he could learn how to use _his _new weapon properly.

"Did you know my father?" Usopp inquired.

"I met him a couple times," Han admitted, "He's a great shot. But he strives towards accuracy when he shoots while I try for impact since my targets tend to be bigger and more ferocious. Anyway, the first thing you need to know about shooting a gun is…" Han's voice trailed off as he and Usopp walked away from the others for private training.

Ricky glanced over his shoulder at Zoro and Sanji, "Well… if those four are going to go off and train, I think we might as well too," he reasoned.

Zoro nodded in agreement, "If we're going to be facing Crocodile when we get to Rain Base, we'll have to be ready for him, and that means ditching the weights and learning this technique."

"Let's get on with it then," Sanji resolved, "I want to be able to protect my darling Miss. Vivi and Miss. Nami properly when we finally get there." The three fell back away from the group to begin training of their own.

"I don't know about you guys," Ace addressed Luffy and Chopper, "But I'm still a little embarrassed that Ricky managed to pull one over on the three of us. Either of you interesting in making sure it doesn't happening again.

"YEAH!" Chopper cheered.

"Let's show him what our powers can do together!" Luffy exclaimed.

"C'mon then," Ace encouraged them, and they darted off ahead and left Vivi alone on Eyelash.

Vivi glanced around her in the four directions her friends had gone off in. They were all training to get stronger so they could better help her to defeat Crocodile and defend her kingdom.

"Thank you," Vivi whispered.

**-x-**

**Rain Base:**

**-x-**

Hours later, the Straw Hats had regrouped after their private training and after crossing one final dune those with depth perception spotted the buildings of a city off in a distance. Vivi and Nami led the group while riding on Eyelash's back.

"There," Vivi announced as she stared ahead, Crocodile's casino with the golden Bananawani decorating the roof could be seen even this far away as it towered over the rest of the buildings.

"So is that the city?" Chopper inquired.

"UGGHHHHH…" Luffy and Usopp groaned as they pulled themselves onward with sticks.

"That's it?" Nami questioned as she stared at the city as they drew closer.

"See how much faster desert travel is when we skip the filler?" Ricky asked no one in particular.

**Whap! **"Quit it," Ace scolded him.

"YEEEAAAAHHH!" Luffy cheered, "TIME TO KICK CROCODILE'S ASS!"

As the group approached the city, Zoro spoke up, "So after everything that's happened, are we operating under the assumption that Baroque Works knows where here on the island with them?"

"It seems likely," Nami reasoned, "We did run into Mr. 2, so its safe to say that they have an idea that we're heading for Alabasta."

"But at least they don't really know how many of us there are," Ricky pointed out, "Me and Sanji weren't out on the deck but if he didn't recognize Ms. Goldenweek, he might've assumed that she was one of us."

"Who cares about that stuff," Luffy said, never one for subtlety.

"They know exactly what we look like," Usopp tried to impress on him, "so we won't be able to do much of anything while we're in Rain Base. Just lay low."

"AND WHY IS THAT?" Luffy demanded.

"Because," Usopp answered, "if we get spotted before we can find Crocodile, I'm sure he can probably come up with all sorts of nasty ways of taking care of us."

"Assassination is kind of their area of expertise," Zoro pointed out.

"LAYING LOW!" Luffy shouted, "BUT WE'RE COMING CROCODILE!"

"Luffy… the screaming… not part of laying low," Ricky told him.

"YOU WEREN'T EVEN LISTENING WERE YOU?" Usopp snapped.

"Well no matter what happens I will take it upon myself to protect Miss. Nami and Miss. Vivi from any harm," Sanji announced, "I'm always happy to play Prince Charming… for a lady."

Ollie frowned while Zoro muttered, "Smooth one."

"SMOOTHER THAN YOU ARE, ZORO!" Sanji yelled at him.

"I need… water…" Usopp and Chopper gasped.

"The city's right there," Han pointed out, "Just hold on a little longer."

"I NEED WATER!" Luffy hollered and he and Usopp took off like a shot and ran into the city.

"So much for laying low," Ollie remarked.

"HEY, YOU MIGHT WANNA TAKE SOME MONEY ALONG!" Nami called after them.

"Let's just find a place to wait for them," Ace resolved.

**-x-**

A moment later, the remaining Straw Hats and the three Whitebeards were seated against a fence on the outskirts of the city.

"We need to get going," Ace stated as he glanced at Han and Ollie, "We'll head back for the shore after we meet with Crocodile."

"Right," Han and Ollie agreed, it had been a fun vacation reuniting with Ricky and meeting the Straw Hats, but they still had a crew of their own to get back to.

"I'm gonna go use the little boy's room," Chopper announced to the others before the reindeer headed off to find a place to relieve himself.

"Do you really think we can count on them to stay out of trouble?" Sanji wondered.

"No," Ricky, Zoro, Ace and Ollie chorused.

"They'll probably manage to screw something up," Zoro reasoned as he poked Eyelash with a stick, "We should start getting ready to run."

"Then if our time is short, I need to use the little girls room," Nami decided, she grabbed Ricky's hand and tugged him up to his feet. "Ricky, come with me."

"Why?" Ricky asked, "You're a big girl, can't you handle that sort of thing yourself?"

"Under normal circumstances, yeah," Nami admitted, "But this city is probably swarming with Baroque Works Agents that all know what I look like."

"Alright fine," Ricky relented. He put on his sunglasses and raised his shemagh so he wouldn't be recognized while Nami pulled up hood, grabbed his hand and practically dragged him off.

Once they were out of earshot Ricky asked, "Where are we _really_ going?"

Nami didn't answer until she pulled him through the doorway of a small the city' smaller casinos called Golden Slots. Once they were inside she stopped and turned to him, "The others may be making a big deal about me swindling you, but you and I both know that we're still tied," she reminded him. "I want to have a complete victory before I get my wedding."

"There's not gonna be a wedding!" Ricky snapped, "I'm not marrying you!"

"Maybe there won't be… if you can out-gamble me," Nami prodded him.

Ricky's face set, "How are we going to do this?"

Nami fished into his treasure pocket and pulled out a wad of bills and quickly split it evenly between them. "We've both got the same starting amount," Nami told him, "We'll split up then meet back here in ten minutes. The one who's made more money in that time wins."

"You do realize we're swindling other people and not each other in this case," Ricky pointed out.

"Yeah, but out-swindling you is about the same as swindling you yourself," Nami replied. "Let's go we don't have much time." The two split up and disappeared into the sea of gamblers.

**-x-**

But the Straw Hats weren't alone in Rain Base, inside a place called the Sand Café, Marine Captain Smoker and Tashigi sat at the bar having a quiet discussion.

"Captain Smoker, why do you think they'll be here?" Tashigi asked. "What reason would the Straw Hats have for coming to Rain Base?"

"Let's just call it a hunch," Smoker told her. "That's why I have Lieutenant Devo patrolling the streets, at the first sign of the Straw Hats, he'll notify me. This time there'll be no escape."

"YEAH! FINALLY WE CAN GET WATER!" Luffy shouted as he and Usopp entered the café and approached the bar, Smoker and Tashigi were too caught up in their thoughts to notice.

"I can't put my finger on it, but something stinks," Smoker told Tashigi. "I just feel like there's something big lurking in the shadows.

"HEY! OLD LADY!" Luffy exclaimed as he and Usopp walked up to the bar next to Smoker and began slapping the counter. "GIVE US WATER!"

"Yeah, yeah, a whole barrel!" Usopp ordered, "No! We want more than that! FIVE BARRELS!"

"So you really do believe that there is some connection between the Baroque Works organization and the Straw Hat Crew?" Tashigi questioned.

"WATER!" Luffy and Usopp cheered as the lady running the bar placed two large water barrels on the counter in front of them. The two thirsty pirates grabbed the barrels and drank straight from the barrel as they starting slurping down water.

"The only thing I know for sure is that Straw Hat is out to get Crocodile," Smoker stated. The Marine Captain finally glanced at the noisy person who was sitting on the stool next to his.

"…" Smoker and Tashigi stared silently when they realized that Straw Hat had literally come right to them.

"This is the best water ever!" Usopp gurgled, "We need to hurry up and get back to the others."

Luffy and Usopp both felt a shiver go down their spine, they stopped drinking and with their cheeks still swelled up from the water in their mouth they looked to the side and saw Smoker and Tashigi sitting next to them at the bar staring right at them.

"Uh oh…" Luffy and Usopp muttered. **SPLOOOOSHH! **The two pirates spat out their water in shock and soaked the two marines.

"RUN AWAY!" Luffy shouted, he and Usopp grabbed their three remaining water barrels and high-tailed it out the door while the soaked Smoker and Tashigi sat the bar in shock. "PROTECT THE WATER!"

"Damn it, we're going after them," Smoker growled. He lifted his wrist and barked into the Transponder Snail that was strapped to it, "Lieutenant, prepare the marines, Straw Hat and his crew are here in Rain Base!" The Marine Captain ran out of the café after Luffy and Usopp.

Tashigi stayed and addressed the woman tending the bar, "How much do I owe you?" she asked.

"If you know those brats, you'd better add the water they took to their tab," the woman ordered.

"Of course, I'm so sorry," Tashigi apologized as she pulled out some money and reluctantly paid for the Straw Hats' water bill.

**-x-**

"WHAT ARE THE DAMN MARINES DOING HERE?" Luffy demanded as he and Usopp ran frantically through the streets to escape Lieutenant Devo and the squad of gun-toting marines that was chasing them.

"HOW SHOULD I KNOW THAT?" Usopp shrieked, "LET'S JUST KEEP RUNNING!"

Sanji peeked out from behind the fence he and the others were hiding behind and saw Luffy and Usopp running towards them with the Marines on their tale. "You win," he told Zoro, "looks like the Marine's are chasing them."

"Then why are those idiots running _this way_?" Ollie questioned.

"Hey, Tony, Ricky, and Nami haven't made it back here yet," Vivi pointed out.

"They'll be fine," Zoro resolved, "They can manage on their own." The Straw Hats took off running with the three Whitebeards running behind them.

"Never a dull moment with this crew," Han commented.

"Should we stop and fight them?" Ollie asked Ace.

"Too many civilians," Ace noted, "Let's just try and outrun them."

"HEY GUYS, THE MARINES ARE HERE!" Luffy shouted to his crew.

"OH THANKS, WE DIDN'T NOTICE THAT,_ LUFFY_!" Zoro snapped.

"HURRY IT UP MEN!" Lieutenant Devo shouted, "WE CAN'T LOSE THEM THIS TIME!" He lowered his voice and called back, "Don't let the three Whitebeard Pirates stop you!" Even Lieutenant Devo knew that shouting the name Whitebeard in a crowded city would create pandemonium.

"Those idiots sure can run," Smoker grumbled as he ran behind the squad of marines. "I'll give 'em that anyway."

"THIS IS BAD!" Usopp shrieked as they ran through the city with the marines hot on their tail. "Baroque Works will see us if we run through the city!"

Zoro glanced around them and spotted numerous clusters of men staring at them or pictures of them. "I think it's a little too late for that Usopp," Zoro commented.

"Then it's decided!" Luffy decided, "LET'S GO TO WHEREVER CROCODILE IS!"

Vivi nodded, "Do you see that huge building up ahead?" she pointed out to the others, "The one with the crocodile on its roof? That's the casino that Crocodile runs. It's called Rain Dinners."

"I see it," Luffy noted, "So that's where Crocodile is."

**-x-**

"What's with all the commotion?" Nami asked as she joined Ricky and a crowd of civilians that were staring out the door of the Golden Slots Casino.

"The Marines are here and they found our Nakama," Ricky answered as he pointed out the door as Vivi, Ollie, Zoro, Sanji, Han, Ace, Usopp, and Luffy came running towards them followed by Lieutenant Devo, a squad of marines, and Smoker.

"We know where we're going!" Sanji called out to the others, "It'll be better if we all split up!"

"Right, see ya later," Luffy replied, "DON'T DIE!"

"RIGHT!" the others chorused. With the Golden Slots Casino was right in front of them, Zoro, Vivi, and Ollie ran right, Usopp, Sanji, and Han ran left, and Luffy and Ace continued straight ahead and jumped onto an awning onto the roof of the casino.

"THEY SPLIT UP, DON'T LOSE THEM!" Devo shouted, then his sharp eyes spotted Ricky and Nami among the crowd in the door. "ONE EYE! YOU'RE MINE!" The squad of marines split up to go after the others while Devo darted forward and ran into the casino.

"Crap, run for it!" Ricky exclaimed, he grabbed Nami's hand and the two of them ran back into the casino with the Marine Lieutenant chasing after them. **KRASH!** Ricky kicked down the back door and he and Nami ran out into the alleyway and began cutting their way through the city.

"HEY SMOKEY!" Luffy called out to as he and Ace stood on the roof of the casino, "NYAA!" Luffy stuck his tongue out and made a face at the Marine Captain.

"You've got some nerve Straw Hat!" Smoker growled, "YOU WON'T GET AWAY!"

"Why'd you have to taunt him?" Ace asked, "He was going to come after us anyway!"

"Had to make sure," Luffy replied. If Smoker was chasing him and Ace, then he wasn't chasing the rest of his Nakama.

"WHITE VINE!" **FWOOOSH! **Smoke spouted out of both of Smoker's legs and spiraled together, launching him up into the air after Luffy and Ace. "I'VE GOT YOU NOW!"

"No civilians up here," Ace noted, "FIIIIIRE FIIIIST!" Ace's fist ignited and he shot a column of flames out from his hand. **FWOOOM! **Ace's fire collided with Smoker's smoke and the Marine Captain was blown backwards and went crashing down into the middle of a pen of horses, **BOOOM!** Smoker's body burst into a thick cloud of smoke that obscured the pen and terrified the horses.

"That was a close one!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Let's go before he recovers!" Ace decided, the two brothers quickly turned and bounded away across the rooftops.

**FWOOSH!** The cloud of smoke in the pen swirled together and Smoker reformed himself, "Damn," the Marine Captain cursed before he leapt the fence and continued the chase.

**-x-**

"Ahh, I really do feel a lot better now," Chopper sighed, he was still in his Walk Point form as he made his way back to the fence his Nakama had been waiting at, only to find them missing. "HUH? WHERE ARE THEY?"

**Sniff! Sniff! **"Luffy's smell is over here," Chopper noted, **Sniff! Sniff! **"Big Brother and Nami went this way…" Chopper followed the scent to the Golden Slots Casino then got confused. **Sniff! Sniff! **"That's Zoro's smell… but Sanji went this way… What's going on?"

The reindeer was standing in the middle of the road, and like a deer in headlights he made no move to get out of the way of a squad of marines. **WHOMP! **Chopper was nearly trampled by the marine squad and went flying and crashed down to the ground in his Brain Point form as the squad ran by him.

**-x-**

"Damn it," Zoro growled as he, Vivi, and Ollie found their path blocked by a large group of men dressed in civilian clothing: Millions.

"Oh no, over there!" Vivi gasped, as another cluster of Million coming from behind.

"It's them!" one of the Millions exclaimed as he stared at a picture of Zoro in Mr. 2's ballet costume and then flipped to a picture of a younger Vivi, "KILL 'EM!"

"It's the Baroque Works Millions!" Vivi realized.

"Then it looks like we're stuck between a rock and a hard place," Zoro commented, "You two go on without me, hurry!"

"Not a chance," Ollie refused as she drew her bow. "I don't run away from a fight."

"Then Vivi, you get out of here," Zoro ordered as he gave the Princess a shove in a direction where here were no agents.

"Okay…" Vivi reluctantly agreed as she ran off towards Rain Dinners. Zoro grabbed the handle of one of his swords.

"I don't have enough arrows for all of them," Ollie commented, **Swish!** She flicked her wrists and was instantly holding the shaft of her two metal arrows. "Looks like I'm gonna have to do this the old fashioned way."

"Just try and keep up!" Zoro challenged her as he drew two of his swords.

**-x-**

"Usopp, Han, you guys go on," Sanji instructed the other two, "I'll handle the Marines."

"Right then," Han agreed, "Have fun with it." He and Usopp ran off and continued towards Rain Dinners while Sanji turned to face the charging marines.

"Without that smoke-freak around, they should be easy to handle," Sanji remarked as he prepared to fight. **THWAK! THWAK!** The cook lashed out his legs and kicked the marines when they got close, as expected, they weren't much when they didn't have one of their officers.

Seconds later, Sanji stood over the pile of unmoving marines and casually lit up a cigarette.

**-x-**

"So how much did you get?" Ricky asked as he and Nami hopped a metal fence as they continue to run along the alley with Devo chasing behind them. "I won an even ten million berries."

"That wasn't the full ten minutes!" Nami protested, "I was working my way up to a big score! We were interrupted so it was a draw!"

"Sounds like an excuse to me," Ricky commented.

**BANG! BANG!** With no civilians to worry about getting in the way, Lieutenant Devo started firing at them from behind.

"AND THOSE SOUND LIKE GUN SHOTS!" Nami shrieked as they started running in a zig-zag to keep from getting shot. "KEEP RUNNING!"

**-x-**

"_I hope Ollie and Mr. Bushido will be alright,"_ Vivi thought to herself as she ran through the crowds towards Rain Base.

**-x-**

**SLISH! SLISH! **Swords went flying as a cluster of Millions were dispatched, leaving Zoro and Ollie standing back-to-back over the pile they'd made. Zoro was wielding two swords while Ollie was still holding the shaft of her two bloody arrows.

"Hmph, is that all?" Zoro taunted. A crowd of Millions was still clustered around them but they now looked reluctant to get close.

"**Roronoa Zoro! I knew we'd meet again!"** cameTashigi's voice as she and a handful of Marines pushed their way through the crowd of Millions.

Zoro flinched, "That voice…" he slowly turned around and let out a manly shriek when he saw Tashigi standing there.

"I've been looking for you," Tashigi called out to Zoro, "What do you think you're doing carelessly cutting down civilians? That's low even for you!"

"Oh, I see, old girlfriend," Ollie commented.

"SHE IS NOT!" Zoro shouted at her before he turned back to Tashigi, "I had my own reasons for attacking them. And I have no desire what-so-ever to fight you again! We settled our dispute fine in Loguetown.

"WE DID NOT!" Tashigi argued. "I'm not through, I haven't even dealt you a single blow!"

"_Ugghh… she looks way too much like her…" _Zoro groaned to himself as he momentarily pictured Tashigi without her glasses and with her hair slightly different and saw Kuina standing in her place. "AND PUT THAT DAMN FACE OF YOURS AWAY, WILL YA!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Tashigi exclaimed. "NOW YOU'RE INSULTING ME? That's a really pathetic tactic, I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!" Tashigi drew her sword and glared at Zoro.

"Uh-uh, she's the one person I can't handle," Zoro muttered.

**KLANK! **Ollie smacked Tashigi's katana to the side with the metal shaft of her bow, **THWAK!** Ollie lashed out her leg and kicked Tashigi in the stomach causing her to go flying back into the marines she was standing in front of. **WHOMP! **

"There, problem solved," Ollie concluded. "Let's go tough guy."

"DON'T MOCK ME!" Zoro snapped as he and Ollie ran off.

**-x-**

"There he is!" a Million exclaimed as he held up a picture of Usopp wearing Mr. 2's ballet costume, "He's one of the Straw Hat gang!"

"Remember what I taught you," Han instructed Usopp. Usopp quickly loaded six Explosion Bullets into his new revolver and aimed it at the approaching Millions. "Keep your arm straight…" Usopp straightened his arm as instructed as lined his nose up with the 'v' shaped groove in the top of the gun that Han had told him to aim through.

**BAM! **A red bullet shot out of the gun and impacted with the Millions at the front of the group, **KA-BOOOM!** The bullet exploded and blew the Millions backwards.

"AHAHAHAHA! I GOT 'EM!" Usopp cheered, he struck a pose and aimed his gun again, "PRAY FOR MERCY FROM THE MIGHT CAPTAIN USOPP... THE LEGENDARY KING OF THE SNIPERS!" **BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM! **Usopp used the revolver's rapid-fire function and shot the remaining Explosion Bullets at the Millions surrounding him and Han. **BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM! **The Millions that had been surrounding them were left lying in a smoking heap on the ground.

"Nice job kid," Han complimented him, "Looks like you've got the hang of it. Just don't get too carried away."

"Me? I never get carried away!" Usopp boasted as they walked passed the Millions towards Rain Dinners. "I do exactly what's necessary. And right then it was necessary to be over-the-top."

**-x-**

**BAM! BAM!** Lieutenant Devo continued firing at Ricky and Nami as they sprinted towards the end of the alley. "YOU CAN'T RUN FROM JUSTICE!" Devo shouted at them.

"I'm getting tired of this," Ricky muttered, he drew his sword and swung it around behind him. **SWOOSH!** A thick red-tinted blade of air blew off of his sword and slammed into Devo's chest, sending him flying backwards into a pile of wooden crates, **KRASH! **

"WHOA!" Nami exclaimed, "You figured out how to do that air blade thing!"

Ricky shook his head, "It's still too thick for my liking. Instead of being a blade thin and sharp enough to slice with, it was thick and blunt, it was almost as if I'd kicked him."

"In that case, let's get out of here before he wakes up," Nami prompted. The hurried out the alley and found themselves standing across the street from the moat that surrounded Rain Dinners.

"How much do you wanna bet that Crocodile's hide out is the casino with the giant crocodile on the roof?" Ricky offered.

"Sucker bet," Nami retorted.

"**It's not a crocodile,"** came a familiar voice, Ricky and Nami turned to the side and saw Han and Usopp approaching. "That monster up on the roof is called a Bananawani. Threat level: high. They've got thick skin, huge teeth and are one of the only known creatures that actually hunt Sea Kings. To make matters worse, this moat here is filled with them. HEADS UP!" **BANG! BANG!**

With Han's warning the three Straw Hats managed to dodge the bullets Lieutenant Devo shot at them from the end of the alley.

**BOOOM! **Han fired his cannon-sized gun at Devo and the marine had to dive back into the alley to avoid being blown up. "I'll handle this," Han volunteered as walked towards the alley.

"C'mon, there's a bridge across over there," Ricky pointed out as he led Nami and Usopp towards the bridge that led into Crocodile's casino.

"THERE THEY ARE!" a cluster of Millions that had been standing at the end of the bridge called out.

"Those two are from the Straw Hat gang," one of the Millions noted as he looked at the pictures of Nami and Usopp in Mr. 2 ballet costume. "The other one must be one of the extras we were warned about."

"**EXPLODING ARROW!"** An arrow hit the ground and exploded,** KA-BOOM! **The Millions were blown out of their path and Ricky, Nami, and Usopp looked to the side and saw Zoro and Ollie approaching.

"There you guys are," Ollie noted when she saw Ricky and Nami, "How was the trip to the little girl's room?"

"Eventful," Ricky answered.

"Hey Zoro, where's Vivi?" Usopp asked, "She was supposed to be with you!"

"SHE WAS!" Zoro exclaimed, "Are you saying she's not here?"

"We just got here," Nami said, "she might've gone inside already."

"Then let's go in too," Ricky resolved.

"**AAAAAAHHH!" **came Luffy's familiar scream, the gathered pirates looked back and saw Luffy and Ace running down the road with Smoker chasing behind them.

"GET BACK HERE!" Smoker bellowed.

"Who would've thought he'd recover so quickly!" Ace exclaimed.

"HEY YOU GUYS!" Luffy shouted to Ollie and his crew as he and Ace ran passed them and started across the bridge, "WE HAVE TO GO INSIDE NOW!"

"RIGHT BEHIND YOU!" Usopp called out as he, Ricky, Zoro, Nami, and Ollie race after Luffy and Ace.

"So he's in there…" Luffy realized as he stared up at the golden bananawani up above him, "THEN I GUESS THAT'S WHERE I'M GOING!"

**-x-**

"Oh, Vivi and the pirates are in town paying us a visit," Crocodile commented as he sat in a comfortable chair in the VIP room.

"We've just received word from the Millions that they've arrived," Ms. All Sunday reported.

"Kuahahahaha," Crocodile laughed as he picked up the picture of Luffy in Mr. 2's ballet outfit. "Let's be sure to welcome them very warmly."

"Yes sir," Ms. All Sunday agreed.

**-x-**

"LISTEN UP CROCODILE!" Luffy hollered as he led his crew across the bridge to the casino, "I'M COMING FOR YOU AND I'M ABOUT TO KICK YOUR SANDY ASS! GET READY!"

**-x-**

Next chapter, Luffy and the others run find themselves in trouble when they try storming Rain Dinners.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	43. Chapter 43

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of the related characters, just the original characters that appear in this story.

**A/N:** Now this would be an example of a late update. Sorry, really busy this week with work, internship, actually sleeping, and late night movie premiers. I want to take a moment to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter and made it the most reviewed chapter in this fic. Thank you everybody for your comments and support.

And while I'm talking about reviews, I'd like to respond to an anonymous review left last chapter by **One Piece Lover**, where they basically said that they didn't like Usopp using a gun because what makes him special as sniper is that he uses a slingshot.

My response: Usopp's _main weapon _is a slingshot but he also uses a multitude of other weapons in battle too, he's got hammers, caltrops, booze, a blackboard, dials, and the dreaded Usopp Rubber Band of Doom. The revolver is just an additional weapon for him to use in a tight situation, it's also a way for him to connect with his father who he strives to be like. Usopp's main weapon will remain his slingshot… until he starts using the Kabuto, then he basically ditches everything else. I'm not going completely alter Usopp's character with the gun, I'm just trying to make him a little stronger.

**Storming Rain Dinners:**

**-x-**

A man in a hooded black cloak walked through the busy streets of Rain Base, he went unnoticed by the citizens who were all buzzing about the marines chasing a crew of pirates through the city. The man looked up at the bananawani on the roof of Rain Dinners and a grin appeared on his hooded face.

"There it is… Rain Dinners," the man spoke in a deep masculine voice. "And from the sound of things, _they're_ here too." The man continued to work his way through the streets of the city as he made his way towards the casino.

**-x-**

"Hannibal King of the Whitebeard Pirates," Lieutenant Devo stated as he stood at one end of an alley gripping the handle of his two pistols, Han stood across from him wielding his huge cannon-sized gun. "The last time we met, you made the excuse that you were hunting a strange yeti that was lurking in Nanohana."

"I was," Han answered, "And I found it and dealt with it."

"And I told you last time that if I saw you again you'd face justice for your crimes," Devo responded as he took aim with his pair of pistols. "You're under arrest, pirate."

"I hope you understand that I have no intention of coming quietly… or even at all," Han said, "There's a motley crew of pirates trying to save this kingdom, I won't let you or any other marine that's blind to this country's turmoil create problems for them."

**BAM! BAM!** Devo opened fire but his shots missed because Han had already stepped to the side to avoid the bullets after judging where the marine was aiming.

Han aimed and fired his cannon, **BOOOM! **Devo dove to the side to avoid the small cannonball but it impacted with the ground and exploded, **KA-BOOOM! **The explosion sent the Marine Lieutenant flying up into the air. **SKISH! **Han leapt off of the ground and met Devo in midair as he swung the barrel of his cannon around into the marine' head, **WHAM!** Devo went crashing down to the ground and landed in a heap while Han landed safely on his feet. **THUD! TMP!**

Han dashed forward and pulled a shotgun out from the inside of his coat and quickly trained it on the downed marine.

"Damn pirate…" Devo growled as he dropped his pistols in resignation, knowing full well that if he tried anything Han could easily blow his head off.

"I may be a pirate and a hunter but I'm not a murderer," Han informed the marine. "However, there is something going on here that's bigger than the both of us and I can't allow you to interfere." **THWAK!**

Han turned and walked out of the alley leaving the unconscious form of Lieutenant Devo lying on the ground behind him.

**-x-**

"I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" Luffy yelled as he led Ricky, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Ace and Ollie over the bridge to the entrance of the Rain Dinners. "I'M COMING CROCODILE!"

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" a group of Millions shouted after them. **BAM! BAM! BAM! **The Millions opened fire and started shooting at the pirates from behind.

Ace turned around and ignited both of his index fingers, **Fwwooosh! **"FIRE GUN!" **BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! **The Millions screamed and dropped to the ground as the bullets Ace fired from his finger tips struck their body and burned them. With their pursuers down, Ace casually blew on his smoking left index finger. "And that's that," Ace turned and continued running after the others through the large doorway and into the casino known as Rain Dinners.

The reached the doors to the casino and Luffy pushed them opened and led the others inside. **KA-CHING!** Nami's eyes turned to berry signs and an excited smile appeared on Ricky's face as the two them glanced around the large casino and spotted countless tables filled with games and gamblers.

"Don't even think about it you two!" Ollie scolded them. "We're not here to gamble."

"CROOOOOCOOOOODIIIIILLLEEEE!" Luffy hollered. "SHOW YOURSELF!" All the gamblers paused for a moment and stared at the sources of the shouting then went back to their respective games. Pirates coming into the casino and challenging Crocodile appeared to be a regular occurrence because no one seemed concerned in the slightest. "LIIIISTEEEEEN! I CROSSED AN OCEAN AND A DESERT SO I COULD KICK YOUR ASS!" Again Luffy's shouts were ignored and Crocodile was still nowhere to be seen. "CRRROOOCOOODIIILEE!"

**WONK! **Nami and Usopp hit Luffy over the back of the head, "That's not gonna make him come out here, you loud mouthed dope!" Nami scolded him.

"Luffy, you're dealing with this county's hero," Ace reminded him, "Do you wanna turn all of these customers against you?"

"Okay fine… then what do we do?" Luffy asked.

"Hold on," Usopp protested, "Without Vivi we don't even know what Crocodile looks like."

"Now that you mention it," Nami commented, "Where _is _Vivi?"

"VIIIIVIIII!" Luffy, Nami, and Usopp all shouted across the casino. "CROOOOCOODIIIILEE! COME OOOOUUUT!" Ricky, Zoro, Ace, and Ollie hung their heads and looked embarrassed.

"And that's _so_ much better," Ricky muttered, "Oooh… someone dropped a coin." Ricky bent down and picked up the coin and slowly began to edge away from his Nakama and former Nakama towards the ocean of slot machines in front of them.

"OI! WHAT DID SHE JUST SAY?" Zoro called after him, "You're not here to gamble!"

"Oh no," Ace sighed as he shook his head, "he's got a coin in hand and a slot machine in sight… there's no stopping him now. Ollie, go after him and keep him out of trouble."

"I'll do my best," Ollie agreed as she broke away from the others and followed Ricky.

**-x-**

"Pardon sir," a man in a suit approached a man in an even fancier suit with gray hair that was styled to look like a flame, "Some undesirables have entered the casino."

"Oh for heaven's sake," the fancy guy with the flame hair sighed in response, "Have security throw them out and relax, will you?"

**-x-**

"Hey, you know what," Luffy said as he turned around to face Nami and Usopp, "I'm thinking that they might not come just cause we called."

"**I'VE GOT YOU THIS TIME, STRAW HAT!" **Smoker shouted as he finally made it to the other side of the bridge and raced towards the opened doors of the casino. The Straw Hats and Ace turned and stared in shock, they'd forgotten about him.

"AAAAHH! SMOKER!" Nami and Usopp shrieked.

"You think you can stroll in anywhere you like and I won't find you!" Smoker growled.

"Not Old Smokey!" Luffy complained, there were definitely too many civilians in the casino to fight him now. As one, the Straw Hats and Ace turned and ran off into the casino with Smoker chasing after them.

"What's that refugee from an ashtray doing in a casino at Rain Base?" Usopp complained.

"If you ask me, I'd say he's developed a special affection for Luffy here," Zoro replied.

"He doesn't like me much either," Ace added.

"This entire building's surrounded by a lake!" Smoker called after the pirates. "There's nowhere to run!"

Two men in suits slid out in front of Smoker and blocked his path, "Now hold on," one of the men called out, he wore a suit and a turban. "That's far enough!"

"Government officials aren't allowed inside!" the other guard who wore a matching suit and a fez protested, "You must leave at once!"

**WHUMP!** Smoker knocked the two men away from him and chased after the pirates as if the suits hadn't even spoken.

"Man he's stubborn!" Luffy exclaimed as he and the others raced right passed Ricky and Ollie who were standing in front of a slot machine.

"HOLD IT!" Smoker shouted after him.

"Ugghhh…" Luffy groaned, "I'm in no mood to try and deal with this right now…"

"Excuse me sir," a group of three large men in double breasted suits stepped in front of the charging pirates, security was finally making an attempt to stop the pirates from causing a ruckus in the casino. "I'm going to have to ask your friends to UUGGGHH!" **WHAM!** Luffy slammed into the three men and sent them flying into a row of slow machines behind them sending coins spilling out onto the floor around the now unconscious security guards.

"Hold on a second… did I just hit something?" Luffy wondered, paying no thought to the trio of men he'd just knocked out.

**-x-**

The man in the fancy suit with the gray flame hair was _now_ beginning to get concerned about the pirates. Security had clearly been unable to apprehend them and now there was a mob of civilians attempting to scrounge up to the spilled coins from the broken slot machines.

That was when Ms. All Sunday walked up behind him.

"Manager this is terrible!" the man exclaimed as he turned to face Ms. All Sunday. "Some strange people have forced their way in!"

"Send them to the V.I.P. room," Ms. All Sunday instructed to the man's surprise. "Sir Crocodile's been… expecting them."

**-x-**

**DING-DING-DING! **A slot machine rang out, the wheels read 7-7-7 and Ricky grinned as he shoveled the machine's entire contents of gold coins into a large cup.

"Okay… you won…" Ollie pointed out as she stood behind him, "How 'bout we go after the others now?"

"Aw come on," Ricky protested, "That was _too_ easy…"

"Yeah, cause you used your eye!" Ollie reminded him.

"But no one noticed," Ricky replied, "Everyone's too distracted by the coins that spilled when Luffy plowed over those security guys to even notice that I won the jackpot on this machine."

"Then quit while you're ahead and let's go after the others and find Crocodile," Ollie suggested.

"Look… Luffy's called dibs in fighting Crocodile," Ricky told her, "If we went after them all we'd do is stand there and watch. If we stay here while Luffy fights him we can hit him where it _really _hurts… his wallet."

"Ugghh… fine," Ollie sighed in resignation as she lowered her hood and began brushing at her short yellow hair, "Let's go with swindling plan two… You play the hot-shot traveler and I'll be your supportive girlfriend."

They adjusted their appearance as if they'd done it hundreds of times before. Ricky pulled opened his cloak to reveal his shirt and cargo pants then lowered his shemagh and placed his cowboy hat back on his head as he gave his sunglasses a quick adjustment. Ollie pulled her cloak opened to reveal her tank top and tights and pulled a long sack out from one of the pockets lining her cloak. Her bow, quiver, and Ricky's sword _Akakyuuketsuki_ were quickly placed inside before the sack was thrown over the archer's shoulder.

A sly grin adorned Ricky's face as he held out his arm to Ollie, Ollie smiled and hooked her arm around his and with Ricky's cup of winning in hand they wandered off deeper into the casino.

**-x-**

"GIVE IT UP!" Smoker shouted after Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Ace.

"HEY, LOOK AHEAD!" Usopp called out, "IT'S…"

"Thank you for coming!" a pair of dancer girls chirped as they threw cherry blossoms onto a red carpet that led to a set of double doors with 'V.I.P.' marked over them.

A trio of slim men stood lining the carpet and bowed to the pirates as they ran closer, "Right this way," one of the suits instructed, "The V.I.P. Lounge welcomes you!"

"Did he say the V.I.P. Lounge?" Usopp questioned.

"Hold on, do you think it could be a trap?" Nami wondered.

"It probably is," Ace stated, "But where else would he be?"

"Don't these lounges usually have free drinks for the guests?" Zoro inqiured.

"It's not like we have a choice," Luffy pointed out as Smoker chased them passed the suits and the dancer girls, "RUN FOR IT!"

"The V.I.P. Lounge…" Smoker muttered, "Don't tell me those jokers are friends with Crocodile… but if that's true… then all of them could end up on the gallows together!"

"What is a vip anyway?" Luffy asked the others as they pushed through the doors and found themselves running down a long hallway. "HEY THE HALLWAY SPLITS!" The hallway ended with a fork and had two signs pointed in opposite directions.

"It says V.I.P.'s go left," Usopp noted.

"And pirates go right…" Nami continued.

"Which way do we go?" Luffy wondered.

"DECIDE QUICK!" Zoro exclaimed as they drew near to the signs and the split.

"It seems _too_ simple for a trap," Ace commented.

"V.I.P.'s choose V.I.P.'s!" Usopp urged Luffy.

"That's crazy talk!" Luffy replied, "We're pirates! And pirate are supposed to go this way!" Luffy rounded the corner and headed to the right, the others loyally followed their Captain while Ace skidded to stop and remained rooted in front of the sign.

"It's a dead end!" Nami realized as she, Luffy, Usopp, and Zoro crowded together in the short 'pirates' hallway.

"I'VE GOT YOU NOW FIRE FIST!" Smoker bellowed. **WHAM! **Smoker slammed into Ace and knocked him back into the wall but Ace ricocheted off of it and slammed back into the marine, **WHAM!** Neither of them had used their Devil Fruit Powers for the quick exchange and they ended up tumbling to the right along with the four Straw Hats.

**KLANG!** The floor for the entire pirates hallway split down the middle and dropped opened to form a trap door sending the five pirates and the marine falling down into the dark pit below.

"How embarrassing…" Ace sighed.

"THIS IS CERTAINLY UNEXPECTED!" Smoker exclaimed.

"AAAAAHHH!" Nami screamed.

"I can't believe we fell for this old trick…" Zoro muttered.

"It's an outbreak of my 'I-End-Up-Swimming-When-I-Fall-Into-A-Dark-Pit' Disease!" Usopp shrieked as he stroked his arms and pushed out his legs in a falling breaststroke.

"I HATE TRAP DOOOOORS!" Luffy complained.

**-x-**

"That's strange… what happened to everybody?" Chopper wondered as he galloped down an alley in his Walk Point form.

"**CAPTAIN SMOKER!" **Tashigi walked into the alley and glanced around her for any signs of her superior. Chopper skidded to a stop and quickly transformed into his Brain Point form then ducked behind a dumpster and peeked out from behind it at the Sergeant Major in his usual clumsy fashion. "I wonder where Captain Smoker could have gotten to? He must be chasing after Straw Hat."

"_She's with the Marines," _Chopper realized, _"She's after the others." _Tashigi turned around and started walking towards Chopper intent on continuing her search for the other Straw Hats. Chopper knew he had to do something to keep the marine from find his Nakama so he quickly jumped out and blocked her path, "STOP! YOU CAN'T!"

It was then that the clumsy marine and the clumsy reindeer met and the result was a calamity. Chopper only came up to Tashigi's knees and the marine was staring over him towards the other end of the alley, **WHUMP! **Tashigi tripped over Chopper and sent both of them crashing to the ground, her glasses went flying and landed upside down on Chopper's nose leaving the reindeer's previously perfect vision distorted.

Tashigi pushed herself off of the ground and blindly groped around for her glasses, "Oh no… my glasses…I'm hopeless without them…"

Chopper attempted to get up but he was so dizzy from his distorted vision that he ended up collapsing. **FWUMP!**

Tashigi might've been blind at the moment but she could still hear, and the sound of Chopper falling drew her attention. "Oh no, are you alright?" Tashigi asked one of the pirates she was supposed to be looking for but couldn't see. "Excuse me sir… you haven't passed out have you?"

At that moment, Sanji and Han came running passed the alley but when they realized who they'd seen lying in the middle of it, they skidded to a stop and backpedaled for a better look.

"What do you make of this?" Han whispered to Sanji as they watched Tashigi attempt to rouse Chopper.

"Come on you… say something…" Tashigi urged Chopper as she prodded the reindeer's chest.

"**Sergeant Major!**" Sanji and Han quickly turned away as a marine came running over and called out to Tashigi. "We've been looking for you, ma'am. We just found Lieutenant Devo unconscious in another alley and the last anyone saw of Smoker, he was chasing Straw Hat and Fire Fist.

"I'll be right there," Tashigi replied as she grabbed her sword and started to get up while completely forgetting that she was currently blind.

Chopper sat up and finally managed to pull Tashigi's glasses off of his eyes and offered them to the marine, "Um… are these…"

"Oh, how nice, you found my glasses!" Tashigi praised the pirate that she couldn't see. "You're such a kind person." Tashigi grabbed her glasses and got up completely missing the fact that Chopper _wasn't_ a person but instead a reindeer. She slipped her glasses back on and then closed her eyes and bowed to the reindeer that she still hadn't actually seen. "Thank you so much, be seeing ya." Tashigi headed off without actually _seeing _Chopper, she cast a quick glance at Sanji and Han who were still facing the other way before she headed off after the marine that had found her.

"That one takes oblivious to a whole new level," Han commented.

"Well, she's got some competition," Sanji pointed out as he turned and saw Chopper standing in the alley wearing a giddy smile while doing a happy dance.

"Did you hear that?" Chopper chirped, "She said I was a kind person. But of course I don't really care what a pretty girl like that thinks…" Judging from the happy dance the reindeer was doing, he _did _care. Sanji and Han sweat-dropped as the reindeer continued his dance. When you compared the clumsiness of Tashigi with Chopper it was hard to tell which of them was worse.

**-x-**

Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Ace, and Smoker found themselves in the V.I.P. room locked in a large cell. The cell was a good twenty feet high, twenty feet long and twenty feet wide. Three of the walls were solid steel and were lined with benches while the fourth was covered by a wall of blue-tinted bars with a door worked into them. The floor of the cell was solid steel while the roof was a steel dome with a hallow column that they had fallen through as they fell through the trap door into the cell. Luffy and Usopp stood at the front of the cell by the door gripping the blue-tinted bars, Zoro stood in the corner to their right, Nami was kneeling on the ground on their left, Ace was casually sitting on the bench beside her while Smoker was around the corner from him sitting on the bench behind Luffy and Usopp.

"Pretty clever trap, wasn't it?" Luffy questioned.

"Oh yeah," Usopp agreed, "No way to see that one coming."

"WHAT'RE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Nami demanded as she shot up and glared at them, "I TOLD YOU IT WAS A TRAP IN THE FIRST PLACE! I CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT A COUPLE OF IDIOTS YOU ARE!"

"Something's wrong here…" Luffy suddenly realized as his body sagged against the bars, "I feel weak all of a sudden…"

Smoker stood up and drew his jutte, "LUFFY!" Zoro called out in alarm. **SWAK! **Smoker slammed the blunt side of his weapon onto Luffy's face and knocked him on his back then drove the blunt tip of the jutte down into Luffy's stomach. **WHUP!**

"I-I'll take you on his you want… you s-smoke-filled freak!" Usopp stammered as he got in a fighting stance. "I d-didn't do so b-bad a-against the b-bomb guy!" Usopp quickly backed away into the corner. "I'll just wait here in the corner… l-let me know when you're r-ready."

"What'th wrong," Luffy slurred, "I feel tho helplethh… It'th like when I fall into the thea."

"Enough Smokey, you've proved your point," Ace growled from his seat.

Smoker removed his jutte from Luffy's stomach, "The tip of this staff is made from a substance called Sea Stone," Smoker explained. "It's a rare mineral that exists in one specific sea in a distant corner of the world. Not much is known about it but it's believed to give off mystical energy on the same wavelength as the ocean itself. You can think of it as a solid form of the sea."

"So it affects Luffy the same way it would if he fell into the ocean," Zoro realized.

Smoker continued to explain, "Prison cells at Marine Headquarters are made of the same substance to prevent criminals with Devil Fruit Powers from successfully escaping."

"Then I'm betting this cell is made the same way," Nami reasoned.

"If it wasn't you can be sure I'd be long gone by now," Smoker told them, "And the five of you would be on your way to prison waiting for you date with the hangman."

**Klik! **Zoro slid his sword partially out its sheath and prepared to fight.

"AAAHHH!" Usopp shrieked. "ARE YOU CRAZY? THERE'S NO POINT IN FIGHTING IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS! STOOOOP!"

"And besides," Nami added, "What good is a sword against a guy who's made out of smoke?"

"**She's right," **spoke a deep gravelly voice from a chair at a table that was facing away from them. **"Give it up. You're all going to die together. So why not make an effort to get along first?"**

"Hmph, it's Crocodile," Smoker grunted, recognizing the voice of the Warlord.

"Alright!" Luffy exclaimed, he was still lying on the ground shaking off the effects of Smoker's Sea Stone but now he knew that the guy he was looking to beat up was in the room with them.

The chair spun around and Crocodile stood up finally revealing himself to the Straw Hats.

**-x-**

**Alabasta's Strongest Warrior:**

**-x-**

"Kuahahahahaha," Crocodile laughed as he casually surveyed his prisoners.

"So he's one of the Seven Warlords," Zoro stated as he stared out of the cell at Crocodile.

"Hmph," Smoker grunted, "You're every bit the lowlife sea-scum I imagined."

"My, my, you're every bit the wild dog I heard you were, Smoker," Crocodile retorted as he began approaching the cell, "Unlike your superiors you never really believed I was on your side, have you? And of course… you were right. You know Smoker, I have a feeling you'll die bravely in the line of duty. I'll be more than happy to inform the World Government that you put up a valiant fight against the vicious Straw Hat Pirates here." Crocodile stopped walking and was now standing just in front of the cell. "I have no idea what really brought you here to this country but I'm betting you're on your own. We both know the World Government would never order you to come to this land. They have every confidence in me, a Warlord of the Sea."

Crocodile then turned his attention to Ace, "And what's this, the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates? I have no idea what kind of connection you have with Straw Hat and his crew but if you're in this country then I suppose that explains what happened to the Billions stationed in Nanohana."

"Yeah, that was me," Ace admitted casually.

"I have a score to settle with that infernal Captain of yours," Crocodile stated, "When news of your death reaches him, he's certain to head here to avenge you. By that time I'll have completely taken over and even the mighty Whitebeard won't stand against me."

"I can't tell if you're hopelessly arrogant or hopelessly stupid," Ace remarked, "But you've gotta be one of the two if you think you can handle old man Whitebeard."

"YOU BIG OLD BAG OF WIND!" Luffy snapped as he shot to his feet, "YOU'RE CROCODILE? COME ON AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN, YOU BIG DUMB UUGGGHH…" **FWUMP! **In his anger, Luffy made the mistake of grabbed the Sea Stone bars his strength was zapped from him and his drooped down.

"PAY ATTENTION STUPID!" Usopp shouted at him, "YOU GOTTA REMEMBER NOT TO TOUCH THE BARS!"

"Straw Hat Luffy," Crocodile addressed the droopy pirate, "I congratulate you on getting this far and I promise to dispose of you neatly and efficiently… once our special guest of honor has made her appearance."

"A guest?" Nami repeated.

"My partner is fetching her as we speak," Crocodile told her.

"Usopp…" Ace whispered to the sniper, he held up his hand with his thumb up and his index finger extended while the other three fingers were tucked into his palm.

Usopp nodded as he understood the signal, **BANG!** Usopp fired his revolver and a red Explosion Bullet shout out through the bars of the cell and sank into Crocodile's chest before it came out his back and exploded harmlessly as it exploded and made a crater in the floor, **KA-BOOOM!**

"Was there a point to that?" Crocodile asked as the hole Usopp's bullet had made in his chest filled with sand and then left Crocodile standing there completely unharmed.

"It's just as I suspected," Ace remarked, "He's a Logia. What're the odds of having three of us in one room?"

"That's right," Crocodile replied with a smirk, "I ate the Sand Sand Fruit and now I can not only control but also become the sands themselves. I'm the King of the Desert."

**-x-**

**FWUMP! **A Million collapsed to the ground as Vivi stood in the middle of a cluster of Millions twirling her Peacock Slashers around by the rings on her fingers.

"_I can't afford to waste any more time with these second-rate thugs,"_ Vivi thought to herself. "Hmph, WHO'S NEXT?" As Vivi lunged forward to attack more of the Millions she was caught off guard when she was struck across the back by the butt of a rifle. **WHAM!**

Vivi dropped to the ground and dropped her Peacock Slashers as she laid there and stared up a Million wearing a light gray cowboy hat and a long light gray coat with 'B.W.' written on the back. He was turned his rifle and aimed it at the downed Princess.

"You've got some pretty impressive moves there, Princess," the Million remarked. "Of course I'd expect no less from a former Frontier Agent. But don't you think it's time you accept your fate? Hahahaha!"

"_I have to get away and reach the others," _Vivi quickly realized.

**WOOSH!** Neither Vivi nor the Millions noticed the winged figure that flew overhead.

"Fun time's over!" the Million with the rifle announced, "The Boss is waiting for you."

"Don't you dare touch me…" Vivi warned the Million as he approached her and reached out to grab her.

**BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM! **Bullets suddenly rained down from overhead shaking the Millions and buying Vivi a momentary reprieve.

"What is that thing, some kind of bird?" one of the Millions wondered as they all stared up at the sky. A large bird-like silhouette swooped down from overhead and the Gatling guns that were under the birds wings opened fire and rained down bullets on the Millions, **BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM!**

"AAAAAHHH! IT'S A FALCON!" one of the Millions shrieked as the bird dove closer. The falcon was the size of a large man and was covered in gray feathers. It had purple face-paint around its eyes and wore a long white robe decorated in brown four-point stars. Large gray wings came out from the arm holes of the robe and a pair of feathered arms clutched the two Gatling guns and tucked them under the wings.

"A FALCON WITH A GATLING GUN, ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?"

But while the Millions were all panicking at being attacked by the gun-wielding falcon, Vivi looked up at it and smiled.

"IT'S HUGE! SHOOT IT DOWN!" a Million commanded the others.

**WOOOOOSSSHHHH!** The Millions never got a chance to fire as the falcon swooped down and flew through them. Vivi reached up and grabbed the falcon and it carried her up into the air and set her down on the roof of a nearby building.

"Oh Pell, I can't believe it's you!" Vivi exclaimed.

The falcon's feathers disappeared and became pale skin and Pell the Falcon was left standing in front of Vivi on the rooftop.

"It's very good to see you, Princess Vivi," Pell stated.

"How is my father?" Vivi asked.

Pell smiled before he replied, "He's doing well. Your father and I both read your letter and he's sent me on ahead to scout out the situation."

"You mean… Carue made it safely to Alubarna?" Vivi questioned. "He's alright?"

"That's right," Pell confirmed, "You've got quite a duck, you know."

"Thank goodness," Vivi sighed.

"Alabasta owes you a great debt, Princess," Pell told her. "Thanks both to you and Igaram… we know who we're fighting." Vivi nodded and Pell turned his attention back to the Millions. "Now… if you'll please excuse me…"

"IT'S PELL THE FALCON!" one of the Millions shouted.

"OH, NO WAY!" another Million yelled, "HE'S THE GREATEST WARRIOR IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY!"

"The Bird Bird Fruit, Model: Falcon," Pell announced as he stood perched on the edge of the roof overhead, "One of only five Devil Fruits in the World that grant the power of flight." Pell crossed his arms in front of his chest and he began his Hybrid Zoan Devil Fruit Transformation. Gray feathers appeared on his arms and a pair of clawed talons replaced his hands, wings sprouted out of his shoulder blades and grew down to his back, while a sharp beak appeared on Pell's feathered face. "A POWER TO WHICH YOU WILL ALL NOW BARE WITNESS!" **SWOOOSSSH! **Pell jumped off of the roof and dove down in an incredible speed that the Millions couldn't even hope to follow.

"**FLYING TALON!" WOOOOSSSHHH! **Pell swooped through the startled Millions and slashed them as he went passed. The entire group of Baroque Works henchmen collapsed to the ground while Pell landed lightly on his feet and then transformed back into his human form.

"THANK YOU PELL!" Vivi called down to him. "NOW I HAVE TO FIND MY FRIENDS!"

"**Really? Don't you think you're getting a bit ahead of yourself?" **a soft feminine voice spoke from behind her. Vivi turned around and found Ms. All Sunday standing on the roof behind her. "You've certainly been a thorn in our side."

"Ms. All Sunday…" Vivi growled as she glared at the Vice President of Baroque Works.

"I'm just in time," Ms. All Sunday observed, "It looks as if our precious employees are no longer of use."

"Sorry… Ms. Vice President…" one of the barely conscious Millions gasped.

"And who are you?" Pell asked as he stared up at Ms. All Sunday from the ground.

"That was marvelous," Ms. All Sunday commented, "I've never seen anyone who's had the power of flight before. Even so… do you think that you're stronger than me?"

"Princess Vivi… this arrogant girl is she one of those threatening our homeland?" Pell inquired.

"I'm simply here as a messenger to invite the Princess to a little gathering at our casino," Ms. All Sunday explained, "…if you have no objections."

"Sorry, I'm afraid that the Princess has a prior engagement," Pell apologized as he grabbed the hilt of the long sword sheathed at his right hip.

"I see," Ms. All Sunday replied.

"STOP SCREWING WITH US!" Vivi shouted as she attacked the Baroque Works Vice President with a Peacock Slasher.

**WHAP! **Ms. All Sunday simply grabbed Vivi by the wrist and redirected her so her attack missed and the Princess spun passed her. "Do you really think its proper for a Princess to use such coarse language, dear Ms. Wednesday?"

"Igaram… you killed him…" Vivi growled, remembering clearly how her protector's ship had blown up just as it was leaving Whisky Peak.

"Igaram?" Ms. All Sunday repeated. "Oh yes, Mr. 8, of course."

"What this… the one who killed him was you?" Pell snarled.

"Oh come now, why are you getting so worked up about it?" Ms. All Sunday questioned, "It's really no different than what you did to our employees just now. Don't be childish."

Ms. All Sunday altered her hold on Vivi's wrist and pulled the Princess back so she was in front of her then lashed out and drove her hand into Vivi's stomach. **WHAM! **The Princess doubled over and Pell could only watch in horror from the ground as Ms. All Sunday's arm came out of Vivi's back and the Princess gasped slumped unmoving against the tall woman.

"DAAAAMN YOOOUUU!" Pell screamed. He transformed into his Falcon-Human Hybrid form and rocketed up into the air to avenge the Princess. **WOOOSH!**

"Fufufu…" Ms. All Sunday chuckled as she let go of Vivi and allowed the Princess to fall to the ground at her feet.

"YOUR BONES WILL BECOME THE SAND OF ALABASTA!"Pell shouted as he flew up over head and then swooped down towards Ms. All Sunday.

"Tres Fleur…" **POP! **Three arms spouted out of Pell's body, two on his back and one out of his stomach. **WHAP! **The two on his back clasped hands and locked Pell's wings together up over his head while the one on his stomach clamped down on the handle of his sword and prevented him from drawing it. **KLAK!** Without being able to flap his wings to remain airborne Pell went crashing down to the roof and tumbled passed Ms. All Sunday, **WHAM!**

"Pell…" Vivi gasped as she looked over at Pell who had reverted to his human form.

"Princess Vivi… you're alive!" Pell exclaimed.

"Oh dear, did it look to you as if I'd killed the girl?" Ms. All Sunday taunted.

"DAMN YOU, WHAT DID YOU DO?" Pell demanded.

"You ought to lighten up a little," Ms. All Sunday told him, "I was only teasing you."

"You have Devil Fruit Powers…" Pell realized, "it's the only explanation."

"That's right," Ms. All Sunday replied, "I ate the Flower Flower Fruit." As she spoke, one arm sprouted out of Ms. All Sunday's elbow, another came out from the side of her arm, a third grew on her opposite shoulder. The only difference between the new arms and Ms. All Sunday's original arms was the fact that her original arms were in the sleeves of her long white fur coat while the new arms were all bare. "The power to make body parts bloom like flowers… that is my ability."All three of the new arms waved as Pell stared at the woman in shock. "Even if you have the power of flight you can not escape my reach for my limbs can bloom anywhere."

"Who's escaping?" Pell taunted as he got back up. "I'm staying right here… AND TAKING VENGEANCE FOR THE LIFE OF IGARAM!" Pell drew his sword and at pointed it at Ms. Al Sunday with a flourish.

"I wish I could stay, I'd love to play a few more hands with you," Ms. All Sunday commented. "But time doesn't wait."

"OH DON'T WORRY!" Pell exclaimed as he charged her, "THIS WON'T TAKE LONG!"

"I'm afraid you don't understand…" Ms. All Sunday stated, "Seis Fleur…" **SWISH! **Two of Ms. All Sunday's arm sprouted out of the ground and grabbed Pell by the ankles, stopping him in his tracks. Another two bloomed out of his back, grabbed both of his arms by the wrist and wrenched them behind him. A final pair of arms came out from the back of Pell's shoulders and grabbed him around the neck and started choking him.

"It can't be… "Vivi gasped in shock.

"Power… speed… these things mean nothing to me," Ms. All Sunday said, "My reach is limitless." Ms. All Sunday walked over to Pell and placed one of her original hands lightly on his chest. "And… CLUTCH!" The arms around Pell's neck wrenched backwards and brutally broke Pell's back, **KRAK! **

"NO! PELLLL!" Vivi screamed in horror as the warrior dropped to the ground. Ms. All Sunday's arms disappeared and she was left standing over Pell completely unscathed.

"Fufufu," Ms. All Sunday laughed lightly as she looked over her shoulder at Vivi, "Was he really Alabasta's greatest warrior? How sad."

"No… oh no…" Vivi sobbed as she stared at Pell's body with tears in her eyes. "It can't be…"

"Well time to go," Ms. All Sunday announced, "Our Boss is waiting to see us and so are your friends… inside a prison cell at Rain Dinners."

**-x-**

A man in a hooded black cloak sat in the corner of Rain Dinners and stared at the large crowd that had gathered around one of the roulette tables. Apparently someone was winning big and everyone was gathering around to see. The civilians in the casino were so caught up with whatever was going on at the roulette table that they didn't even notice as the Casino Manager escorted the Princess of Alabasta through the casino and into a hallway marked 'V.I.P.'

Without a word the cloaked man stood up and followed after them.

**-x-**

"Hey look… I'm Sanji…" Luffy drawled as he held to fingers to his mouth and mimed smoking a cigarette, he'd rearranged his hair so it covered his left eye and molded the end of his rubber eyebrow into a curl just like the cook's did. "Hey which one of you ate all the meat?"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Usopp laughed and applauded Luffy's impersonation.

"Oh really…" Nami growled in irritation. **WONK! **She hit the two immature pirates over the head and knocked them to the ground. "GET SERIOUS! HOW CAN YOU TWO SCREW AROUND WHEN WE'RE IN THIS DESPERATE SITUATION?"

"Well we can't get out," Luffy pointed out, "So what else is there to do?"

"THE FACT THAT WE CAN'T GET OUT IS THE REASON IT'S SO DESPERATE!" Nami yelled. "If we don't do something soon we're gonna wind up dead!" The navigator looked over at Zoro who was snoring on bench. "ANY WHY ARE YOU SLEEPING?" **BONK!**

"Oh, is it morning already?" Zoro mumbled, now sporting a large lump on his head.

"IT'S AFTERNOON YOU MORON!" Nami shouted.

"Zzzzz…" Across the cell from Zoro, Ace was sleeping too but Nami wasn't about to hit _him_.

"You're certainly a high**-**spirited young lady," Crocodile remarked as he sat at a table with a fancy meal laid out in front of him and enjoyed a glass of wine.

"Whatever, you'd better go ahead and enjoy yourself while you've still got the time, Mister!" Nami scolded him, "Because when these guys get out of here they're gonna kick your smug butt up and down the Grand Line like a flabby beach ball! Right Luffy?"

"YEEEAAAAHH!" Luffy cheered. "YOU BETTER BELIEVE WE WILL!"

"Eep…" Usopp squeaked as he hid behind Luffy's legs.

"Your crew members seem to place a lot of trust in your talents Straw Hat Luffy," Crocodile noted as he took another sip of wine. "How foolish. Kuahahaha, I think trust is completely unnecessary."

"Who does he think he is sneering at us like that?" Nami growled as she glared at the Warlord.

"Knock it off Nami," Usopp suggested, "You're just gonna end up making him angry…"

"**CROCODILE!" **A familiar voice shouted. Crocodile looked up from his meal and saw Vivi standing near the top of the steps that led down into the V.I.P. room while Ms. All Sunday stood behind her in the doorway at the very top of the stairs.

"VIVI!" Luffy, Nami, and Usopp all cheered.

"Hmm…" Smoker grunted as he noted the familiarity the Straw Hats seemed to have with the Princess of Alabasta.

"My humble greetings, Vivi, Royal Princess of Alabasta," Crocodile greeted her without leaving his seat. "I mean…Ms. Wednesday. I compliment you on having evaded our assassins in order to get this far."

"You've no idea what I'd do… or how far I would go to see dead, Mr. 0," Vivi growled. "I WISH THAT YOU DIED IN YOUR CRADLE, YOU MONSTER!" Vivi raced down the steps twirling one of her Peacock Slashers alongside her as she went.

"VIVI WAIT!" Luffy called out to her, "FIRST GET US OUT OF THIS THING!"

"WE ALREADY TRIED THAT!" Usopp shouted, "IT DIDN'T WORK!"

"VIVI, HE'S GOT DEVIL FRUIT POWERS!" Nami yelled, "YOU CAN'T DO IT BY YOURSELF!"

Vivi was too focused on attacking the man who has destroying her country that she didn't hear her friends' shouts. "THIS COUNTRY WOULD STILL BE PEACEFUL IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU! PEACOCK STRING SLASHER!" **SLISSSHHH! **The chain extended and the jeweled blade lashed out. Crocodile's head and the top of his chair was taken clean off.

**TMP! **Vivi landed on the table and stared at Crocodile's headless body in surprise.

"THAT'S NOT GONNA WORK!" Luffy, Nami, and Usopp all shouted at her.

**SWOOOSH! **Crocodile's body broke down and became a cloud of sand. The sand dispersed and Vivi was left staring at the empty chair.

"**Feel better?" **Crocodile's voice jeered at her. **"As a native of this country I'd have thought you'd know that I have the power of the Sand Sand Fruit." **The sand gathered behind Vivi and Crocodile's headless boy reformed and clamped a hand over the Princess' mouth. Crocodile's head reappeared on his neck and he smirked at Vivi, "Want to become a mummy?"

"YOU LEAVE HER ALONE!" Luffy hollered at Crocodile, "I'M WARNING YOU RIGHT NOW! OR I'LL KICK YOUR ASS!"

"Have a seat Princess," Crocodile ordered as he pushed Vivi down into a chair that was opposite his. "I trust you'll be comfortable there. The party is about to begin… isn't that right, Ms. All Sunday?"

"Yes," Ms. All Sunday agreed as she finally reached the bottom of the stairs and now stood beside Vivi's chair. She pulled out a pocket watch and stared at it, "It's exactly noon right now… time for Operation Utopia."

"Huh, Utopia?" Nami repeat.

"What's an Operation Utopia?" Luffy questioned.

"Kuahahahaha," Crocodile started chuckling but slowly the laughter grew in volume into it was a full blown evil cackle. "KUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! It will mean the demise of the Kingdom of Alabasta, Ms. Wednesday." Crocodile smirked while at the Princess while Vivi stared at him in contempt, "I'm going to wipe it off of the map as if it never was! All the people, great and small will be sucked into eternal darkness as they writhe in agony. Let Operation Utopia… BEGIN!"

"**HOLD IT!" **a deep masculine voice shouted. Everyone turned and stared up the steps and saw a man wearing a hooded black cloak. **"Sir Crocodile… you're making a huge mistake."** The man reached up and lowered his hood, revealing dark skin, unruly afro-like black hair, and sunglasses…IT WAS MR. 5.

**-x-**

Yup, it's a cliffhanger. Kuahahahahahahaha! Whose more evil, me or Crocodile? You already know what he's going to do but me... not so much. KUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! But before you start throwing things at me look at it this way: I posted this chapter late and that means you won't have to wait as long for the next one if I manage to post it on time.

Next chapter, Operation Utopia commences and either Crocodile or the Straw Hats will have to deal with a traitor.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	44. Chapter 44

**Another Nakama**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of the related characters, just the original characters that appear in this story.

**A/N: **What's this? A chapter out on Friday? Say it isn't so! Enjoy everybody!

**Traitor:**

**-x-**

Ricky and Ollie stood at a roulette table in the middle of the Rain Dinners casino with every customer in the casino surrounding them. The other gamblers were all amazed to see someone with such amazing luck.

"He's already won twenty million berries!" one man in the crowd whispered to another.

At the same time the casino's security and management were starting to get really worried, "He hasn't lost once since he came in here," a large security guard in a double breasted suit reported to the gray flame-like haired man in the incredibly fancy suit that was currently overseeing the casino. "It's obvious that he's cheating somehow but no one can spot anything. We searched him and even had him remove his sunglasses but all we found was that he'd lost his right eye. He said 'That's right, I'm a 'One Eye' Jack too bad we're not playing cards now'."

"Have you checked him for Devil Fruit Powers?" the fancy man inquired.

"That's what we did next," the security guard told him, "We prodded him with the rod of Sea Stone that Sir Crocodile gave us. But he just called us annoying, yanked the rod away with his bare hand and then held it to his face. He didn't even flinch. Then he took the rod and started poking his girlfriend with it… she laughed and said 'Jack, we're in public, stop poking me with your rod.' He blushed and gave it back then went right back to gambling. What do we do?"

"Everyone else has stopped gambling to watch him," the fancy man noted, "We can't stop him when he has this many supporters. If he keeps winning like he has been we'll have to call in the manager to deal with him."

"What're you going to do now Jack?" Ollie asked as she draped herself over Ricky's arm while he surveyed the roulette wheel.

"Well Liv, with the lucky streak I'm on there's no way I'm stopping now," Ricky decided, "Hmm… I already turned the four million I won at the slots into twenty million with the five-to-one odds on a straight line. With this much money I can afford to play recklessly. Let's see… I'll put ten million on… 20."

Everyone gasped as they stared down at the black twenty on the roulette wheel.

"Jack… the odds of that actually happening are thirty-five to one…" Ollie reminded him. The odds were actually thirty-_seven_-to-one while the _payout_ was thirty-five-to-one. Ollie was playing up her role as the supportive but inexperienced girlfriend to throw off the staff.

"C'mon babe, we didn't come all the way here to play it safe," Ricky reminded her. "High risk reaps high rewards."

"Alright, go get 'em," Ollie encouraged him before she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek and whispered loud enough for most people around them to hear, "For luck."

The croupier looked sheepishly over at the fancy man silently asking what to do. If the stranger won again they'd have to pay him three hundred fifty million berries.

The fancy man nodded to go ahead then whispered to the security team around him, "Watch him like a hawk." The security team quickly split up and worked their way into the crowd so they could watch Ricky from different angles.

"Let's go," Ricky prompted, "Ten million on 20."

The croupier nodded and spun the wheel and dropped the ball into the track where it rolled in the opposite direction of the spinning wheel.

Ricky let the wheel spin until it started to slow down then began waving his arms as if encouraging the wheel to go onward, no one in the security team watching him noticed the faint red glow behind the right lens of his sunglasses as he prodded the wheel along with the Eye's telekinesis.

"C'mon… c'mon… c'mon…" Ricky encouraged the wheel as the ball slowly rolled from one space to another. "And… STOP!" And it did. With the ball in the groove marked Black 20.

The crowd cheered while security gave each other bewildered looks, "YOU WON!" Ollie exclaimed as she jumped up and wrapped her legs around Ricky's waist while she hugged him. "THAT'S EIGHTY MILLION BERRIES!" She leaned in and quickly kissed him not wanting to get thrown out by security for a PDA since they couldn't catch Ricky cheating. Ollie pulled and away and whispered in his ear, "You're lucky I'm doing this just to spite Crocodile… if I was Nami I'd be demanding my cut."

"Well I'm not keeping much of it anyway," Ricky whispered back. "Once Crocodile's done and the war is prevented they're gonna need money to repair the damage done to the kingdom."

"_**WHAT?"**_a dark voice in Ricky's head yelled. _**"Not only are you wasting my powers on a stupid game… BUT YOU'RE GIVING AWAY YOUR WINNINGS? YOU DISGUST ME, YOU LITTLE WHELP!"**_

"_Yeah, I'm trying to make up for the damage __**you've **__done by making some people's lives better," _Ricky retorted. _"And at least my swindling and giving away the profits is accepted in civilized society… __**you're**__ the disgusting parasite that does nothing but kill and slaughter."_

"_**I CURSE YOU AND YOUR NOBLE LITTLE HEART!" **_the eye shouted. _**"Mark my words… someday I'll regain control AND I'LL HAVE MY REVENGE! YOU HEAR ME!"**_

"_Actually… no," _Ricky retorted, _"Your psychotic ramblings annoy me so I'm just going to ignore you. I'm done talking to you so just shut up."_

"_**I'LL KILL ALL THOSE YOU HOLD DEAR!" **_The eye hollered, _**"YOU'LL RUE THE DAY YOU CROSSED ME! RUE IT!"**_

Ricky shook his head and addressed the crowd around him, "I'm gonna stop playing Rue-lette now…" The crowd booed while the security looked relieved, "Onto the Craps table!" The reactions reversed and the crowd cheered while the security looked ready to faint.

**-x-**

Koza sat in his tent in Katorea reminiscing of what had led to the current situation.

**-Koza Flashback Montage-**

"Don't be so suspicious Koza," Toto scolded Koza years ago as the two of them worked together in irrigating the land in the Yuba Oasis. "You know his Majesty's character too well for that. He'd never betray us."

"That's what all you old people say," Koza retorted, "I didn't come all the way to Yuba with you just to please the King."

Fighting was breaking out around the kingdom and even though he wasn't leading the rebel army yet, it wasn't hard for Koza to hear rumors. "The rebels are over a hundred thousand strong now," one man said to another.

"I've heard," the other man replied, "And there have been casualties too."

"It's nothing," Toto insisted, "A little rain and these suspicions will vanish like fog."

But as time went on things only got worse…

"WHAT?" a man in Erumalu exclaimed. "THE CANAL'S BEEN DESTROYED!"

"Who would do this?" another man questioned. "Now we can't bring water to the town…"

"It hasn't rained for over a year. Erumalu is done for."

"Don't be so suspicious… Koza…" Toto had said again.

But Koza was suspicious and had even brought his concerns up with the King. "I don't want to suspect you but people are dying of thirst!" Koza addressed the King. "Maybe you're not using it… but you do have it."

"No, we must wait for natural rain," King Cobra refused. "To use Dance Powder is to summon misfortune."

"Just a small amount should be alright!" Koza argued. "The rebellion might stop even if there's just a little rain."

"It would only result in an even great calamity," the King told him. "I understand your desperation but it's not as easy as you think Koza."

"I can't stand to watch cities dry up anymore!" Koza complained. "I'VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING!"

As Koza turned to storm out the King called after him, "You haven't changed a bit from the old days, have you?"

"Yes I have," Koza insisted. "Now I can fight." Koza's fists clenched. "And I swear… I'll come back here and when I do…" Koza turned and glared at the King, "I'm gonna take your reign from you." And so Koza had joined the rebel army and quickly rose through the ranks until he became the leader.

**-End Flashback-**

"_Where is this country headed?" _Koza wondered as he sat in his tent with his head hung. _"What bloody road have we turned down? Where does the answer lie?"_

It was then that one of Koza's elite rebels arrived on horseback, "Koza… bad news…" the rebel reported from the opening of Koza's tent.

**-x-**

Across the country in the Royal Palace in Alubarna a shout rang out.

"LORD CHAKA! TERRIBLE NEWS! IT'S THE KING!"

"What do you mean?" Chaka demanded. "What's happened to his Majesty?"

"HE'S DISAPPEARED!" the reporting guard answered.

"That's absurd!" Chaka protested. "Have you searched everywhere?"

"Yes," the guard answered. "We searched the palace, the guard and the storehouses."

"Could he have slipped away?" Chaka questioned.

"IMPOSSIBLE!" the guard exclaimed. "The King's security was airtight! There's no way he could have gotten passed us!"

"But why?" Chaka asked. "Why would the King hide himself just before the battle? Search! Check outside the palace and in the city!"

"YES SIR!" the assembled Royal Guards all agreed before running off.

"_If only Pell were here instead of on reconnaissance in Rain Base," _Chaka thought to himself, _"He excels at tracking people. What could have happened to his Majesty? I can't afford to act recklessly… " _Chaka leaned against a column and slammed his head against it, the stress of the situation was really starting to set in on him. "DAMN IT!

**-x-**

Everyone in the V.I.P. Room stared up the steps at Mr. 5 in surprise. Crocodile was the first one to speak. "I don't know how you learned of my identity and location but you have a lot of nerve coming here. And now you have the gall to say I'm making a mistake? I have a half a mind to give you the same treatment I gave Mr. 3 when he came here."

"Then you'll be making an even bigger mistake," Mr. 5 informed him, "If you plan to keep the Straw Hats and Princess Vivi confined here while your plans are carried out then you need my information."

"What could you possibly know that I don't?" Crocodile growled.

"Plenty," Mr. 5 replied.

"Fufufu," Ms. All Sunday chuckled but quickly quieted when Crocodile glared at her.

"OI! SNOT GUY!" Usopp exclaimed "Get us out of here!"

Mr. 5 glanced at the trapped Straw Hats and scowled.

"Well?" Crocodile prompted, "What's this information that I so desperately need? Speak quickly before I kill you out of principle."

"I came here on their ship," Mr. 5 confessed, "And while I don't recognize the man in the orange hat, I know that you're missing three of the Straw Hats: their cook, their pet reindeer, and the most dangerous one… their First Mate." Unnoticed by Crocodile, Ms. All Sunday's mouth quirked and she looked up at Mr. 5 with interest.

"HEY! YOU PROMISED YOU'D STAY OUT OF THE WAR!" Luffy shouted.

"Oh no," Mr. 5 gasped mockingly, "I lied to a foolish crew of pirates. It's almost as if…" a wicked sneer spread across the man's face, "…my allegiance is with someone else."

"You assume that you're telling me something I don't already know," Crocodile pointed out. "Mr. 2 was on their ship as well. He mentioned the pet and an auburn haired girl. But if he missed you then I suppose that leaves one Straw Hat unaccounted for."

"No, you're still missing two," Mr. 5 corrected him. "The girl was Ms. Goldenweek. She knew enough about Mr. 2 to hastily disguise herself so he wouldn't recognize her. Ms. Valentine and I were in the galley with the cook and the First Mate the whole time Mr. 2 was on their ship. I didn't draw attention to myself because I assumed Mr. 2 was out looking to kill me."

"Mr. 2's orders were only to eliminate Mr. 3," Ms. All Sunday spoke up, "Mr. 3 was the primary objective which he actually he failed to complete. We assumed that since you and Ms. Valentine had failed two missions that you could hardly be considered a threat so you two and Ms. Goldenweek were mere details."

Mr. 5 frowned then turned to Crocodile, "If you'll permit me to tell you what really happened on Little Garden," he offered, "I promise it will be worth your while. At least listen to my information and if you're still not satisfied when I'm done… I'll accept my punishment."

"You always were very obedient," Crocodile remarked, "Very well, let's hear what you learned."

"VIVI!" Nami shouted, "DON'T LET HIM FINISH!"

"Dos Fleur," Ms. All Sunday called out. Two arms popped out of the back of Vivi's chair and grabbed the Princess' wrists while Ms. All Sunday walked over and bound them behind the chair with a rope.

"I didn't get a chance to learn much about the cook," Mr. 5 admitted as he made his way down the steps. "Just that he fights using kicks and thinks himself as a lady's man. Straw Hat may be the strongest of his crew and can be considered a threat because of his resiliency and Devil Fruit Ability… but he's a hapless idiot."

"SAY THAT AGAIUUUUUGGgghhhh…" Luffy cut off his shout when he grabbed onto the Sea Stone bars again and drooped against them.

"That much is obvious," Crocodile dryly stated.

"The most dangerous Straw Hat is the First Mate…" Mr. 5 paused and pulled a Wanted Poster out from his trench coat and showed it to Crocodile, "'One Eye' Ricky."

"Everything was going perfectly on Little Garden," Mr. 5 began, "We had the Princess, the swordsman, and the girl trapped in Mr. 3's wax statue and I thought that Ms. Valentine and I had dealt with Straw Hat, the long nose, and the Princess' bird. But then this man walked right up to us and convinced us he was Mr. 10. The next thing we know he summoned two trained dinosaurs and used one to smash Mr. 3's statue. Getting him to stay still was nearly impossible but when we finally managed to subdue him it turned that the whole thing was just a way to stall for time until Straw Hat showed up. He easily freed himself from Mr. 3's statue and was instrumental in our defeat."

"I see," Crocodile commented, "so one of the Straw Hats can actually think. That _is _impressive."

"Well I _think_ you're setting up to get your ass kicked!" Nami taunted. "When Ricky gets here he's gonna make you pay for everything you've done!"

"There's more, sir," Mr. 5 continued. "When the battle was over he came to some kind of agreement with Ms. Goldenweek and Ms. Valentine where in exchange for staying out of the war in Alabasta he'd grant us safe passage off of Little Garden on their ship. He went through his crew one-by-one and managed to convince all of them to take us along with them. I'm afraid that during the trip he managed to brainwash Ms. Valentine… she's practically one of them now."

"HE DIDN'T BRAINWASH HER!" Nami shouted, "He encouraged her to pursue her dream! She's happier and better than an unredeemable lackey like you could ever hope to be!"

"See?" Mr. 5 questioned, "He turned her into a dreamer like them. Anyway, they weren't as tight-lipped about your identity as they thought they were. One night I heard them mention 'going up against a Warlord' and since you're the only one on this island I could only assume they meant you. Knowing your identity made learning your location easy. So after laying low in Nanohana until Captain Smoker and his Marines had cleared out I decided to seek you out. I made one last attempt to save my partner but she's a lost cause, she outright rejected Baroque Works and took Ms. Goldenweek with her to the Spider's Café while I came here."

"Hmm…" Crocodile said, "Maybe this One Eye _is _worth worrying about."

**Rrrrring… rrrriiing… **All eyes were drawn to Ms. All Sunday by the ringing. "Sorry… that's me," she apologized as she pulled a small transponder snail out from her fur coat and spoke into it. "Sir Crocodile and I are busy entertaining some guests. This had better be important."

"_**Manager there's a stranger here running amok of the casino!"**_ a panicked voice on the other end exclaimed. _**"He hasn't lost once since entering the casino and has nearly won a billion berries. We're certain that he's cheating somehow but none of us can figure out how. If he keeps up his current streak he could end up cleaning us out."**_

"Sounds like Ricky's handiwork," Ace noted.

"YOU'RE IN TROUBLE NOW CROCODILE!" Nami exclaimed. "First he's going to bankrupt you, then he's gonna come here and kick your ass, and then he's gonna blow your head off! Just like he did with Arlong! Don't even bother saying your prayers cause nothing's gonna save you from Ricky!" Ace looked over at Nami with amusement while Crocodile glared at her.

"What do you expect?" Mr. 5 asked, "She's his girlfriend."

"Am not…" Nami weakly protested.

"Ricky impression:" Luffy called out, his rubber face contorted to look more fox-like: pointed with slightly slanted eyes. He held out his hand and in a surprisingly accurate mimic of Ricky's soft, even voice said, "I win… pay up, sucker!"

Ace, Nami, and Usopp all burst out laughing. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!" "HEHEHEHEHEHE!" "AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Heh heh," even Zoro let out a chuckle.

"That is DEAD ON!" Ace exclaimed as he banged his fist on the seat next to him.

Smoker, Crocodile, and Mr. 5 glared at the laughing pirates in irritation while Ms. All Sunday smiled and let out an amused laugh, "Fufufufff…" She trailed off when Crocodile gave her a hard look.

"Go get him," the Warlord ordered. "If he resists tell him that the loud orange one will be the first one we kill." The Straw Hats immediately stopped laughing and as one the male Straw Hats moved so they were surrounding Nami with Luffy in front of her and Usopp and Zoro at her sides. Ace stood up and idly stood behind her. The message was clear… if Crocodile wanted to get to Nami, he'd have to deal with all the other prisoners first.

"Yes sir," Ms. All Sunday agreed as she made her way out of the room.

"Very good, Mr. 5," Crocodile praised the Straw Hats' traitor, "It appears as though your failure has worked out to our advantage. If your information helps us capture the last bit of resistance against my plan, I may even consider forgiving you."

"Thank you sir," Mr. 5 replied with a bow. The Bomb Man's true allegiance had been revealed to always been with Crocodile and Baroque Works.

**-x-**

Ricky stood at the head of the Craps table with dice in his hand. The crowd of spectators around him that had already consisted of everyone in the casino had grown even larger. Word had spread to the rest of the city about 'the stranger's amazing winning streak' and now other people from the gambling city had gathered to see the lucky stranger in action.

"What are you going to do this time, Jacky?" Ollie asked she could no longer cling to his arm since he need it to throw the dice so had settled for placing a supportive hand on his back. "You've already won eight hundred million…"

Ricky glanced at the mountain of chips in front of his spot on the table, "We'll I can't afford to disappoint the audience," Ricky reasoned, he turned the man in the fancy man who had taken it upon himself to run the Craps table. "I'll bet an even hundred million on eleven…"

"Jacky… the odds of that landing are fifteen-to-one," Ollie pointed out.

"Then I'm sure to make a huge payoff," Ricky remarked with a cocky grin. The casino staff all looked nervous. Once again Ollie had only said the payoff. The actual odds of rolling an eleven were seventeen-to-one but with the hot-streak the bold stranger was on the odds were more like one-to-one. Ricky held the dice out to Ollie, "Wanna do the honors, babe?"

Ollie smiled and leaned in and blew on the dice for 'luck'.

Everyone watched on bated breath as Ricky tossed the dice up in the air then caught them and rolled them down the table."C'MON!" Ricky encouraged the dice with an enthusiastic wave of his hand that could be expected from any gambler. The dice rolled to a stop read '5' and '6'.

The casino broke out in cheers, "YOU JUST WON ONE POINT FIVE BILLION BERRIES!" Ollie exclaimed before she grabbed Ricky, pulled him to her, and kissed him soundly. It was only when one of the security guards near them cleared their throat that she pulled away, "That brings your grand total up to two point two million!"

Ricky smiled and hooked his arm around Ollie's waist as he looked over at the fancy man, "You can cover that… right?" Ricky asked,

The fancy man glanced around at the crowd who was looking at him expectantly and nodded uncertainly. "O-o-of c-course," the fancy man stammered, "S-sir C-Crocodile h-has p-plenty of m-money."

"Not for long he won't," Ollie whispered to Ricky.

"**Sir Crocodile would like to extend you an invitation to join him in the V.I.P. Lounge," **a smooth feminine voice spoke from behind him.

Ricky glanced over his shoulder and saw Ms. All Sunday standing there, "Oh it's you," Ricky noted, "I'm a little busy right now. I'm on the biggest hot-streak of my life, I'd hate to break it and disappoint all these people by stopping so abruptly."

A faint grin appeared on the dark-haired woman's face, "Very well, one more roll," she told him as she walked up next to him. "Then I must insist that you accompany me to the V.I.P. Lounge, your friends are already there waiting for you."

Ricky glanced up at the woman and only just then realized how tall she was, he was six feet even while she was a good two inches taller than him.

"Jacky, who's this?" Ollie asked as she eyed Ms. All Sunday.

"_Jacky_?" Ms. All Sunday repeated with a raise eyebrow.

"I believe she's the Manager of this lovely casino," Ricky replied, he lightly patted Ollie on the back, "Don't worry, you're still my Queen, babe."

Ms. All Sunday scooped the dice up off of the table and offered them to Ricky, "Have you decided upon your wager?" she inquired.

"Last turn, I've gotta go big," Ricky reasoned as a sly grin spread across his face, Ms. All Sunday tilted her head to the side and surveyed him with interest. "Let's put five hundred million on good old Snake Eyes."

Ollie, the crowd, and the casino management all gasped, the only ones who remained impassive were Ricky and Ms. All Sunday who were staring straight at each other.

"Jacky!" Ollie hissed, "The odds of rolling a two are thirty-to-one!"

"Its thirty-_five_-to-one," Ms. All Sunday corrected her, "But our payoff is thirty-on-one. If you somehow manage it, you'll make an even fifteen billion."

"Can you cover it?" Ricky inquired.

"We'll have to dip into Sir Crocodile's personal savings," Ms. All Sunday admitted, "but I think he can afford it."

"Jacky… that's so risky…" Ollie whispered.

"What can I say?" Ricky questioned as he draped one arm over Ollie's shoulders and lightly rested the other on Ms. All Sunday's back. "With my present company I'm feeling really lucky." Ollie glared at Ms. All Sunday and yanked Ricky away from her.

"Hey, 'Liv, don't get jealous," Ricky reassured her, "What did I just tell you?"

Ollie hung her head and whispered, "I'm still your Queen…"

"That's right," Ricky said, "So don't worry about it." Ricky's sly grin grew as he held the dice out to Ms. All Sunday, "Would you do the honors?"

Ms. All Sunday smiled indulgently and leaned in and blew on the dice, Ricky tossed them up into the air, caught them and tossed them down the table. Ms. All Sunday's eyes remained locked on him through the whole thing but despite this all she saw was a suspicious wave of his hand as the dice rolled over to read '1' and '1'.

Everyone gasped as they stared at the dice and realized that the stranger had just won fifteen billion berries right under the Casino Manager's nose.

Ricky's sly grin was back in place as he turned to Ms. All Sunday and held out his hand expectantly, "I win… pay up, sucker."

"Fufufufufufufufu…" Ms. All Sunday couldn't help laughing at the familiar line.

"MANAGER!" the casino staff gasped.

"Sorry," she apologized, "I just thought of something funny." She smiled thinly at Ricky, "Your Captain has quite the talent for impersonations. In fact, let's go see him now."

"I'll go with you," Ricky agreed, "But first I want my money."

"Of course," Ms. All Sunday replied, "How much do I owe you?"

"Sixteen point seven billion berries," Ollie informed her.

"Oh dear," Ms. All Sunday sighed as she shook her head, "Sir Crocodile won't have much left after this. Follow me…"

**-x-**

"DAMN YOU!" Vivi shouted at Crocodile from where she was still restrained at the table. She had remained silent in the faint hope that Mr. 5 would be able to rescue them. "JUST WHAT IS IT YOU'RE GOING TO DO TO ALABASTA?"

"Heh, Princess would you like to know what kind of people I despise above all others?" Crocodile questioned with short chuckle, "Those pieyas hypocrites who bleed endlessly about the love of the people."

"You plan to kill my father…" Vivi realized. "YOU'LL BE DEAD BEFORE YOU CAN GET CLOSE TO HIM!"

"You needn't shout," Crocodile reprimanded her, "I'm not going to touch a hair on his head. He's not even worth killing. Instead I shall let him taste a humiliation that is far crueler than death."

"What's crueler than death?" Usopp wondered as he, the other pirates, Smoker, and Mr. 5 all silently listened.

Vivi glared at Crocodile with her expression filled with the utmost contempt and loathing.

"Kuahaha, that's such an unladylike expression you have there your highness," Crocodile taunted her.

"I demand that you tell me…WHAT IS THIS OPERATION UTOPIA? ANSWER ME!"

"You demand?" Crocodile repeated. "Perhaps you need to review your current situation."

"I SAID ANSWER ME!" Vivi hollered.

"You're a courageous young woman," Crocodile commented, "Well why not. The operation is already underway… very well… I'll tell you about my plan to end this country… about Operation Utopia…"

**-x-**

**Operation Utopia Commences:**

**-x-**

"Thank you for being a good sport about this," Ricky said to Ms. All Sunday as they walked out of a thick vault with Ollie trailing behind them, he and Ollie were now weighed down with two huge briefcases that were stuffed with money as they made their way towards the entrance of the V.I.P. Lounge.

"It's not my money," Ms. All Sunday replied with a shrug. "Although, I _believe _that when we first met we agreed that in exchange for not telling Crocodile about you that you _wouldn't _tell the Marines about _me_. Why is it we have a Marine Captain sitting ina cell downstairs?"

"Beats me," Ricky answered, "We were just as surprised to see him here as you were. He somehow followed us here from the East Blue. You'll have to ask him how he knew we were coming here yourself."

"**Speaking of Smokey," **Ollie spoke up, **SHUNK! **An arrow imbedded into the ground behind Ms. All Sunday and a thick cloud of smoke flew up around them. **FWOOOSH! **Ms. All Sunday was momentarily blinded by the smoke and when it finally cleared Ricky and Ollie were nowhere in sight. She turned in time to catch a glimpse of them running out of the casino.

"Impressive," Ms. All Sunday commented to herself as she turned and continued towards the V.I.P. Lounge, "You're an interesting one 'One Eye' Ricky."

**-x-**

Back at the Royal Palace in Alubarna, "LORD CHAKA! WE HAVE NEWS OF THE KING!"

"What is it?" Chaka asked, "Have you found him?"

"Yes sir," the guard reported, "he's in Nanohana. The information is certain."

"Good," Chaka replied, "That's a relief."

"Yes…" the guard agreed before add, "but you see… it's not that simple…"

Chaka stared at the guard in surprise, "What is it?"

**-x-**

Meanwhile, Koza raced from Katorea to Nanohana on the back of a black stallion.

"_Why now all of sudden?" _Koza wondered. _"Has he fallen as far as he can?"_

"_Don't be so suspicious Koza," his father had scolded him._

"_WHY WOULD HE DO SOMETHING THIS CRAZY?" _Koza demanded.

**-x-**

King Nefertari Cobra stood in front of the citizens of Nanohana with a battalion of soldiers from the Royal Army behind him.

"Sir… you mean…" an old man questioned, shocked at what he King had just told them.

"What's that?" another man asked.

"You heard me right," King Cobra told them. "I've come here to apologize to you all. It was none other than I, the Ruler of Alabasta, who stole all this country's rain."

"My Lord… surely you must me joking with us…" a man protested.

"I'm not joking," the King insisted. "I used Dance Powder to keep all the rain in Alubarna for my exclusive use. As your Queen–I mean… King, it would be an affront to my royal dignity if I were to allowed to go thirsty."

"That… that may well be so your Majesty," a man replied, "but many of your own people have died from a lack of food and water as a result of your actions! Why would you do such a thing?"

"I am aware of that of course," the King told them. "And many oases have dried up as well. But sacrifices are essential if we are to protect the country."

"You're mad!" the same man gasped. "You knew how desperate things were and yet you only helped yourself! NO DECENT RULER WOULD DO SO SELFISH IF HE KNEW HIS PEOPLE WERE IN NEED!" **CLICK! **The man drew back in alarm when one of the King's guards pointed a rifle at him.

"How dare you, a common peasant, speak disrespectfully to your Lord and Master," the King scolded the man. "Even though I needn't justify my actions to you, I came to Nanohana to apologize for what I've done. What more do you want?"

"My brother died in Yuba thanks to you!" a man growled.

"I didn't come all the way to this city just to apologize," the King confessed. "There is another reason. As you may know, Dance Powder is outlawed by the World Government. If word got out that it had been used here the Marines would surely take action and destroy this country. I can not allow that. You may also remember that large amounts of Dance Powder were found behind smuggled out of this city two years ago. It is necessary to eliminate all traces of that incident. Do I make myself clear?"

"You mean…" a terrified man questioned.

"I do," the King confirmed, "There is only one way to erase this instant from our past. WE MUST OBLITERATE NANOHANA AND EVERYONE IN IT!"

The assembled citizens broke out in panicked screams, "WE HAVE TO DIE BECAUSE OF YOUR WHIMS? YOU'RE INSANE!"

"**HEY KING!" **a young voice exclaimed. Kappa the boy who wanted to join the Rebel Army stood at the edge of an alleyway. "SO IT WAS ALL YOUR FAULT AFTERALL! You… YOU STOLE THE RAIN AND KILLED THE CITY! I'LL GET EVEN WITH YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" The boy drew his hammer and charged the King, **THWAK!** But the King lashed out his leg and kicked the boy in the face sending him rolling over to the shocked crowd of civilian onlookers.

Kappa pushed himself up and glared at the King, "I'll make you pay for this!" he vowed.

A woman darted forward and held the boy, "Boy, are you alright?" She retrained him so he wouldn't do anything reckless.

"Please… no…" the man that had been the voice of the crowd gasped as he stared at the cold-hearted King in front of them.

"MEN!" the King called out. "BURN IT TO THE GROUND AND LEAVE NO ONE ALIVE!"

"YEAH!" the soldiers behind cheered but before they could carry out the order they were interrupted by the loud whinny of a horse. **NEEEEEIIIGGGHHH!**

Koza's black stallion reared back on its hind legs as he sat on its back in between the King and the Royal Guards and the citizens. The King leaned over to one of the guards closest to him and the guard whispered something in his ear.

"Koza, it's been a while," the King greeted the Rebel Leader.

"What are you doing?" Koza demanded. "What?"

"COOOOBRAAAAA!" Kappa screamed as the woman continued to restrain him.

"I'm apologizing," the King stated. "I thought I had made that clear."

"SHUT UP!" Koza snapped. "JUST SHUT UP! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO THE PEOPLE WHO BELIEVED IN YOU? IT IS AN INSULT!"

"Never-the-less," the King replied, "I am the one who has been using Dance Powder."

"I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!" Koza hollered.

"Why are you so angry?" the King questioned. "Surely even you can see what I'm trying to…"

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUUUT UUUP!" Koza shouted, the rebel leader got off his horse and charged King but was stopped by two of his guards, "YOU COLD HEARTLESS BASTARD! Don't… don't you understand… Don't you know how these people felt as they died of thirst? THEY FELT NO HATRED OR ANGER TOWARDS YOU! 'It isn't the King's fault this is happening to us, he's a great leader'! THOSE WERE THE WORDS ON THEIR LIPS AS THEY DIED! THEY NEVER LOST FAITH IN YOU! But now… YOU COME HERE AND APOLOGIZE AND WHAT HAPPENS TO THEIR FAITH? AT LEAST HAVE THE DECENCY TO LIE AND SAY YOU'RE INNOCENT!"

**BANG!** Koza had gotten too close and the guard with the rifle shot him in the chest. The newly arrived rebels stared in shock as their leader dropped to the ground.

"Co… bra…" Koza gasped as he collapsed to the sand, **FWUMP!**

"KOZA! LEADER!" the rebels exclaimed.

One of the King's guards whispered to him and showed him a watch, "OOOKAAAY KIDS!" the King addressed everyone with a big gaudy smile and a wink, "LLLEEET'S GOOOO!"

As Koza laid on the ground while some of the rebels checked on him, he thought to himself, _"Didn't we fight… because the Kingdom… because everyone… wanted to know… if you were innocent… at the very least… that's why I fought…"_

The Royal Guards were unleashed and they began destroying the city. Volleys of flaming arrows were shot into the rooftops, market stalls were smashed, and anyone who got in their way was cut down.

**-x-**

Off the shore, a massive galleon was rushing towards the port. Mr. 1 and Ms. Double Finger stood silently on the main deck of the ship as it approached the burning city.

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" an unfortunate man who had been standing at the harbor screamed in shock before he turned and ran.

**KER-RASH!** The galleon smashed the other ships that were docked at the port and kept going. It surged onto the sandy shore and went flying up into their and soared over the burning city of Nanohana.

The rebels and the civilians all stared at the giant flying ship in shock while the King grinned to himself and said, "Shhoowwtiiimee!"

"A GIANT SHIP'S ABOUT TO CRAAASSHH!" the unfortunate man from the harbor screamed in warning as he ran through the city streets.

**SHOOOOOM! **The ship finally started coming down and everyone screamed and ran for cover, **BOOOOOM! **The ship landed in the main road and demolished rows of buildings due to its massive size then kept skidding along the city and ended up flattening nearly half of the city. When the galleon finally stopped it tipped to the side and crushed one last group of buildings before coming to the rest.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!" Everyone screamed and ran away from the galleon in panic. No one noticed Mr. 1 and Ms. Double Finger standing casually in the crowd.

"For the big finale… that was sure easy," Ms. Double Finger remarked.

"Have we ever done anything that _wasn't _easy?" Mr. 1 deadpanned.

"GAAAAA HAHAHAHAHA!" the King laughed as he and a few of his guards surveyed the nearly destroyed city. "WE PULLED IT OFF! NOW LET'S LIGHT THE FIRES AND GET OUT OF HERE!" The King grabbed a headband with a pair of white puff balls on the side and placed it on his head. "OOOOOOOO! It feels so good to get back into gear!" **Skish! **The King touched his face with his left hand and Nefertari Cobra's regal features reverted to the goofy face of Mr. 2 Bon Kurei.

**-x-**

"Koza… say something Koza…" one of the rebels urged the fallen leader, "Koza… come on!"

Another rebel stood up and surveyed the city, "Look, the Royal Army has disappeared."

**-x-**

"GAAAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Mr. 2 laughed as he pranced down the street still wearing his headband and the King's clothes. His loyal Billions ran alongside him wearing Royal Guard uniforms. "WASN'T I THE KINGLIEST KING YOU EVER SAW BACK THERE?"

"YES SIR!" Akumai exclaimed, "YOU WERE THE GREATEST, MR. BON KUREI SIR!"

**-x-**

With half of Nanohana already destroyed by the crashing galleon and the fires set by the fake Royal Guards, the remains of the city were slowly burning to the ground.

"STOP THOSE FIRES!" a man shouted. "HURRY! WE'VE GOT TO PUT THEM OUT!"

"Now all we have to do is meet up with Mr. 2 outside town," Ms. Double Finger noted as she walked through the burning city with an exaggerated sway of her hips. Alubarna's the grand climax."

"Hmph," Mr. 1 grunted as Ms. Double Finger walked up to him, "Frankly I'm looking forward to it."

**-x-**

"GAAAAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Mr. 2 laughed as he and his men pranced down one of the few undestroyed streets of the city. "You know my favorite word is 'vague'! I love that word! The King's prospects of staying King are exceedingly vague! The operation is a success!"

Mr. 2 and his men didn't notice the boy standing in an alley as the ran passed.

"WHERE'S BUNCHI?" Mr. 2 screeched.

"He's waiting west of the city Mr. 2 Bon Kurei sir," the green haired navigator informed him.

"What the…" Kappa gasped as he watched the okama wearing the King's clothes and his men run passed. "The King turned into some kind of weird ballerina… HE WASN'T THE KING!" The boy turned and ran back down the alley, "THIS IS BAD! EVERYONE'S BEEN TRICKED! I HAVE TO TELL THEM!"

**WHAM!** Kappa ran into something hard and fell on his back. He looked up and found himself staring up at Mr. 1 and Ms. Double Finger.

"What a naughty boy," Ms. Double Finger remarked. "How much do you think he knows?"

"That imbecile," Mr. 1 muttered, "he had to get careless and screw up."

"W-who are y-you?" Kappa stammered.

"I don't suppose you'd stay quiet… if we asked you?" Mr. 1 questioned.

**-x-**

"WATER! WE NEED MORE WATER!" a man in the burning city screamed.

"PUT OUT THE FIRES!"

"Useless…" a man gasped, "It's burning too quickly… We should escape while we still can…"

"Don't give up yet Koza," one of the rebels encouraged the rebel leader as he and another rebel carried him to safety. "You're not the type to just give in and die like this… you've gotta fight!" The rebel stopped and stared in surprise when he spotted a small figure staggering out from a nearby alley.

It was Kappa. Blood was streaming down the boy's face from his forehead. He took one last feeble step forward before he collapsed.

"WHAT?" the rebel gasped. "Take Koza!" The rebel handed Koza off and ran over to the fallen boy. "HEY KID, SAY SOMETHING! Damn… even children aren't safe…"

"It's… a…" Kappa gasped but he was barely conscious and nearly dying he could barely say anything in his current state.

"Don't try and talk kid," the rebel reassured Kappa, "I've got ya."

"_It's not what you think…" _Kappa thought to himself, _"Everyone's been tricked…"_

"Hang in there, son," the rebel told the boy. Someone placed a hand on the boy's bloody forehead and the rebel looked up in surprise to see that it was Koza. The Rebel Leader was bleeding from his bullet wound but had managed to fight back up to check on the injured kid.

"This country… must die," Koza resolved before he addressed the rebels gathered around him. "Contact all of our units. This… will be our final battle."

"Well alright…" one of the rebels agreed, "but… we still don't have enough weapons."

"No, we have plenty now," another rebel corrected the first. "You know that ship that just crashed into the city? As fate would have it… it's an armory ship."

"Wait… are you sure?" the rebel who was still holding Kappa questioned.

"Yeah," the other rebel confirmed. "It's full of weapons."

"It's almost like… divine guidance," Koza commented as he rose to his feet. No divine guidance here, just Crocodile.

**-x-**

"**GAAAA HAHAHAHAHA!" **Mr. 2's laughter rang out across the sand as Bunchi the turtle carried him, Mr. 1 and Ms. Double Finger towards Alubarana. "Really? Some little pipsqueak saw me? Well excuuuse me! So sorry! Gaaaaaa hahahahaha!"

"Shut up…" Ms. Double Finger groaned in annoyance, "Now all that remains is for Mr. 4's team to do its thing."

"Fatty and that old hag know how to get things done," Mr. 2 assured her. "Catching the King will be a snap, you'll see. OH JOY! I CAN'T WAIT!"

**-x-**

Back in Rain Base, Ricky and Ollie stood with Sanji, Chopper and Han and surveyed Rain Dinners from a nearby rooftop.

"So what's the plan, kid?" Han inquired.

"From what I gathered Crocodile's got the others and Smokey locked in a cell in the V.I.P. Lounge," Ricky stated, "Probably Vivi too."

"MISS. VIVI AND MISS. NAMI ARE IN TROUBLE!" Sanji exclaimed, "WE'VE GOT TO SAVE THEM… and the others too."

"We can't just charge in there," Ollie told him, "The others did the same thing and probably fell for some kind of trap."

"Then what do we do?" Chopper asked.

"It'd be rude not to accept Crocodile's generous invitation to join them in the V.I.P. Lounge," Ricky remarked, "Especially after I won so much money from him." Everyone glanced down at the two big briefcases that Ricky and Ollie had brought out with them.

"If you're going back in then I'm going with you," Ollie insisted. "Ms. Tall, Dark, and Dangerous already saw me with you."

"I'M COMING TOO!" Sanji exclaimed, "MISS. NAMI AND MISS. VIVI NEED MY HELP!"

Ricky shook his head, "It's a casino, we can't afford to show all our cards at once," Ricky said then a thoughtful look spread across his face, "Here's what we're going to do…"

**-x-**

"HERE ME REBEL ARMY!" Koza addressed his troops. "THE ALABASTA OF OLD IS DEAD NOW! THIS WILL BE OUR ULTIMATE BATTLE! WE GO NOW TO CAPTURE THE CAPITAL! ONWARD! TO ALUBARNA!"

"YEEAAAAHHHH!" the Rebel Army cheered as they stood gathered on the outskirts of the destroyed Nanohana.

"THE KING MUST PAY!"

"WE'LL BUILD A NEW COUNTRY!"

**-x-**

"THAT'S ABSURD!" Chaka shouted back at the Royal Palace when word reached him of what had happened in Nanohana. "LORD COBRA WOULD NEVER DO ANYTIHNG AS MAD AS THAT! THERE MUST BE A MISTAKE!"

"IT'S TRUE!" the guard who had brought Chaka the information insisted, "And what's more the time frame of the King's disappearance from the palace and his appearance in Nanohana fits perfectly! Excuses are useless now. News of the Nanohana incident has spread throughout Alabasta and rebel soldiers everywhere are responding! Even worse, citizens who once had faith in the King are now taking up arms against him! THEY'RE ON THEIR WAY HERE! THE ENTIRE KINGDOM IS RISING UP IN REBELLION! WE HAVE TO ACT!"

Chaka staggered backwards and held his head, the pressure of the situation really getting to him.

"My lord, please command us," the guard requested. "Whatever you decide, we will obey you."

"_How can this be?" _Chaka thought to himself, _"Even the King's words from before seem blurred now. What can I depend on?"_

**WHAM!** Chaka steeled himself and slammed his fist down onto a railing, "Very well," he resolved. "We have no choice but to perform our sworn duty. WE ARE THE ROYAL GUARDS OF ALABASTA! WE CAN NOT LET THE KINGDOM CRUMBLED TO THE GROUND IN THE ABSENSCE OF THE KING!" Chaka drew his sword and addressed the Royal Army, "FULFILL YOUR OATH! DEFEND THE TRUTH BEFORE YOU! WE MUST STOP THE REBEL ARMY!"

"YEEAAAAAHHH!" the royal army cheered.

**-x-**

"KUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Crocodile laughed as he finished telling his prisoners his plan at the same time it was being carried out. "KUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"That's horrifying!" Nami gasped while the other Straw Hats, Ace, and Smoker stared at Crocodile in shock and anger. Mr. 5 stood beside him remaining impassive.

"Well… do you like it?" Crocodile taunted Vivi. "The Operation you once participated in is now reaching fruition. If you listen closely, I'll wager you can hear the howls of the kingdom and they all scream the same thing 'Protect Alabasta!' 'Protect Alabastsa!' 'Protect Alabasta!'"

"STOOOOP IIIIIT!" Vivi screamed. "HOW ARE YOU SO CRUEL?"

"Kuahahahaha," Crocodile chuckled, "It's heartbreaking isn't it? Their love for the kingdom… will be what destroys it."

"RAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Luffy suddenly roared he charged the bars and tried to force his rubber body through one of the bigger holes, paying no mind to the effects of the Sea Stone until his body began to droop. But even then he still kept grunting and groaning as he tried to push his body through the Sea Stone Bars. "UUUUUGGGgggghhhh… UUGGGGHhhhhhh…"

"What is he stupid or something?" Smoker questioned. "Didn't he hear what I said before?"

"He's definitely stupid," Zoro admitted, "but… that's also the reason he's our Captain."

Across the cell, Ace grinned pleased to hear the loyalty towards his bumbling kid brother.

"Cccrrroooocoooodiiiilllleeee…" Luffy groaned, "I'm so gonna kick your assssuuggghh…"

"**Sir, One Eye escaped,"** Ms. All Sunday's voice sounded from the top of the steps.

"WHAT?" Crocodile and Mr. 5 shouted together.

"He had half the city gathered around his table watching him gamble," Ms. All Sunday explained as she made her way down the steps. "There would have been a massive outcry if I did something to stop their entertainment… so I allowed him one more roll at the Craps table and was standing right next to him as he somehow managed to roll a two. Naturally, with such a big audience I had to agree to cash out his winnings when he asked. But as soon as he had the money in hand his girlfriend fired a smokescreen and they managed to escape while my vision was obscured." By now Ms. All Sunday had reached the bottom of the steps. "I'm sorry sir but they made off with sixteen point seven billion berries."

"SIXTEEN POINT SEVEN?" Crocodile repeated in a shock.

**KA-CHING! **Nami's eyes became berri signs, "I looove that man," she sighed then suddenly realized what she said and that everyone in the cell was staring at her. "I mean… um… HAH! JUST LIKE I TOLD YOU! FIRST HE'S GONNA BANKRUPT YOU, THEN HE'S GONNA KICK YOUR ASS, AND THEN HE'S GONNA BLOW YOUR HEAD OFF!"

"His girlfriend?" Mr. 5 questioned Ms. All Sunday. "She's right there in the cell…"

"There was this blonde girl there with him," Ms. All Sunday explained. "I'm not sure who she was but she seemed awfully clinging and protective of him."

"She was acting," Ace spoke up, "And she's one of my pirates." Ace grinned and decided to let Crocodile know just what he was dealing with, "So was Ricky at one point."

"That explains everything," Smoker realized as he eyed the Straw Hats, "Your First Mate is a former Whitebeard Pirate."

"No wonder we had so much trouble dealing with him on Little Garden," Mr. 5 commented.

"It's no matter," Crocodile resolved with the growl. "He knows that his friends are here. If he plans on saving them he'll have to come back here to do it. Then we'll see what this former Whitebeard Pirate First Mate of yours is really made of."

Wanting to retake control of the situation Crocodile decided to resume taunting Vivi, "You know, I've had to be able to make so many moves to get this point. The sabotage to enflame the citizens, manipulating the Royal Army, do you have any idea why I'd go to such lengths to destroy this country?"

"As if I'd understand anything within your foul mind," Vivi snarled.

"You've got a pretty sharp tongue for a Princess, don't you?" Crocodile questioned. **KRASH!** Vivi suddenly lurched to the side and knocked her chair over. She slid out of it and pulled her bound hands off of the chair along with her. Crocodile merely looked down at the struggling Princess with mild amusement, "Now, now, what _are _you try to do, Ms. Wednesday?"

"Stop you…" Vivi answered as she struggled to free her bound hands, "I'm going to stop you! There's still time… if I can just to Alubarna east of here… if I can get there before the Rebel Army I may be able to stop them! I'll never give up while there's a chance!"

"KUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Crocodile just laughed at the Princess' determination.

"Somehow I'm going to stop you," Vivi vowed, "Just watch! You won't get away with this!"

"No," Luffy growled in agreement.

"KUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Crocodile laughed, "You haven't got a chance! Anything you do will be worth—" **BOOOOOM! **Crocodile's head was suddenly blown off and he was left standing there with nothing above the shoulders.

"It wasn't me!" Mr. 5 quickly defended himself.

"RICKY!" Luffy, Nami, and Usopp cheered as they spotted Ricky and Ollie standing at the top of the steps. The latter of the two was just lowering her bow.

"YOU IDIOT!" Nami yelled up at him, "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO SWINDLE HIM, KICK HIS ASS _AND THEN_ BLOW HIS HEAD OFF!"

"But if I took out every twisted villain the same way it'd get boring," Ricky pointed out.

"RICKY, GET US OUT OF HERE!" Luffy shouted.

"I would," Ricky told him, "But I don't think _he's _going to let me."

A cloud of sand swirled around on Crocodile's shoulders and his head reformed as if nothing happened.

"Damn," Ollie cursed, "looks like we're dealing with a Logia."

"Hmph," Crocodile grunted as he glared up the stairs at Ricky. "So _you're_ 'One Eye' Ricky."

"That's right," Ricky confirmed, "I was touched by your courteous invitation to join you in the V.I.P. Lounge. So after stashing all the money I won from you, I came right here… fashionably late of course."

"Let's see if you can live up to the hype from all your little friends," Crocodile challenged him.

"Hype?" Ricky repeated, "Well if they've been saying that I'm going to come here and kick your ass… then I certainly hope to."

Ricky and Crocodile stared at each other while behind him Ollie loaded some arrows into her bow and trained it down on Ms. All Sunday and Mr. 5. The stage was set and Ricky and Ollie were prepared to make their daring rescue.

**-x-**

Sorry but I had to end it there. This one was already getting to be a monster. Next chapter it's Ricky versus Crocodile.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	45. Chapter 45

**Another Nakama**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of the related characters, just the original characters that appear in this story.

**Ricky versus Crocodile:**

**-x-**

At the Royal Palace in the capital city of Alubarna Chaka the Acting Captain of the Royal Guard stood on a balcony overlooking the soldiers of the Royal Army.

"The Rebel Army is fast approaching us men!" Chaka announced his position as Captain of the Royal Guard now made him the leader of the Royal Army and with King Nefertari Cobra nowhere to be found he was the only one around to make a decision concerning the attacking rebels. "WE MUST PROTECT ALABASTA WITH OUR OWN HANDS! DO NOT FEAR DEATH! FIGHT THEM WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT! WE MUST STOP THE REBELS! TAKE UP INTERCEPT POSITIONS!"

"YES SIR!" the Royal Army chorused. They were ready to protect their homeland from being overthrown even if it cost them their lives.

**-x-**

"ALUBARNA'S GOING DOWN!" one of the rebels shouted as the Rebel Army charged its way from the destroyed Nanohana to Alubarna on camel and horseback.

"YEAAHH!" the massive crowd of rebels cheered. It was time to take back their homeland from their corrupt King. If the man was willing to destroy an entire city to keep his own name clean they weren't going to take any chances concerning what he'd do next.

One of the rebels rode up alongside Koza who was leading the Rebel Army on his black stallion. "Are you alright, Koza?" the rebel asked with concern. "How's your wound?"

It was only a short time ago that the leader of the rebels had been shot by one of the King's guards. His wound was now heavily bandaged but he was still leading the charging army.

"It's nothing!" Koza insisted. "I'm fine! Besides, if we keep riding at this pace we'll reach Albubarna by daybreak. We can't stop for anything just keep riding!"

"Yes sir," the rebel agreed.

"WE ATTACK AT DAWN!" Koza shouted.

**-x-**

"Um… Han?" Chopper spoke up as he stood in his Brain Point form at the edge of the lake that Rain Dinners was situated in the middle of. "There's one part of Ricky's plan that I don't get…"

"And what's that?" Han inquired as he tied a thick length of rope around Chopper's small body.

"What did he mean when he said that I was going to be 'bait'?" Chopper questioned. "And why did he sound so sorry about it? Is 'bait' a hero?"

"Not quite…" Han told him as he picked up a fishing rod and used it to hoist Chopper up into the air before he cast the reindeer out over the lake. **WOING!**

"WAIT!" Chopper shrieked as he dangled over the water that was filled with huge bananawani, "I DON'T WANNA BE BAIT ANYMORE!"

"Don't worry little monster just hang there and look tasty," Han instructed. "We're hunting big game today."

"I DON'T WANNA BE EATEN!" Chopper screamed.

"I told you not to worry," Han reminded him, "I've done this a million times before. I won't let them actually eat you. We're just gonna make them think they can. Now… look tasty. Let's try and catch something big."

**GULP! **"Heeree baanaanaaa-naanaaa-waaniii…" Chopper sang in a low tone as he stared down at the huge dark figures swimming around in the water under him.

**-x-**

Back in the V.I.P. Room at the Rain Dinners Casino, Ricky and Ollie stood at the top of the steps overlooking Crocodile, Ms. All Sunday, and the traitor Mr. 5. Vivi was on the ground struggling to free her bound wrists while Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Ace, and Smoker were all still tripped in Crocodile's cell which had bars that were lined with Sea Stone and neutralized the Devil Fruit Powers of Luffy, Ace, and Smoker.

"Hey, did any of you guys see that lame trap on the way in here?" Ricky inquired. "A pirate would have to be a total moron to fall for that." Zoro, Nami, and Usopp all sweat-dropped as they recalled the sign which pointed one way for the V.I.P. Lounge and the other for 'Pirates' and how they had followed Luffy in the 'Pirates' direction and ended up trapped in the cell.

"BUT WE _ARE _PIRATES!" Luffy insisted.

"We were just following Luffy!" Nami defended herself, Usopp, and Zoro. "_He's_ the moron!"

"Then why did you bother to follow him if you knew he was a moron?" Ollie wondered.

"HEY!" Luffy yelped.

"Smokey knocked me onto the trap door," Ace stated as he sat on his seat with his arms folded across his chest, "I never would've fallen for something so stupid."

"Which is why you _and Luffy_ passed out from eating that drugged plate of food Grandpa Garp left us that was labeled 'free food for pirates'," Ricky recalled. "You're just lucky I got you out of there when I did or Grandpa would've kicked your asses."

"I DIDN'T EXPECT HIM TO STOOP LOW ENOUGH TO BOOBYTRAP FOOD!" Ace and Luffy shouted in perfect synchronization.

"It must have been incredibly amusing to be on a ship with pirates like them," Ms. All Sunday remarked to Mr. 5.

"Amusing?" Mr. 5 repeated. "I'm lucky I escaped with my sanity. Ms. Valentine didn't."

"Eh-hem," Crocodile – who was sporting a huge tick mark on his forehead at being ignored – cleared his throat to draw the attention back to him. "One Eye, we're supposed to be fighting."

"Oh, you're still here," Ricky noted. "I hoped that if I ignored you for long enough that you'd just go away. Looks like I'm gonna have to be more assertive about this."

**SKISH!** Ricky leapt up off of the top of the steps and launched himself up into the air and drew his red sword as he flew down the steps.

**SHWOO!** Ollie fired off a volley of arrows causing Ms. All Sunday and Mr. 5 to lunge out of the way while Crocodile just allowed the arrows to pass harmlessly through his sandy body and kept staring up at Ricky.

"Red Storm… AVALANCHE!" **SLASH!** As Ricky descended his slashed his sword and a thin red-tinted blade of air flew off of the curved blade of his sword and sliced Crocodile in half vertically. The two halves of the Warlord's body burst into a cloud of sand and dropped to the ground.

"He figured out how to do it again…" Mr. 5 muttered as Ricky landed safely in front of the pile of sand. **TMP! **The Bomb Man clearly remembered being the first person Ricky had used that particular technique on… even if it was with the assistance of a giant bird named Bob.

"Red Storm… LIGHTNING STRIKE!" **SLISH! **Ricky spun around and lunged towards Mr. 3.5 and slashed his sword diagonally a thicker red air blade flew off of his sword and slammed into Mr. 5 and drove the Bomb Man backwards before he had a chance to explode.

"YOU IDIOT!" Smoker shouted from the cell. "You already know he's got Logia Powers! That's not gonna work!"

"_You're _calling _me_ an idiot?" Ricky questioned. "_You're_ the guy who can turn into smoke but somehow managed to get caught in a cage."

"IT'S LINED WITH SEA STONE!" Smoker yelled.

"_Sea Stone?" _Ricky repeated to himself as a sly grin appeared on his face.

"He's got a plan," Ace observed as he noted Ricky's grin then glanced over at Smoker. "What're you getting so worked up about?"

"I'm worked up because _my _survival lies in the hands of _his _First Mate!" Smoker exclaimed as he motioned to Luffy who was once again slumped limply against the Sea Stone bars.

**-x-**

"EXPLODING VOLLEY!" Ollie began running down the steps and fired a trio of arrows at Ms. All Sunday who leapt out of the way causing the arrows to hit the spot she had just vacated and explode. **KA-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!**

"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't point those dangerous toys at me," Ms. All Sunday warned the archer. "Dos Fleurs!" Two arms sprouted out of the step in front of Ollie and grabbed her caught her ankles causing the archer to trip and go tumbling the rest of the way down the flight of stairs. **WHUMP-UMP-UMP!**

**-x-**

Crocodile reformed behind Ricky and stared at him with a bored expression, "Is that really all you can do?" he asked. "After all that hype I'm disap—" **SLASH! **Ricky cut him off as he slashed his sword through Crocodile's body and once again reduced him to a pile of sand. The sand swirled around and quickly reformed, "—pointed. Skill with a sword isn't enough to—" **SLISH!** Ricky cut him off again when he sliced the Warlord in half causing Crocodile's legs to drop to the ground in a sandy pile. **SLASH! **Ricky sliced Crocodile's floating top half in half and it dropped down onto the sand from his bottom half then swirled together to reveal Crocodile once again unscathed. "—beat me."

"DAMN IT RICKY!" Nami yelled. "THAT'S _CLEARLY_ NOT WORKING!"

"Yes it is," Ricky replied as he took two steps to the side and lashed out at the partially reformed form of Crocodile again, **SLISH! **The Warlord was once again reduced to a pile of sand. "He can't attack me…" **SLASH!** Again Ricky took two steps to the side and lashed out causing Crocodile's sandy body to drop to the ground. "…if he's not…" **SWISH! **"…solid."

**-x-**

"I'm not done yet," Ollie growled as she pushed herself up to her feet and slipped two new arrows into her bow.

"I guess you didn't hear me before," Ms. All Sunday noted. "I already told you… to stop pointing those dangerous toys at me! Dos Fleurs!" Two arms sprouted out of the front of Ollie's shoulders and wrenched the bow out of the surprised archer's grasp. Two more arms blossomed out of the back Ollie's shoulders and yanked the metal shaft of the bow back into her neck and all four arms worked together and began to strangle the archer with her own bow.

"GACK!" Ollie dropped to her knees and struggled against the two-to-one advantage Ms. All Sunday's arms had as they wrenched back on her bow.

**-x-**

"EXPLODING CLOTHESLINE!" Mr. 5 charged Ricky with the left arm of his coat pulled up and swung his bare arm at Ricky's head.

**WHUP!** Ricky ducked under Mr. 5's arm then lashed his leg out behind him, "JAVELIN KICK!" **CRUNCH! **The metal bottom of Ricky's boot was driven into Mr. 5's chin and the bomb man was once again sent flying backwards.

**WHAP! **The distraction by Mr. 5 had proven worthwhile and Crocodile's hand shot out of the cloud of sand and grabbed Ricky by the throat. The rest of Crocodile's body slowly reformed on his arm as he clenched his hand and began choking Ricky.

"That was getting annoying," Crocodile growled.

**-x-**

**SLIK!** Ollie caught Ms. All Sunday off guard when she slashed one of Ms. All Sunday's arms with one of the arrows she had strapped to her arm. Ms. All Sunday held her actual right arm while the duplicate bled and dispersed along with the other three in a flurry of flower petals. Ollie pushed herself up to her knees and gingerly held her throat while Ms. All Sunday started massaging her arm.

"What did you do?" Ms. All Sunday asked in irritation.

"I soaked the head of that arrow in venom from a scorpion that I found in the desert on the way here," Ollie explained with a grin. "That one might not be your actual arm but it's still yours and when I slashed it the venom still entered your bloodstream. I'm no scorpion expert… but if I had to guess… you're probably feeling really lightheaded now." Ms. All Sunday's vision became hazy as she staggered backwards and held her head.

**-x-**

"Were you really a Whitebeard Pirate?" Crocodile asked Ricky as he continued choking him. "I was expecting better."

**PTOOII!** Ricky spat in Crocodile's face and the Warlord flinched back in surprise. Ricky pulled free from Crocodile's grasp and spun around before he jumped up and drove his foot back into the Warlord's wet face. "Machete…BACK KICK!" **THWAK! **The kick connected and Ricky had positioned Crocodile perfectly that he went flying backwards and slammed back-first into the Sea Stone bars of the cell.

"Speed Step…"** ZZZOOOM! **Ricky was instantly in front of Crocodile and drove his knee into the Warlord's stomach. **WHAM! **With the Sea Stone bars pushing into his back, Crocodile's Devil Fruit Powers were nullified allowing Ricky's attack to connect again.

**-x-**

"Silly girl," Ms. All Sunday reprimanded Ollie as she pulled a vial out of her coat, "You don't live in a desert country without having an antidote to scorpion venom on hand."

"SMOKEY ARROW!" **Shhwoo! **While Ms. All Sunday had been fishing for her antidote Ollie had reclaimed her bow and fired a new arrow at her opponent. The arrow embedded in the ground at Ms. All Sunday's feet and obscured the woman in a cloud of thick smoke.** FWOOOSSSHH! **

"**I hardly see the point of this," **Ms. All Sunday's voice sounded from within the smoke cloud. **"You may have sharp eyes… but you can't see through smoke."**

"Yeah," Ollie admitted as she reloaded her bow, "But neither can you." **SHWOO! **Ollie fired her three arrows into the cloud of smoke,"EXPLODING VOLLEY!" **KA-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM! **Ms. All Sunday was blown backwards out of the cloud and landed hard on her back.

**-x-**

"YOU'RE MINE CROCODILE!" Luffy yelled as he shot his arms through the bars of the cell and pull Crocodile's solid body back into them.

"The key to the cell… give it to me…" Ricky ordered Crocodile as he held his sword to the Warlord's throat with one hand and discretely fished into his top left pocket with the other.

"You mean… this?" Crocodile questioned as he pulled a fancy key out of his fur coat and tossed it passed Ricky. "Go get it."

"Luffy has a good hold of you," Ricky pointed out without breaking eye contact with Crocodile. The Warlord never saw him toss something through the bars to Nami. "Maybe I will…"

**PTOOII! **Mr. 5 pushed himself up off of the ground and spat a bloody wad of spit at Ricky, "BLOODY LOOGIE BOMB!" **KA-BOOOOOOM! **Mr. 5's attack hit Ricky's back and resulted in a firey explosion that left even the Bomb Man staring in shock.

"RICKY!" Luffy, Nami, Usopp, and Ace screamed as Ricky's charred body fell to the ground.

"Wow…" Mr. 5 gasped, "I didn't know my blood was that combustible…"

**-x-**

"RICKY!" Ollie exclaimed when she heard the explosion and saw Ricky go down. She turned away from her downed opponent and ran to aid her former Nakama.

"Dos Fleurs…" Two arms sprouted out of the ground and caught Ollie's ankles causing the archer to trip and fall on her face, **FWUMP!**

"I liked this coat," Ms. All Sunday complained as she sat up and brushed some of the soot from Ollie's exploding arrows off of her white fur coat. She tossed the empty antidote vial to the side and got back up to her feet. "Silly girl… you shouldn't have allowed yourself to get distracted."

**-x-**

Crocodile took advantage of the distraction and fell forward so he pulled Luffy into the Sea Stone bars causing the Rubber Man's body to go limp. Crocodile pulled himself free and shakily got back up to his feet.

"Well done Mr. 5," Crocodile praised the Bomb Man. "I can see why this one gave you some trouble. You're forgiven. In fact… you can have Mr. 3's vacant position. Congratulations."

"Not that I don't want the promotion… but could my codename be Mr. 3.5?" Mr. 5 requested. He pulled up the right sleeve of his coat to reveal the '5' he had tattooed on his bicep. "It's easier to add to a tattoo than to remove one."

"Very well," Crocodile agreed before he lashed out his leg and kicked Ricky in the side, **THWAK! **Ricky was sent rolling across the floor and ended up next to the key but Crocodile stomped on his hand to keep him from reaching it. **WHOMP! **"That was close, a little too close for comfort. Your resourcefulness and quick thinking are no doubt what made you a competent Whitebeard Pirate but now you've been neutralized."

"YOU BASTARD!" Luffy shouted. "GET YOUR DAMN FOOT OFFA HIM!"

"You're a coward Crocodile," Ace stated. "If it wasn't for your lackey, you would've lost. You could never beat Ricky on your own! If you were a_ real man_ you'd fight him yourself. And I bet Ricky would beat you even after being blown up."

"I'll second that bet," Nami agreed.

"You're not going to goad me into anything, Fire Fist," Crocodile replied. "I hold all the cards here. You're all my prisoners and One Eye and the other one have been dealt with. I have put too much time and effort into my plans to pander to your desperate challenges. In the end all the matters is that One Eye failed to defeat me and that you all perished as a result."

"RICKY!" Ollie exclaimed as she pushed herself off of the floor and grabbed for her bow.

"Tres Fleurs!" Two arms sprouted out of Ollie's sides and wrenched her arms behind her back while a third bloomed out of her right elbow and grabbed her left wrist to aide in restraining her arms. "Now, now, don't interfere." **FWUMP! **Ollie's balance was thrown off and she went crashing back down to the ground.

Crocodile removed his hand from on top of Ricky's and stomped down on a nearby tile. **TOMP! **A trapdoor opened under Ricky and sent him and the key plummeting down into the tank under the V.I.P. Room.

"YOU BASTARD!" Luffy screamed he grabbed the bars and attempted to wrench them apart but eventually drooped to the ground when the effects of the Sea Stone set in on him. He let out a low groan, "I hate trapdoors…"

"Kuahahahaha," Crocodile chuckled as he stared the hole at Ricky, "Its feeding time… and you'll make an appetizing meal for the bananawani." Crocodile smirked as he looked through the window and watched one of the larger bananawani swim passed in the lake towards the entrance to the tank Ricky lay on the floor of.

"HEY! THERE'S A CROCODILE GROWING OUT OF THAT BANANA!" Luffy exclaimed when he saw the bananawani.

"IDIOT!" Usopp scolded him, "It's a _crocodile _with a _banana _coming out of its head!"

"RICKY, NO!" Ollie shrieked, she lunged off of the floor and kicked her bow sending it clattering down into the trapdoor. Then with her arms still pinned behind her back by Ms. All Sunday's additional arms she dove THROUGH Crocodile and down into the hole in the floor and joined Ricky down in the tank.

"Hmm… that one seems a little too eager to die," Crocodile commented as the hole Ollie had made in his body reformed.

"Allow me, sir," the newly promoted Mr. 3.5 offered. He swished around the bloody saliva in his mouth as he walked over to the trapdoor then leaned over and spat into it. **PTOOI! **"BLOODY LOOGIE BOMB!" **KA-BOOOOOOOM!**

"And that's that," Crocodile resolved as he stomped on a tile next to the trapdoor. **TOMP! **The door closed sealing Ricky and Ollie inside. "Even if they did manage to survive the explosion, there's no way out and they'll never survive the bananawani."

**-x-**

"That was close," Ollie muttered as she leaned back against the side of the tank with Ricky propped up against the wall next to her. The tank itself was big enough to house a pair of full sized bananawani so there was plenty of room for her to dodge the explosion. The smoke from the explosion started to clear and she glanced up overhead in time to see the trapdoor slide shut.

"And we're clear," Ricky announced as he promptly got back to his feet. "With the door closed they can't see us anymore."

"Are you okay?" Ollie asked him.

"That explosion was a lot stronger than any of the other ones he's used against me," Ricky admitted, "but I can't afford to let that get in the way of my plan. I'll be alright. Now remember, the most important part of conning people in a card game is sleight of hand. If the opponent is distracted with you and you're quick with your hands they won't notice what you're really doing. We accomplished what we came here to do and now we just need to get out of the tank."

"And how are we going to do that?" Ollie questioned.

"I was hoping this guy would give us a ride," Ricky answered as he turned around and faced the enormous bananawani that had just entered the tank.

**Ggggrrrreeeehhhrrr… **the bananawani growled at the two pirates.

"You're right on time," Ricky casually commented.

The bananawani's large mouth opened and revealed Han casually standing on its tongue. "All aboard," the Monster Hunter announced. "But be warned kid, Chopper's a little upset that you didn't tell him what bait was. You might wanna have some words with him when this plan of yours is over."

Ricky nodded in agreement as he and Ollie joined Han in the monster's mouth. The bananawani clamped its jaw shut and then slithered back out of the tank and into the lake.

**-x-**

"JUST WAIT!" Nami exclaimed. "RICKY'S GONNA BE FINE! He's gonna make a purse out of your overgrown lizard!" Nami promptly sat down on the bench beside Ace and folded her arms across the chest. "I'm not worried. But _you_ should be."

"The amount of faith they have in each other is disturbing," Mr. 3.5 commented. "It was the same way on Little Garden. These damn Straw Hats never seem to get when something is over."

"You're right Nami," Ace agreed as he smiled at the girl. He laid back against the wall and tilted his hat down over his eyes, "Wake me up when we're being rescued." Crocodile's hand clenched as the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates fell asleep right there in the cell.

But while Crocodile was distracted by Ricky and his captives Vivi had finally managed to free herself from her bounds and slowly got up to her feet.

"You can quit fooling around now," Crocodile taunted Vivi as he turned to face her. "We were just about to head to Alubarna ourselves, Ms. Wednesday. If you'd like to come with us _Princess _then please do… or… you can try to save them." Crocodile grinned as he cast a glance at the trapped pirates. "It won't be too long before the rebels and the royal forces begin their battle to the death. Even if you hurry to Alubarna from here… who knows if you'd make it in time? To stop the rebellion you need to leave at once Ms. Wednesday. Will you do that or try and save your friends instead? It's your choice… but if you choose the latter it doesn't help that the key has been eaten by the bananawani along with One Eye."

"Those are some weird bananas!" Luffy exclaimed as he looked through the windows and watched the bananawani swim around in the lake the surrounded the underwater room.

"It looks like we're in some kind of aquarium!" Usopp observed.

"VIVI!" Luffy shouted. "MAKE THAT BANANA SPIT OUT THE KEY!"

"I wouldn't stand a chance!" the Princess protested, "They're Alpha Predators! They're known for preying on Sea Kings! Get near one and they'll devour you whole!"

"Too bad," Crocodile taunted, "You might've had the key Ms. Wednesday… if I hadn't dropped it. They're trained to eat anything I drop down there. So now there's no way of telling which of my pets ate the key."

"Obviously it's in the same one that Ricky and Ollie are in," Nami commented.

"Damn it," Zoro cursed as he gripped one of his swords, "If we could just get out of here I could handle those overgrown reptiles. We could pick and choose until we find the one they're in."

"Geez, you're really dumb Zoro," Luffy scolded the swordsman. "We can't get out cause the key got swallowed."

"I know that, you stupid idiot!" Zoro growled.

"Oh well," Crocodile sighed. **SNAP! **Crocodile snapped his fingers and a pair of doors across the room from the staircase opened. The doorway led to a glass hallway that no doubt led back up to the casino. "I'm sorry but we must be going. Time is of the essence. Oh, and speaking of time… this room will be destroyed in exactly one hour. It's served me well but it's no longer of any use. Soon the waters of Rain Base's lake will fill this room and unless they're fish or one of my bananawani, anyone left in here won't survive. Well Ms. Wednesday, it's either one million innocent citizens or a mere handful of pirates who have no future. It's time to choose. But to be honest the odds are quite low for both. I hope you like gambling because like they do at the tables upstairs you're going to have to roll the dice… kuahahaha… just like I did with this country… which was simple with all the fools here. People like those juvenile rebels and that old man digging in Yuba."

"HUH? YOU DON'T MEAN THAT DRIED UP OLD GUY, DO YOU?" Luffy demanded.

"Of course," Crocodile replied. "Even though everyone else has abandoned it… that old fool keeps pecking away at an oasis that's long dead. Even as he's plagued by constant sandstorms he still digs away. Kuahahaha…"

"SHUT UP!" Luffy growled.

"You don't know much about sand storms do you, 'Straw Hat' Luffy?" Crocodile questioned. "Ever wonder how one can hit a city perfectly every time?"

"AAH!" Luffy gasped in shock and Crocodile grinned.

"No wait… you mean…" Vivi realized.

Their thoughts went back to Toto who was probably still trying to dig through the sand for water. _"The dream of Yuba can't be ruined by a bunch of lousy sand. I'll dig out the sand as many times as it takes."_

"IT WAS YOU!" Luffy snarled. "YOU DID IT!"

**SHHHWWOOOOO… **Crocodile formed a small tornado of sand on his hand effectively demonstrating that he could use his Sand Sand Fruit Powers to create a sandstorm at will. "Kuahahahahahaha…"

"I WILL KILL YOU!" Vivi vowed.

"Kuahahahaha," Crocodile chuckled as he walked through the opened double doors and out of the room into the glass hallway. "Come Ms. All Sunday, Mr. 3.5, we must head to Alubarna to see my plans come into fruition." Ms. All Sunday cast one last glance over her shoulder at Princess and the pirates before following after him.

"Goodbye Straw Hat Pirates," Mr. 3.5 called out before he followed the other two.

**CHUNK! SPLOOOSSHH! **Almost as soon as the three were out a flap in the floor opened and began flooding the room with water from the lake.

"THE ROOM'S STARTING TO FLOOD!" Usopp screamed. "OH NO! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DROWN IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING REALLY QUICK! VIVI HELP! GET US OUT OF HERE! I WANNA LIVE A LOT LONGER THAN JUST ONE HOUR!"

"Hey, stop freaking out," Zoro scolded him.

"ARE YOU CRAZY, ZORO?" Usopp shrieked. "HOW CAN I _NOT _FREAK OUT AT A TIME LIKE THIS? WE'RE ALL GONNNA DROWN LIKE RATS IF WE DON'T GET OUT OF HERE! DON'T YOU GET IT?"

"So it's either my Kingdom or my friends…" Vivi thought to herself as she stood in the middle of the quickly flooding room. Crocodile, Ms. All Sunday, and Mr. 3.5 could all still be seen walking off down the glass hallway. "All you've done is take Crocodile so I know you wouldn't give me either choice. Even if I left for Alubarana… you'd kill me before I even reached it. The only real choice… the only way to end this nightmare IS TO TAKE OUT THE ONE WHO STARED IT!" Vivi glared at Crocodile's retreating back. "Monster… you don't know a thing… about this country's people… its history… our way of life…"

Vivi pulled out her Peacock Slashers and began spinning the sharp jewels around at her sides… but then she remembered how pointless her first attack on Crocodile was and that his Devil Fruit Powers made it so she couldn't do anything to hurt him. Vivi sank down to her knees and started to cry… it seemed like there was no way out of this.

"VIVI!" Luffy called out. "GET US OUT! YOU CAN DO IT! I KNOW YOU CAN!"

"How Luffy?" Vivi questioned.

"Ah, so you're finally starting to beg for your life, eh, Straw Hat Luffy?" Crocodile called back into the room. "There's no shame in that. It's only natural. Everyone is afraid of dying."

"I'M NOT BEGGING!" Luffy shouted at him. "IT'S JUST IF I DIE… WHO ELSE IS GONNA BE ABLE TO KICK YOUR ASS?"

Crocodile stopped in his tracks and couldn't resist one last parting shot, "Don't flatter yourself, you small-fry."

"_YOU'RE_ A SMALL-FRY WHO THINKS HE'S A BIG-SHOT!" Luffy retorted.

**SNAP! **With a snap of Crocodile's fingers a large panel on the floor of the glass hallway raised up. **GRAAAHH! SPLOOSH! **Mr. 3.5 flinched back in surprise as a ferocious bananawani climbed out of the hole and stood behind Crocodile and Ms. All Sunday.

"You're right Ms. Wednesday," Crocodile commented. "I would have had you killed if you left for the capital and of course I plan on doing the same here. Kuahahahahaha!"

**THOOM! THOOM! **The enormous bananawani thundered out of the hallway into the V.I.P room and towered over Vivi who could only stare up at the enormous reptile in horror.

"That thing is so gigantic!" Vivi gasped.

"VIIIIVIIII!" Luffy shouted, "YOU SHOW THAT BANANA!"

"ARE YOU CRAZY?" Usopp exclaimed. "IT'S TOO BIG! VIVI, DON'T LISTEN TO THIS KOOK! GET OUT OF THERE! And uh… get us out too."

"She only has to beat one of them!" Luffy argued.

"LOOK OUT THE WINDOWS!" Nami told him.

The Straw Hats looked passed the one bananawani out the windows of the room and saw that the others were all lined up to enter the room the same way the first one had.

"GAAAAHH!" Usopp shrieked in terror. "THEY'RE ALL WAITING IN LINE TO EAT US?"

"At least we won't drown like rats," Zoro remarked.

"BUT GETTING EATEN BY AN ENORMOUS CROCODILE ISN'T THE WAY I WANNA GO EITHER!" Usopp protested.

Vivi stared up at the bananawani and once again drew her peacock slashers, "Peacock String…" **WHAM! **Vivi was cut off when the crocodile lunged at her. Vivi managed to dive out of the way and watched in horror as the monster crocodile bit down on the stairs leading out of the room. **CHOMP! **When the dust settled a huge hole was left in the middle of the large staircase.

"THAT THING IS FAST!" Usopp exclaimed, "STRONG TOO! IT CHOMPED THROUGH THOSE STONE STAIRS AS IF THEY WERE CARDBOARD!"

**GGRRR… **The bananawani turned around and saw Vivi now standing behind it.** WHAM! **The crocodile whipped its tail around into Vivi and sent the Princess flying across the room.

"VIVI NOOO!" Luffy screamed.

"CAN YOU HEAR US?" Usopp hollered. "PLEASE! SAY SOMETHING! TELL US… ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

Blood dripped onto the floor from a gash under Vivi's eye as the Princess attempted to push herself up off of the floor. The bananawani loomed over her ready for the final blow.

"VIVI GET UP!" Luffy shouted.

"RUUUNNN!" Nami yelled.

"VIVI GET OUTTA THERE!" Usopp shrieked. "IT'S GONNA EAT YOU!"

**GRRAAAAHHHHH! **The bananawani opened its mouth and prepared to finish off it's prey but it was interrupted by a low ringing sound. **RRRIIIING… RRRIIIINGG… RRRIIIINGG… **The bananawani and everyone else's attention was drawn to Ms. All Sunday as she fished the ringing transponder snail out of her coat.

Crocodile and Mr. 3.5 gave Ms. All Sunday irritated glares for interrupting.

"Yes?" Ms. All Sunday said into the transponder snail.

"_**Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?" **_spoke a familiar voice.

"Yes, we can hear you," Ms. All Sunday answered. "You're a Million, right?"

"_**Hey pal, is this thing working alright?" **_the familiar voice asked someone on the other end. _**"I've only used a transponder snail once before."**_

"_**It's working fine," **_a second voice clarified. _**"They can hear you. Just talk into it."**_

"It's him," Mr. 3.5 realized with a whisper while the Straw Hats shared a glance at the familiar voice on the other end of the transponder snail.

"What do you want?" Ms. All Sunday asked.

"Hurry up and state your business," Crocodile ordered. "What is it?"

"_**Oh, now I know I've heard that voice before," **_the familiar voice commented. _**"Yeah… hello, you've reached the Crap Café."**_

**-x-**

**Mr. Prince**

**-x-**

"The Crap Café?" Crocodile repeated.

"_**Does that ring a bell?"**_ the familiar voice inquired. _**"It should but in case it doesn't… maybe this'll jog your memory… Little Garden."**_

"_Yeah… hello, you've reached the Crap Café. Can I take your order?" The voice that Crocodile had assumed was Mr. 3's greeted him when he had called the Officer Agent at Little Garden._

"_You can quit fooling around now, jackass," Crocodile had responded._

"_A transponder snail?" Mr. 3 repeated when he had confronted Crocodile during his meeting with the other Officer Agents. "I don't know what you're talking about. I never used a transponder snail once while I was on Little Garden."_

"We have four of the Straw Hats trapped in the cell thanks to what Mr. 2 showed us," Crocodile reasoned. "We also caught Fire Fist and One Eye and the female Whitebeard Pirate are in the belly of one of the bananawani. The only one that's left is that pet."

"Sir, it's their cook," Mr. 3.5 informed him. "I recognize his voice."

"_**Oh, is that you Mr.5?" **_the familiar voice of Sanji spoke again. _**"I didn't know you were here."**_

"That's Mr. 3.5 now," Mr. 3.5 corrected him. "I got a promotion for helping Mr. 0 deal with One Eye and the blonde. Whatever you're trying it won't work."

"SAN—" Luffy was interrupted when Usopp clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Sssshhh!" Usopp hissed, "He's obviously planning something. Don't give anything away! Sanji's our ace in the hole."

"Zzzzzzzzzz…" Ace let out a snore, still confident that they'd be rescued in time. Sanji's call on the transponder snail only added more credence to that belief.

Nami's face lit up in a grin as she connected the dots and finally realized what was going on, "Now I get it…" she whispered to herself.

"Sanji, Tony, and Han didn't get captured," Vivi realized and whispered to the others, "They must still be outside."

"So you're one of the Straw Hats?" Crocodile spoke into the transponder snail.

"_**That's right,"**_ Sanji's voice replied. _**"But you can call me Mr. Prince."**_

"Very well Mr. Prince," Crocodile replied, "Mind telling me something else? Like where you are?"

"_**I'm afraid I can't say," **_Sanji replied. _**"You'll just come running and get rid of me. Even though I highly doubt you **_**could**_** get rid of me. I'm not stupid. I never give up information easily. Unlike you just did… Mr. 0."**_

"MR. PRINCE! HUURRYYYY!" Usopp screamed. "COME ON! IF YOU DON'T HURRY UP WE'RE ALL GONNA END UP AS CROCODILE CHOW!"

"GET THE LEAD OUT MR. PRINCE!" Luffy hollered. "COME RESCUE US!"

"_**Wahaha," **_Mr. Prince chuckled, _**"That's my loudmouth crew alright. Thanks for letting me know they're with you. All I have to do is find you and I—**_**BANG!**_**" **_A gun shot rang out on the other end. _**"AAAAAHHHH!"**_

Luffy and Usopp stopped screamed and stared out into the glass hallway in shock.

"_**We've got him sir!" **_a new voice taunted on the transponder snail. _**"Don't worry. He won't be going anywhere in the condition we've put him in."**_

"_**Uugggghhh…" **_Sanji let out a groan.

"Not Sanji…" Vivi gasped.

"So where are you?" Crocodile asked. "Speak up."

"_**We're at the front of the casino with the crocodile on top up in Rain Base," **_the new voice answered, _**"Rain Dinners."**_

"Grrrrrr…" Zoro growled, "If he's not dead he's gonna wish he was! Cause I'm gonna kill 'im next time I see 'im!"

"NOOOO! SAAANJIIII!" Luffy screamed, behind him Usopp let out a scream and did a dance of horror.

But while the others panicked, Nami remained seated on the bench and actually smirked as she started fishing into the neck of her cloak.

"Kuahahahaha," Crocodile chuckled. "Stay right there." He looked over at Ms. All Sunday and Mr. 3.5, "Well, we shouldn't leave the man waiting."

"Is this wise?" Ms. All Sunday asked. "The Millions still don't know the actual identity of their boss. Couldn't we just send Mr. 3.5?"

"Aside from the Officer Agents no one knows who you and I truly are," Crocodile replied. "Everyone thinks I'm a local hero who also owns this casino. There's nothing suspicious about a proprietor going to see what happened in front of his building. Our secret will be safe. These Straw Hats have proven to be irritating enough that I want to deal with the last one myself."

It was then that the bananawani spotted Vivi sneaking towards the stairs and lunged at her, **CHOMP! **Another huge bite was taken out of the stairs but Vivi had managed to reach the stair above the bite.

"VIVI! NOO!" Nami yelled.

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Luffy shouted at her.

"We still have time before this room fills completely with water," Vivi replied. "I'm going outside to help you-know-who."

"Gotcha!" Usopp exclaimed. "There's no way he kicked the bucket! Now that guy! If you can get him free then I'm sure he can get us free!"

"VIVI! NOO!" Nami yelled again.

**SHHWWOOOO! **Crocodile blew back into the room as a gust of sand and sent his hook with a column of sand attached to it after Vivi. **WHUP! **

"AAAAHHH!"Vivi let out a pain screamed as she dragged off of the stairs by Crocodile hook and slammed down onto the floor beside the bananawani.** WHAM! **

"VIVI!" Luffy cried out in alarm.

"No… why'd you have to go and do something so reckless?" Nami whispered.

"I've had enough of your nonsense," Crocodile growled down at the prone form of Vivi. The floor of the room was now almost completely covered in water as Crocodile quickly made his way back out of the room.

"VIVI WAKE UP!" Usopp shrieked.

"THAT WEIRD BANANA'S GONNA GET YOU!" Luffy hollered.

"Since you care for your friends that much Ms. Wednesday you can just die here with them," Crocodile resolved, "Which thanks to the rising water and my hungry pets outside… should occur very, very soon. Now if you'll excuse me… I'm going to drag Mr. Prince back here to join you. I hope you don't mind corpses. Kuahahahahaha!"

"Grrrrrr…" Luffy growled as the warlord walked out with Ms. All Sunday and Mr. 3.5. "CRRROOOCOOOODIIIILLLEEEEE!"

**-x-**

Crocodile walked out into the casino flanked by Ms. All Sunday and Mr. 3.5 and was greeted by the flame haired man in the fancy suit.

"Sir Crocodile!" the fancy man exclaimed. "Have you heard what's happening in Nanohana?"

"Hm, yes tragic," Crocodile replied as he tried to sound sympathetic for the destruction that he had orchestrated.

"The whole city… no… the whole country is in an uproar!" the fancy man pressed. "Everyone's talking about it! It appears the Rebel Army and the Royal Army are finally about to clash!"

"Oh well," Crocodile said as he decided to make his publicity statement, "I'm not surprised. The King does allow pirates to attack the cities. I always thought something like this might happen if Cobra kept letting this country suffer."

"Why is this place so quiet?" Ms. All Sunday inquired as she glanced around the casino that was empty except for their lingering employees. "Where is everybody?"

"Oh… well you see," the fancy man attempted to explain. "We don't have any money left after that stranger won seventeen billion berries from us. I had to close the casino or risk someone else winning money that we don't have."

Crocodile growled in irritation as the made his way through the empty casino to the door before leaving he turned to Mr. 3.5. "As soon as we spot this Mr. Prince I want you to head back into the casino and stay there. It would hurt my public reputation to be seen with such a shady character. Don't let anyone other than myself or Ms. All Sunday into the casino. Once I've verified that the Millions have him apprehended, I'll come back and send you to deal with the Millions in my place as Mr. 0."

"Yes sir," Mr. 3.5 agreed.

**-x-**

"Phew, he's finally gone," Nami sighed as she pulled out the black leather wallet that Ricky had tossed her while he had Crocodile pinned against the bars of the cell. She unfolded it to reveal Ricky's collection of gem crafting tools… and more importantly… his lock-picks. Nami darted over to the cell door and started picking the lock, "HOLD ON VIVI! I'LL HAVE US OUT IN A MINUTE!"

"So that was his plan," Smoker realized, he'd gone mostly unnoticed since he was just sitting on his bench in the back of the cell. "He lost to Crocodile so he could give you those lock-picks then had the other one lure Crocodile out of here knowing that Crocodile would never let us escape while he was still in the room."

"YEAH RICKY!" Usopp cheered.

"Heh heh," Zoro chuckled, "I knew that guy wouldn't go down that easy."

"DON'T WORRY VIVI!" Luffy shouted, "WE'LL BE OUT IN A SECOND THEN I'LL KICKTHE BANANA'S ASS!"

**-x-**

Mr. 1 glared across the cart as Bunchi continued to carry the three Officer Agents towards the capital city of Alubarna.

"Wipe that gloomy look off of my face," Mr. 1 ordered as he sat on one side of the cart and smirked at… Mr. 1?

"Damn you," the real Mr. 1 growled as he glared at the fake Mr. 1 that was wearing Mr. 2's ballet clothes. "I don't remember you touching my face ever."

"Gaa hahaha," the fake Mr. 1 chuckled before he touched his face with his left hand and turned back into Mr. 2. "I didn't silly! I punched it or have you forgotten? I guess your muscles are bigger than your brain, huh?"

"WHAT?" Mr. 1 yelled as he surged across the cart and grabbed the okama by the collar.

"Oh bring it on!" Mr. 2 goaded him as he held up his hands in a kung-fu pose.

"Knock it off you two," Ms. Double Finger scolded them from her seat next to Mr. 1. "Save your energy for the real battle." Mr. 1 reluctantly released Mr. 2 and returned to his seat.

"Uhhh, you guys are no fun," Mr. 2 sighed as he sat back down. "Why does a fun person like me have to work with you un-fun people?"

"You won't be cooped up with us much longer," Ms. Double Finger reassured him as she glanced through the window behind her at the large city that they were approaching. "That's Alubarna right outside the window."

"WHAT?" Mr. 2 shrieked as he dove across the cart and pushed Mr. 1 and Ms. Double Finger to the side and pressed his face up against the window. "OOH! LET ME SEE! LET ME SEE! AH-HA! So that's Alubarna where this little old drama's gonna unfold? The place where Mr. 0's plan is going to blossom like a flower in the desert!"

**-x-**

"C'MON NAMI! HURRY UP!" Usopp exclaimed as he, Luffy and Zoro crowded around Nami as she knelt in front of the cell door and tried to pick the lock.

"I'M TRYING!" Nami snapped as she continued to work the two lock-picks. "These lock-picks are made to crack padlocks on treasure chests… not huge expensive cell doors! Crocodile went all-out when he made this thing!"

"LOOK OUT VIVI!" Luffy shouted. "THE BANANA'S GONNA GET YOU!"

"And here comes another one!" Zoro added as a second bananawani slithered up into the flooding room from the panel that Crocodile had left opened.

Vivi rolled over and looked up into the long gaping mouth of the bananawani she'd been fighting. She let out a shriek as the crocodile lunged to finish her off, "EEEK!"

**KER-WHAM! **The second bananawani slammed into the first and sent it tumbling across the room. Vivi looked up at new bananawani and realized that it was even bigger than the first one.

**GRRAAAAHHH! **The first bananawani got up and snarled at the bigger one but suddenly a figure leapt out of the bigger bananawani's mouth and flew over the first one's head.

"**Bludgeon… STOMP!"** **WHOMP! **Ricky drove his feet down into the bananawani's head and knocked it out cold as it was driven down into the stone floor.

"RICKYY!" Luffy and Usopp cheered while Vivi stared up at him in shock.

**Snort! **Ace woke up with a start, "Huh? Are we being rescued?" he asked groggily.

"What took you guys so long?" Zoro complained.

The large bananawani's mouth opened to reveal Han and Ollie. "We were waiting for Crocodile to leave," Han explained. "And in the meantime we were keeping the _other_ bananawani from getting in. We're lucky we used great bait cause we caught the biggest one."

Ollie looked over at Nami who was still struggling to set the lock picked, "What's the matter Pirate Princess?" she teased her, "Couldn't get it yet?"

"It's these damn lock-picks!" Nami complained. "They weren't made for this kind of lock! There's no way that key Crocodile showed us earlier was the one for this cage."

"Oh," Ricky said as he pulled the key out from his pocket, "I guess this thing's useless then." He tossed the key to the side and then a sly grin appeared on his face, "Fortunately, we found a perfect substitute."

"Hurry up before they get back!" Smoker ordered.

"That won't happen for a while," Ricky assured him. "I've got people on the outside making sure that Sandy won't be back any time soon."

**-x-**

"What… the hell… is this?" Crocodile demanded as he, Ms. All Sunday, and Mr. 3.5 stood on the bridge leading out of Rain Dinners. Dozens of unconscious men were left lying on the ground at their feet.

"These were the remaining Millions we had in the city," Ms. All Sunday informed him. "If you include those that Pell the Falcon took down every last one of them has been wiped out."

"Hey who did this?" Crocodile asked one of the Millions as he prodded him with his foot and rolled him onto his back. "Tell me."

"Ugghh… a guy…" the Million gasped, "he was called Mr. Prince…"

"I thought you idiots caught him," Crocodile growled. "So where the hell did he go?"

"**Looking for me?"** came a voice. Crocodile looked up and spotted Sanji standing across the street from him, idly smoking a cigarette.

"That's him sir," Mr. 3.5 stated, "That's their cook."

"Get back in the casino," Crocodile ordered, "I'll handle this."

"You'll have to catch me first," Sanji replied before he turned and ran off through the city.

"Run then," Crocodile told him, "Run all you want but you can't escape me."

"You could forget him," Ms. All Sunday suggested.

"Oh no," Crocodile refused, "I've always killed those foolish enough to cross me. And that's not a habit I'm quitting any time soon!" **SWOOOOSSHHH! **Crocodile's legs turned into a cloud of sand and he blew up into the air and flew after Sanji.

Mr. 3.5 went back across the bridge and entered the casino leaving Ms. All Sunday alone. This made her the only one that noticed a small figure with a cannon creeping towards the bridge.

"Han said I had to point it up in the air over the bridge and pull the trigger," Chopper muttered to himself as he held Han's cannon up into the air and shakily lit the fuse. **BOOM! **The cannon exploded and the round was fired up into the air and came down on the bridge, **KA-BOOOOM! **The middle of the bridge was left completely destroyed with only the very ends remaining intact.

"YEAH! I DID IT!" Chopper cheered.

"Eh-hem," Ms. All Sunday cleared her throat as she stood behind the small reindeer.

**GULP! **Chopper slowly looked over his shoulder and saw the tall woman staring down at him with a curious look on her face. "WAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Chopper screamed and dashed off. He quickly transformed into his Walk Point reindeer form and ran away as fast as his four legs could carry him.

"What a strange pet," Ms. All Sunday remarked as she watched the reindeer run away. "Although, considering how strange the crew itself is I shouldn't be surprised."

**-x-**

With Crocodile lured outside by the team of Sanji and Chopper Ricky's plan will reach its fruition as the Straw Hats make their escape. Then it's finally time to say goodbye to the Whitebeard Pirates.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	46. Chapter 46

**Another Nakama**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of the related characters, just the original characters that appear in this story.

**Escape:**

**-x-**

"What the hell happened?" Mr. 3.5 demanded as he stared at the destroyed bridge on one side of the lake while Ms. All Sunday idly stood on the other. "I heard an explosion and I _know _it wasn't one of mine."

"The Straw Hats' pet blew it up with some kind of cannon," Ms. All Sunday stated. "I was distracted watching Sir Crocodile chase after Mr. Prince and I'm afraid it got away."

"Damn," Mr. 3.5 cursed, "Now what do we do?"

"I suppose we'll have to wait until Sir Crocodile gets back," Ms. All Sunday reasoned.

**-x-**

"GET BACK HERE YOU DAMN PIRATE!" Crocodile shouted as he chased after Sanji. Due to all the civilians that lined the streets the President of Baroque Works was playing up his position as a Warlord so as to not arouse suspicion.

"Not gonna happen," Sanji retorted.

"_It's clear that we're not gonna be cutting the air with our feet any time soon," Ricky said to Sanji when they'd been training in the desert on their way to Rain Base. "But since you've been wearing those weights on your ankles all this time I think I should at least be able to teach you my Speed Step technique. Just be warned that it may take a while to get used to."_

Sanji's feet kicked off of the ground ten times in under a second and he sped off having successfully replicated Ricky's Speed Step technique. "SAUTÉ!" **ZZZOOOOM! **Crocodile was left staring after the cook in surprise.

"Damn," Crocodile growled, "I didn't expect one of the Straw Hat to know a technique like that. But with a former Whitebeard Pirate as a First Mate I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised."

**-x-**

Sanji leaned back against a wall in an alley safely out of Crocodile's line of sight. His legs were shaking from being unused to the speed he'd just gone but were already recovering. "Gotta hand it to Ricky for coming up with a helpful technique…" Sanji commented. "And his plan to draw Crocodile out wasn't half bad either.

**-A Few Minutes Ago-**

"Wahaha," Sanji chuckled into a transponder snail, "That's my loudmouth crew alright. Thanks for letting me know they're with you. All I have to do is find you and I—" **BANG! **Another Million fired at Sanji from behind but the cook dodged the bullet and kicked the Million in the face. **THWAK!**

"AAAAAHH!" the Million screamed into the Transponder Snail. **THWAK! **Another kick convinced the Million to say what Sanji wanted him to. "We've got him, sir. Don't worry. He won't be going anywhere in the condition we put him in."

"Uugggghhh…" Sanji let out a fake groan.

When Crocodile asked where they were the Million continued, "We're at the front of the casino with a crocodile on top up in Rain Base… Rain Dinners."

"Nice job," Sanji complimented the Million once he hung up the Transponder Snail. "That was so convincing your boss is on the way. You should really consider a career in acting."

"Uh… really?" the Million asked. "Gee thanks! Hey um… you're gonna let me go now right?"

"No sir," Sanji answered. **THWAK! **

The Million was left lying in a heap on the ground, "Ugghhh… I didn't think so…"

"MR. PRINCE!" Chopper exclaimed from the other side of the bridge, "THERE'S MORE OF 'EM! I'M DOING ALL I CAN BUT THERE'S TOO MANY!"

Sanji dashed across the bridge and joined Chopper in fighting the new group of Millions. When they finished Sanji stood with Chopper and went over their part in Ricky's plan.

"Remember," Sanji told Chopper, "When Crocodile comes out, I'll get him to chase me. Stay hidden until he's gone then blow up the bridge like Han taught you. It'll keep them out here long enough to buy Ricky some more time."

"Right" Chopper agreed, "I can do it!"

**-Back to Present Time-**

"Damn," Crocodile grunted as he stood on top of a building and surveyed the city for any signs of Mr. Prince. He saw a few Marines but there was no sign of the elusive pirate.

**-x-**

**KRESSSHH!** The lower windows in the V.I.P. Room shattered and water from the lake started flooding the room even faster than before. It was now up to the knees of the pirates that were standing in the cell but hadn't quite reached the benches that Ace and Smoker were sitting on.

**GRRRAAAAHHHH! **Another two bananawani forced their way through the panel in the hallway into the room.

"OH NO!" Luffy shouted, "HERE COME MORE OF THOSE WEIRD BANANAS!"

"Hey, I told ya, those things aren't bananas!" Usopp corrected him, "They're crocodiles with bananas growing out of their head."

"But they're called banana-wani," Luffy insisted.

"Let me explain," Usopp offered, "You've heard of the Monkey Dance, right? Even though it's got the word 'monkey' in it isn't an actual monkey!"

"UUGGGHH…" Luffy let out a groan as he once again grabbed the Sea Stone bars.

"GAAH! DON'T TOUCH THOSE BARS!" Usopp scolded him as he pulled Luffy away.

"How do you know they're not bananas if you haven't eaten one?" Luffy questioned.

"Han, get the crocodiles," Ricky ordered, "Ollie, get the ball."

Ollie disappeared deeper into the mouth of the huge bananawani they had arrived in while Han jumped out of the creature's mouth and headed towards the new ones.

"I had to go and lend the little monster my favorite cannon," the Monster Hunter grumbled before he pulled out a pair of shotguns from inside his coat, "Looks like I'll have to do this the old fashioned way. This'll be fun."

Ricky jumped off of the bananawani he'd knocked out and walked through the knee-deep water to the cell. "Don't worry guys," he reassured his crew and older brother. "We'll have you of there in no time."

"Who's worried?" Ace asked. "You took so long I had a nice nap."

"Hey Straw Hats," Smoker called out. "Tell me something… how much do you guys know?"

"A lot more than you Smokey," Ricky replied, "That's why we're here trying to _stop_ Crocodile. You came along and ended up getting caught up in one of our usual adventures."

"What exactly is Crocodile after?" Smoker questioned. "The woman at Crocodile's side… did you know the World Government has had a sizable price on her head for twenty years?"

"You mean this woman?" Ricky inquired as he reached into his bottom right pocket and pulled out a Wanted Poster depicting a black haired girl with dark blue eyes that had a lighter ring of blue around them. It was clearly a younger version of Ms. All Sunday who wasn't even ten years old. The name **Nico Robin**was written on the poster above a bounty of **β79,000,000**. "Yeah, I'm aware of it."

"SEVENTY-NINE MILLION! WHY IS IT SO MUCH?" Usopp exclaimed as he and the other Straw Hats stared at the poster for the first time.

"That's almost as much as Crocodile had!" Nami realized. When the Warlord was an active pirate he'd accumulated a bounty of eighty-one million berries.

"You do realize that the moment those two joined forces that this insurrection became more than just a simple coup," Smoker pointed out. "If they're not stopped here and now this could very well turn into something the whole world could get dragged into."

"The whole world?" Nami repeated. "What do you mean?"

"Why do you think we came here?" Ricky queried. "C'mon Smokey, get with the times."

"Then why is it that only you seem to have knowledge of this?" Smoker asked.

"Because it doesn't matter!" Luffy snapped. "I don't need any other excuses! I'M STILL GONNA KICK THAT GUY'S ASS!"

Smoker stared at Luffy for a moment before closing his eyes and nodding, "I see. So… how do you intend to get out of here?"

"With this," Ollie answered as she came over carrying a white ball that was half the size of her.

"What's that gonna do?" Usopp asked.

A sly grin appeared on Ricky's face, "It's made of wax."

Ollie dropped the ball into the water and everyone stared at it for a moment.

"**WAX WAX BALL!" **a muffled voice cried out from inside. **Krek-krek-KRESH! **The wax ball cracked opened to reveal the thin and withered form of Mr. 3.

"YES! WATER! AT LAST!" Mr. 3 gasped as he stood with his back to the cell and stared down at the water flooding the room. "IT'S A MIRACLE!"

"Hey, it's him," Zoro realized.

"Miissteeerrr Thrrreeee!" Luffy growled as he remembered how the agent had almost ended Broggy and Dorry's century long duel.

"Mr. 3?" Vivi called out in surprise. "What was doing in the belly of a bananawani?"

**GULP! GULP! GULP! **Mr. 3 sucked down the water at his feet and in no time his withered form had filled out and he looked like he normally did. "WOOHOO!" Mr. 3 cheered, "I'M ALIVE AGAIN! I thought I was a goner! Stupid Crocodile, you thought you could get rid of me but you didn't try hard enough! The moment I was swallowed I used the last of my power to create that Wax Wax Ball. That was how I survived!"

"Congratulations," Ricky said as he placed a hand on the agent's back causing him to flinch.

"ONE EYE!" Mr. 3 shrieked. "WHAT'RE YOU DOING HERE?"

"Getting rid of your former boss," Ricky answered before he jerked the Candle Man around so he was facing the cell. "Now I need you to use your powers to pick the lock on that cell."

Mr. 3 stared at the pirates trapped in the cage in surprise, "Wait… Crocodile has Straw Hat trapped," he realized, "And the room's rapidly filling with water… I GET IT! YOU'RE ALL ABOUT TO DIE!" Mr. 3 glared at Ricky, "Why would I help you?"

**SHINK! **The Candle Man suddenly found Ricky's red blade positioned at his throat.

"Well… I assumed that you wanted to keep your blood _inside_ your body," Ricky stated.

"EEEEEEEK!" Mr. 3 shrieked.

"Get to work," Ricky ordered.

**GLOOP!** Wax dripped from Mr. 3's finger as he stuck it in the lock. The wax molded to the shape of the lock and instantly hardened. **CLICK! **Mr. 3 twisted his finger and the wax key popped the lock.

"I'M COMING FOR YOU BANANAS!" Luffy roared as he and Zoro surged out through the opened door. But they skidded to a stop and stared in surprise at the huge pile that had been made of the unmoving bodies of the float of bananawani. The only one left moving was the large bananawani that had gotten Ricky, Ollie, and Han back into the V.I.P. Room. On top of the pile lying on one of the larger bananawani's banana as if it were a lounge chair was Han.

Han glanced down at Luffy and Zoro from his spot on the bananawani's head, "Oh, sorry," the Monster Hunter apologized, "I didn't know I was supposed to save some for you."

Vivi stared at Han and the unconscious float of bananawani in wide-eyed shock, "And I had so much trouble with just the one…" she whispered.

"Yeah but he's a Monster Hunter," Ollie reassured her with a consoling pat on the back. "He's used to doing that sort of thing. Plus he's a Whitebeard Pirate. He's the strongest pirate in the world for a reason. The old man doesn't let just anyone join his crew you know."

"GAAAAAHH!" Luffy shrieked, "NOW I'M IN A BAD MOOD AND HAVE NO ONE TO TAKE IT OUT ON!"

"I think he's taking it well," Ace supplied as he and Usopp followed Nami out of the cell.

Nami stalked up to Ricky and tossed his tool pouch to him, "You sure took your time with this one," she commented.

Ricky yanked on the base of the wick-like '3' in Mr. 3's hair causing the Candle Man to yelp. "In case you forgot we took even longer saving you from this guy," Ricky pointed out. "I may make this look easy but outmaneuvering a Warlord isn't as simple as it sounds. And I wanted to avoid another long drawn-out round of fights so…"

Nami cut him off when she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek and simply said, "Thanks." Ace stood with Usopp and watched the exchange with a small grin.

"Eh-hem," Mr. 3 cleared his throat. "If you're quite finished, I believe I fulfilled my obligation of freeing your nuisance friends. So if you would kindly release me I'll be on my way."

"Hold on," Ricky said as he reached quickly nicked the candle man with his sword to fulfill the blood sacrifice then sheathed and used his now free hand to reach into his bottom right pocket and pull out a sheet of paper, "While we were waiting for Crocodile to leave I wrote him a note. I'd appreciate it if you'd deliver it to him for me."

"As if I'd do such a thing!" Mr. 3 exclaimed. "Do you have any idea what he'd do to me?"

"Nothing if you're unconscious," Ricky answered. **Whap! **He slapped his note onto Mr. 3's chest and kicked him in the face. **THWAK! CLANG! **The kick didn't knock Mr. 3 out but the resulting collision with the cell bars did.

"Alright everyone!" Ricky addressed the Princess and the pirates, "Into the crocodile's mouth. We're getting out of here."

Nami looked at the huge bananawani then at Ricky, "You named it didn't you?" At Ricky's nod she quickly continued, "Don't tell me. Let me guess… Carl? Carl the Crocodile"

"That's stupid," Ricky replied causing Nami to stare at him in surprise. "If he was _just_ a crocodile I would've named him Cory. But since he's a bananawani he's Brian."

Nami blinked and took a second to process that then shouted, "THAT'S A HORRIBLE NAME!"

"Yeah well…"

Nami held out her hand and cut him off, "I know, I know," she altered her voice in a sarcastic impersonation of Ricky's "'If you don't like it you can catch your own'. Here's the thing… you _didn't _catch that one! So you have no excuse for your horrible animal naming!"

"Just get in its mouth," Ricky ordered.

**KRESH! **It was then that the glass hallway leading out of the room shattered causing the room to flood with water.

Nami, Usopp, Vivi, Ace, Han, and Ollie all darted into Brian the Bananawani's mouth and Zoro came running passed Ricky with a waterlogged Luffy tucked under his arm.

"Ricky…" Ricky heard his brother gasp as Zoro carried him away, "Smokey…"

Ricky turned around and saw the Marine Captain floating in the cell which was now half filled with water. The Smoke Man's cigars had come free and were floating around his prone body. Ricky darted inside and grabbed the Marine and dragged him out of the cell.

"It's a jail break," he muttered to the barely conscious marine, "that's means you too dumbass." Ricky threw the Marine Captain across the room into the open mouth of Brain the Bananawani who was floating on the rising water. "Get going! I've gotta take care of one last thing!"

**KRA-KRESH! **The remaining windows shattered and water came pouring into the underwater room. Brian's mouth snapped closed and the huge bananawani swam through the shattered windows and out of the room.

Ricky kicked his legs and treaded water then grabbed the body of Mr. 3 as it floated passed him and threw it onto a table as it bobbed passed. With the Candle Man out of the way Ricky turned to face the empty cell. "I'd be an idiot to let something so valuable go to waste."

**-x-**

"Smart thinking collapsing the bridge to buy time like that," Crocodile commented as he through the casino with Ms. All Sunday and Mr. 3.5 running behind him. "There are obviously more Straw Hats here than we thought."

"Sir, it was their pet," Mr. 3.5 told him, "It's a transforming reindeer that can talk and even read. It must've gotten its hands on some kind of cannon to do that kind of damage to the bridge."

"So that was all done so they could lure us away?" Ms. All Sunday questioned.

"Then who's doing the rescuing if they're both stuck outside?" Mr. 3.5 wondered.

"_Han said I had to point it up in the air over the bridge and pull the trigger," the pet muttered to himself_

"_Jacky, who's this?" the blonde asked as she eyed Ms. All Sunday._

"_Jacky?" Ms. All Sunday had repeated with a raise eyebrow._

"_I believe she's the Manager of this lovely casino," 'Jacky' had replied, he lightly patted the blonde girl on the back, "Don't worry, you're still my Queen, babe."_

"We've got Ace trapped in the cell," Ms. All Sunday stated, "The blonde called One Eye 'Jacky' and he called her his 'Queen'." She glanced over at a poker machine and saw a Royal Flush depicted on it. "Ace, Jack, Queen… all we're missing is the King."

"Grr… Just what we need," Crocodile growled, "More Whitebeard Pirates."

**-x-**

**SPLOOSH! **A banana broke the surface of the Rain Base Lake followed by the body of Brian the Bananawani. The huge crocodile reached the shore and opened its large mouth prompting Hannibal King to jump out onto the sandy shore and quickly stepped to the side as the others scrambled out passed him with a scowling Captain Smoker bringing up the rear.

"What did Ricky say he was doing?" Usopp asked as the pirates and the Princess stared down into the water.

"He said that he had to take care of one last thing," Han replied. "It wasn't part of the plan."

"And it's probably dangerously stupid if he put off telling us until the last second," Ollie added. "He shouldn't be down there alone. One of us should be down there with him."

**Klak! Klak! SPLASH! **A pair of empty sandals was all that remained of Nami. She had already dove in after him.

**-x-**

"So what happens if their rescuer is able to ascertain which bananawani ate the key?" Ms. All Sunday inquired as she, Crocodile, and Mr. 3.5 ran down the hallway to the V.I.P. Room.

"Even if they were able to get the key it wouldn't make any difference," Crocodile replied. "I've had the real one with me. The key in the bananawani's belly is a fraud. But that's for me to know and them to find out."

"Suppose they try to pick the lock?" Mr. 3.5 suggested.

"Do you have any idea how much that cage cost me?" Crocodile asked. "Sea Stone isn't cheap. And I wasn't going to go through such lengths and leave that expensive cage with a simple lock that any idiot pirate with a lock pick could thwart. The only thing that can open that door is this key." Crocodile reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold key with a banana for a handle and an almost round blade. It looked completely different from the key he'd dropped down the trapdoor with Ricky.

"You're bad," Ms. All Sunday commented with a smile.

**-x-**

Nami swam frantically out of the V.I.P. Room with Ricky's large form draped over her shoulder. **WHAM! **They had just disappeared out into the lake when the double doors at the top of the stairs slammed opened to reveal Crocodile.

"ALRIGHT STRAW HATS! TIME TO PAY!" Crocodile called out. "IF THE BANANAWANI HAVEN'T FINISHED YOU OFF YET, YOU'LL WISH THEY HAD BY THE TIME I'M THROUGH WITH YOU!"

Crocodile's teeth clenched and his face contorted with rage when he stared down through the water at the empty cell, unmoving bananawani, and the unconscious form of Mr. 3.

Stuck to the unconscious Candle Man's stomach was a note that read: _'Crocodile, you've been played by One Eye Ricky Treasure Hunter Extraordinaire. See you in Alubarna sucker.'_

"OOOONNNNEEEE EEEEEEYYYYYEEEEE!" Crocodile bellowed causing Ms. All Sunday and Mr. 3.5 to back away from the enraged Warlord.

**-x-**

**Goodbye:**

**-x-**

Nami broke the surface of the lake and tossed Ricky out onto the shore where the others were standing. "What the hell was he thinking?" she growled as she crawled over to him and pressed her ear against his chest. "Crap… he's not breathing."

"GAAAH! RICKY!" Luffy shrieked, "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO SWIM!"

"He _can _swim," Ace reminded him, "but when he drowns he doesn't recover the second he gets out of the water like we do."

"RIIICKYY DROWNEED!" Luffy shouted in alarm, "WHAT DO WE DO?"

"Calm down!" Vivi tried to reassure him, "This isn't the time to panic!"

Ollie stood stock still and stared down at Ricky in horror, "Not again…" she whispered.

Once again it was Nami who reacted first. She quickly clasped her hands together and pushed down on his chest. Like a woman possessed she pumped down on his chest over and over again in rapid succession.

"Idiot," Nami hissed at Ricky, "you're not allowed to die until I say you can! And I haven't had a chance to yell at you yet so WAKE THE HELL UP!"

Nami abandoned pumping his chest and with the Straw Hats, the Whitebeards, and even Smoker all watching pinched his nose then latched her mouth onto his and blew into it.

"Does she have to do that with all of us watching?" Usopp complained while averting his eyes.

"Is this what it's gonna be like when those two finally get together?" Zoro wondered with a grimace.

"She's giving him C.P.R.," Vivi explained only to receive blank looks from the Straw Hats. "She's making him breathe."

"OOOOHH!" Luffy and Usopp chorused.

Nami took a deep breath and blew into Ricky's mouth a second time then went back to pumping his chest. At about the eighteenth pump Ricky's body tensed and Nami veered out of the way as he started coughing up water. "KOFF! KOFF! KOFF!" When he finished coughing Ricky started breathing normally but rather than wake up he fell back down to the ground and remained unconscious.

"Oh no you don't…" Nami snarled at him, "WAKE UP!" She was about to forcefully wake him when she felt a hand on her back. She looked over her shoulder and saw that the hand belonged to Ace.

"Nami, you've done enough," he told her. "I can take it from here." Ace knelt down next to Ricky and cleared his throat then took a deep breath and shouted, "WHAT? NAMI'S BEEN CAPTURED BY CROCODILE?"

**KONK! **Ricky sat up so abruptly that his forehead cracked against Nami's.

"OWWW!" Nami howled as she held her forehead.

"Oh, Nami, you're okay," Ricky noted.

"HE'S ALIVE!" Luffy and Usopp cheered then they joined arms and did a dance.

Ollie started breathing again as well and Han gave her a reassuring pat on the back as the archer locked her eyes on Nami.

The girl in question scowled and then lashed out at the now awake pirate and slapped him on the chest. **WHAP! **"What…" **WHAP! **"…the hell…" **WHAP! **"…were you…" **WHAP! **"…THINKING?" **WHAP!**

"Sea Stone," Ricky answered as he opened both of his clenched hands and revealed the two blue-tinted bars he'd somehow managed to break off of the cell. "I used the last of my Explosion Balls to heat up the cross bar then kicked it while the metal was soft. I managed to break one bar off and had the other halfway off before the water reached me and cooled the metal down. I was kicking away at the damn thing when that bananawani I thought I knocked out woke up and charged me. I avoided it and it ended up slamming head-first into the cage and broke off the bar for me. I made sure the crocodile was out before I went and retrieved the bar and it was at that point that I ran out of air. Not one of my best plans but I made it up on the fly what do you want from me?"

"Oh, I was just thinking that maybe… YOU COULD'VE TOLD US WHAT YOU WERE PLANNING!" Nami hollered. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED WE WERE? You sent us off ahead saying you need to 'take care of something' AND YOU DIDN'T COME UP AFTER US!"

"Mana told us that practically all of the remaining Officer Agents have Devil Fruit Powers," Ricky reminded her. "They're probably waiting for us in Alubarna so I thought it'd be helpful to bring along something to nullify those aforementioned powers. What's got you so worked up?"

"What's got me worked up?" Nami repeated. "When I dove in there and pulled you out you WEREN'T! BREATHING! I TOLD YOU THAT IF YOU MADE ME THINK YOU WERE DEAD AGAIN THAT I'D KILL YOU MYSELF YOU…"

Ricky cut her off when he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. Nami's face pinked as he pulled back and smiled at her, "Thanks for saving me."

"No problem," Nami chirped with a happy grin.

"Speaking of which…" Smoker cut in, like when they'd been in the cell he'd been mostly ignored due to the dire situation, "ONE EYE! Why did you save my life?"

Ricky pointed to Luffy, "He told me to," he answered bluntly. "Besides, you may be a cold-hearted marine but a great pirate once said…" Ricky glanced over at Usopp for a moment, "'the best part about being a pirate is that I can do _whatever_I want_whenever_ I want'. And that includes saving your sorry ass."

**-x-**

"We've found them sir," a marine reported to Lieutenant Devo, "Most of the Straw Hat Pirates and the three Whitebeard Pirates. They have Captain Smoker surrounded."

"Not for long they won't," Devo resolved, "spread out and surround them men! We won't let them escape this time!" The squad of marines split up and ran off in different directions to surround the pirates.

**-x-**

Smoker stared at Ricky then at Luffy, "Then if you were just acting like a pirate… you wouldn't have any gripes about me arresting you and acting like a Marine."

"You _could_," Ace told him, "but of course we'll resist you. And you were in that cell long enough to know that the Straw Hats aren't the enemy here."

**-x-**

"THIS WAY!" Lieutenant Devo called out, "WE'VE GOT 'EM NOW MEN!"

**-x-**

Smoker stared hard at Luffy. "You're pirates. I _should_ arrest you," he stated. "But you just saved my life." Smoker closed his eyes in resignation. "Go."

With Sir Crocodile and Nico Robin working together they were threatening not only Alabasta but the entire world. The millions… no, _billions_ of innocent lives that could be lost as a result of whatever they were planning far outweighed Smoker's own desire to capture 'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy and his crew. And they'd just saved _his _life too. They may be pirates but from what he had gathered while being trapped with them, they knew what was going on – at least One Eye did – and Straw Hat was fully intent on defeating Crocodile. Arresting the Straw Hats and the Whitebeards now would put those billions of innocent lives in jeopardy. And it would hardly be considered justice after they'd just saved his life.

"Huh?" questioned Luffy.

"This is the only time I'm letting you Straw Hats off, got it?" Smoker told him. "When we next meet it's gonna be as enemies."

"…" the Princess and the pirates all stared silently at the Marine Captain.

"**ARREST THEM MEN!" **came the shout of Lieutenant Devo. Marines flooded out from in between buildings.

"Hey, I've got an idea," Ricky stated.

"What's that?" Zoro asked.

"RUN!" Ricky exclaimed as he turned and ran off. Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Vivi, Han, and Ollie quickly ran after him. The spread out marines were caught off guard by all the pirates charging in one direction and were bowled over as they raced out of the city.

"THEY'RE RUNNING! AFTER THEM!" Lieutenant Devo ordered as the marines ran off after the pirates.

Luffy and Ace were left staring at Captain Smoker.

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed, "You're not such a bad guy after-all, Smokey! Shishishishi!"

Smoker glared at the laughing pirate who seemed to mistaken his gratitude for being _nice_. **WHAM! **The marine smashed his jutte down into the ground in front of Luffy which caused the rubber man to have to jump back to avoid it. "WOULD YOU GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE STRAW HAT!"

Luffy and Ace turned and took off running after the others. "See ya Smokey!" Ace called out as he waved over his shoulder at the marine. The jumped clear over the marines that were attempting to block their path and raced after Ricky and the others.

"DON'T LET THEM ESCAPE!" Lieutenant Devo hollered.

**-x-**

"Phew, we managed to escape!" Ricky sighed as they hid between some buildings on the outskirts of Rain Base. "Now we just need to let Sanji and Chopper know where we are. Nami, do you still have that perfume from Nanohana?"

"Yeah, some of it," Nami answered as she reached into her cloak and pulled out the familiar orange bottle.

"Spray some of it on you," Ricky instructed. "That should bring them running."

**PISSSHHH! **Nami sprayed herself with the citrus perfume and it immediately had an effect. A voice could be heard calling out from a distance and grew louder as it got closer.

"mmmiiiiiissssssssssss nnaaaaAAAAAAMMMMIIIIIIIIII!" The Princess and the pirates stared in surprise as Sanji, Chopper, and Eyelash appeared riding on top of a giant red crab with a strange leer on its face. The crab appeared to be some kind of fiddler crab due to its right claw being bigger than its left.

"HEY GUYS! HOP ON!" Chopper called out.

"AAAAAHHH! A CRAB!" Usopp screamed.

"CHOPPER!" Nami exclaimed. "SANJI!"

"I'm glad to see you're alright Nami my love!" Sanji swooned, "You two Miss. Vivi!" Sanji glanced at the male Straw Hats and muttered with disinterest, "And you guys too. I guess Ricky's plan worked out after-all."

"That's a Moving Crab," Han stated, "They're mostly passive and that one looks kind of stupid. Threat level: low."

"WHOOAAA! AWESOME!" Luffy cheered. "I can't believe my eyes! I bet it's delicious!"

"It's not for eating, moron!" Sanji snapped, "We got him to help us make a quick escape like Ricky told us to."

"He's Eyelash's friend," Chopper explained while the camel grunted.

"YOU MEAN WE GET TO _RIDE _IT?" Luffy questioned with a giddy smile. "AWESOME! LET'S GO TO ALUBARNA!"

"Unfortunately, this is where we have to leave you," Ace spoke up causing the Straw Hats to look at him and the other two Whitebeard Pirates in surprise. "Beating Crocodile and saving Alabasta is your goal. I have a manhunt to continue. And Han and Ollie need to get back to Whitebeard, their two and a half week leave is almost over."

"You mean you're really leaving?" Luffy asked.

"I've already stayed longer than I planned," Ace reminded him. "I'm sure you and your crew can handle Crocodile and the rest of his henchmen. With that in mind I can rest easy." Ace looked over at Ricky and smiled at him, "I know that you'll look after Luffy… like you've always done." Ace's gaze shifted to Nami who was standing next to Ricky. "You're a little hot-tempered but now I know that at least there's someone who can keep _Ricky_ out of trouble too."

"Oi, I can get myself out of trouble just fine," Ricky protested.

"Sure, just like you fished yourself out of the water just fine," Han agreed condescendingly.

Nami glanced at Ricky then looked back at Ace and smiled, "It'll be a full-time job but I'll try my best," she assured him. She was pleased that she had finally earned Ace's approval.

**Whup! **Ollie's hand shot out and grabbed Nami by the collar and bluntly ordered, "You. Me. Girl talk. Now." Ollie turned and walked around a corner fully expecting Nami to follow her. Nami took a deep breath and followed after her.

"Since when does Ollie have 'girl talk'?" Han wondered.

"Now apparently," Ace replied. Ricky made to go after them but Ace held out his hand to stop him. "We all know they're going to be talking about you. Respect their privacy by letting them hash things out on their own."

Ricky turned away and found himself facing an irritated Chopper. "What's up little brother?"

"BAIT!" Chopper shouted, "YOU USED ME AS _BAIT_!"

"I thought you wanted to do anything you could?" Ricky questioned. "I figured you could handle looking tasty."

"I COULD'VE BEEN KILLED!" Chopper shrieked.

"Not likely," Ricky retorted, "I left you in Han's capable hands. Who do you think he used as bait back when we were the Spade Pirates?" Chopper looked over at the Monster Hunter who pointed to Ricky. "I knew from personal experience that you'd be perfectly fine." Chopper's expression softened. "And because he had you to use as tasty-looking bait he managed to catch the biggest, strongest bananawani in the lake. It's because of you that we were able to get everyone out of there safely." Chopper was now beaming at the praise. "It was an important part of the plan… I thought you could handle it… was I wrong?"

"No, no, I'm just glad I could help," the reindeer practically sang as he did a happy dance.

**-x-**

While Chopper was confronting Ricky another confrontation was taking place. Nami had rounded the corner after Ollie and was caught off guard when the archer grabbed her by the collar and slammed her back into the wall. Nami's breath caught in her throat as Ollie's piercing green eyes glared into hers.

"Listen to me, Pirate Princess!" Ollie growled, "I'm leaving now. That last stunt you pulled may have proven that you at least deserve a shot with him… but know this…" Ollie brought her face in so she was looking Nami dead in the eye. "If you hurt him… I swear to God… I'll spend the rest of my life making yours hell. Got that?"

**Gulp! **Nami swallowed hard and nodded.

"Good," Ollie said. "I've already lost him once. But you've proven that as long as you're around you'll keep it from happening again. I guess that's all I can hope for." Ollie let go of Nami and took couple of steps back. "He's changed a lot from the little twerp I shot with a poisoned arrow three years ago. Deep down I know that same little twerp is still hurting over what happened with Blackbeard. But if anyone can help him through it… I think it's you." Ollie's expression changed and Nami saw in her eyes that it was a look of trust. "Take care of him for me, okay?"

Nami nodded resolutely knowing that Ollie was giving her a chance and was determined not to ruin it. Ollie smiled and walked off back to the others. Nami let out a sigh of relief and followed after her.

**-x-**

Ricky gave Ollie a hard look when she got back but she responded by hugging him. "Take care," she whispered. "But don't do anything stupid or I'll come back and kick your ass."

"Kick_ my _ass?" Ricky repeated, "As if you could."

Ollie turned to the other Straw Hats, "It was great meeting you all. I hope to see you all again once you've beaten Crocodile."

"See ya, kid," Han said as he shook Ricky's hand. "Good luck dealing with that Warlord." Han turned to Vivi, "Princess, as I'm sure you're aware by now, you've got a very special group of pirates helping you out. If anyone can beat Crocodile, stop Baroque Works, and save your kingdom… it's them."

Vivi smiled, "I know," she agreed. Her friends had always come through for her so far. And now there was only one thing left to do: get to Alubarna and stop Crocodile once and for all.

"It was a pleasure meeting you all," Ace addressed the Straw Hats with a bow. Ace glanced at Ricky, "Don't get killed again." Ricky nodded and Ace looked over at Nami. "I'm not entirely sure I can trust him on that one. So make sure he doesn't." Nami smiled and nodded too. Ace finally looked over at Luffy and smiled. "A bumbling kid brother like you makes an older brother like me worry. But you've managed to find yourself and incredible crew."

"**THERE THEY ARE!" **came a loud shout. The pirates and the Princess all turned around and saw that the squad of marines had finally found them and was rushing towards them.

"Go," Ace instructed. "We'll hold them off and set sail ourselves once we've dealt with them." The Straw Hats quickly scrambled onto the Moving Crab with Eyelash while Ollie slipped a batch of arrows into her bow and Han aimed his cannon which he had since reclaimed from Chopper.

Ace smiled up at Luffy, "The next time we meet, we'll both be true pirates. See you on the high seas." Ace's fingers lit up as he brushed them against the brim of his orange hat and saluted Luffy and the Straw Hats then turned around to face the approaching Marines. "We're on the outskirts of the city… there are no civilians around to get hurt… those marines are clearly putting their lives in their own hands by challenging us… LET'S DO THIS WHITEBEARD PIRATE STYLE!" **FOOOOSHH! ** Flames erupted around Ace's body as he charged the marines with Han and Ollie following behind him.

"LET'S GO VIVI!" Luffy exclaimed, "WHICH WAY TO ALUBARNA?"

"That way!" Vivi answered as she pointed off to the side, "Due East!"

"RIGHT, WE'VE GOT LOTS TO DO!" Luffy loudly addressed his crew. "SO WE'RE NOT GONNA STOP 'TIL WE GET TO ALUBRNA! ARE YOU WITH ME?"

"YEAH!" the Straw Hats chorused. And so as the sun was setting in a distance the Moving Crab raced off across the sand heading east towards Alubarna for the final showdown to settle the fate of the Kingdom of Alabasta.

**-x-**

The escape doesn't go entirely as planned. Crocodile catches up with the Straw Hats and Luffy stays behind to keep him from stopping his Nakama. Now knowing what Crocodile capable of after seeing his fight with Ricky, Luffy looks to make good on his promise of kicking the treacherous Warlord's ass. Next chapter its Luffy versus Crocodile.

Also, I'd like to thank Kakusei for coming up with the name for Sanji's Soru technique. Sauté is a culinary term for a quick heating, and in French the verb means To Jump. It fits Sanji's attack theme and Sanji's already got pretty fast feet so I don't think it's too much of a stretch that he'd be able to learn it especially after crossing a desert wearing a thousand kilograms on each of his ankles.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	47. Chapter 47

**Another Nakama**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of the related characters, just the original characters that appear in this story.

**Luffy versus Crocodile:**

**-x-**

Lieutenant Devo approached Captain Smoker with his head hung and uniform singed. "I'm sorry sir," he apologized. "The Straw Hats managed to escape. The three Whitebeard Pirates stalled us so they could get away. I'm afraid we weren't much of a match for them."

"Listen, there's no point in pursuing them now," Smoker resolved. The main reason the Straw Hats had escaped was because he had let them. Not only because they had saved his life while they were escaping Crocodile's cell but because Princess Vivi seemed to have recruited them to help her keep Crocodile from destroying her Kingdom. "Tell the men to call off the chase."

Lieutenant Devo stared at Smoker in surprise. It was out of character of 'White Chase' Smoker to give up chasing _anyone_, especially someone he seemed so dedicated to catching.

"I want everyone assembled here," Smoker ordered. "And contact headquarters. Tell them to mobilize every military vessel in the vicinity and route them here. I want Alabasta _surrounded_."

"You're calling for reinforcements?" Devo questioned. "But sir, we already defied the superiors by chasing the Straw Hats here without orders. Our superiors might not be willing to move such a large number of ships against such a small group of pirates."

"And since when do I care what the superiors might think?" Smoker growled.

"Sorry sir, I'll get right on it," Lieutenant Devo agreed before he ran off to call off the chase as per the Captain's orders.

**-x-**

Meanwhile, the Straw Hats sped away on the back of a giant Moving Crab as it scuttled sideways away from Rain Base towards Alubarna.

"I can't believe you found one!" Vivi exclaimed. "Moving Crabs are always submerged under the sand so it's nearly impossible to spot one!"

"He's Eyelash's friend," Chopper explained as he sat in between the two stalks that were the crab's eyes and held two ropes like reigns. "Eyelash has a lot of friends in this area because it's his hometown. He was born and raised here. He's nice but kinda pervy."

**SHHWWOOOO!** A golden hook propelled by a stream of sand flew over the sand and rapidly began catching up with the Moving Crab.

"LOOK OUT!" Ricky exclaimed as he grabbed Vivi and threw her to Sanji only to be grabbed by the hook and yanked off of the crab. **SHUUWUK! **"I think he's mad now."

Everyone flinched in surprise as Ricky was yanked back towards three figures that were standing on the outskirts of Rain Base. The tallest of the three had a stream of sand coming from his arm and connecting to the hook.

"CHOPPER, STOP THE CRAB!" Zoro shouted at the reindeer holding the reins.

The crab skidded to a stop while Luffy jumped up onto one of its stalk-like eyes. "IT'S _HIM_!" Luffy growled and stretched his arms out after Ricky and the hook.** SHOOM!** **WHAP! **Luffy grabbed onto the golden hook and shot off the crab after it. **WOING!**

Once he reached the crab Luffy quickly grabbed Ricky and pulled him free from the hook and tossed him back towards the others.

"GAH! HE'S COMING BACK!" Usopp shrieked just as Ricky slammed into him and knocked them both over. **WHAM!**

"HEY LUFFY!" Zoro called after the Captain.

"THAT IDIOT!" Sanji snapped.

"LUFFY NO!" Vivi shouted as they all watched the rubber Captain get pulled towards the three figures outside Rain Base.

"YOU GUYS GO ON AHEAD!" Luffy ordered them. "DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME!" **WHAM! **Luffy was slammed upside-down into the sand but continued to call out to his Nakama. "MAKE SURE YOU DELIVER VIVI HOME SAFE AND SOUND, PROMISE ME!" Luffy finished with a smirk that caused most of the Straw Hats to flinch.

"You heard him," Ricky stated as he and Usopp sat up, "Luffy can handle those guys. We need to get to Alubarna. Let's go Chopper."

"RIGHT!" Chopper agreed, "LET'S GO CRAB!" Chopper snapped the reins and the Moving Crab scuttled off sideways across the sand leaving Luffy alone with Crocodile, Ms. All Sunday, and Mr. 3.5.

"WAIT! RICKY!" Usopp shouted. "THAT'S COLD! STOP THE CRAB! YOU'RE NOT ACTUALLY GOING TO LEAVE HIM BHEHIND ARE YOU? HE JUST SAVED YOU!"

"Luffy can handle himself," Ricky told him. "And he knows that the most important thing right now is that we get Vivi to Alubarna to stop the war. If we stopped to help him we'd never make it in time."

"Well… if Luffy's gone THEN YOU'D BETTER PROTECT ME, DAMN IT!" Usopp ordered.

"STOP! WE HAVE TO GO BACK!" Vivi screamed not wanting to leave Luffy alone at the hands of a Warlord and his two henchmen.

"It's alright Vivi, he'll be fine," Nami attempted to reassure her. "You have to trust me on this okay? I certainly feel sorry for the other guy. Luffy shows no mercy to his prey. And there's not a single person he's gone after that was able to walk away."

"Crocodile will fail," Zoro stated, "Luffy will win. It's that simple. The moment that the Rebel Army started running… this land's final hour was set. Once the Rebel Army and the Royal Army meet the Kingdom of Alabasta will be gone forever. You truly are the one and only hope of preventing that tragedy. You must survive… no matter what. From this point on what happens to Luffy… or ANY OF US for that matter isn't the least bit important!"

"Vivi, this is fight that you and you alone started," Sanji told her. "You're the one who bravely left this land years ago and made the decision to stand up against a corrupted and evil organization. However… don't make the mistake of thinking you're alone anymore."

"D-don't w-worry," Usopp stammered, "C-CAPTAIN USOPP WILL P-PROTECT YOU!"

"LUUUUUFFYYYYYY!" Vivi stood up and shouted across the sand at the now distant form of Luffy. "LIIIIISTEEEEEN! WE'LL BE WAITING FOR YOU! WE'LL BE IN ALUBARNA!"

"YEAAAAHHH!" Luffy cheered as he watched his Nakama race off on the crab.

Crocodile, Ms. All Sunday, and Mr. 3.5 stood beyond Luffy and watched the Moving Crab race off with the Straw Hats and Princess Vivi on board.

"Fufu, you could say we let Princess Vivi slip through our fingers," Ms. All Sunday commented.

"No matter," Crocodile replied as he stood there casually smoking one of his expensive cigars. "The agents are still scheduled to gather in Alubarna. Contact them at once and head over there immediately." Crocodile then turned his attention to Luffy and glared down at the pirate who was still lying upside down in the sand. "Straw Hat, I'd say that you've taken this nonsense a little too far."

**WHUP! **Luffy flipped over so he was sitting on the sand and facing Crocodile. "Nonsense?" he repeated. "Vivi doesn't see it that way. Ya see, unlike most people, she genuinely cares about others." Luffy paused and pulled off the light blue sash tying his straw hat onto his head leaving him in his red desert cloak and his usual outfit of a red vest, shorts, and sandals. "I guess deep down she's an optimist… even if it's not so realistic. Take this revolt for example, she believes no one needs to die."

"Nobody needs to die?" Crocodile repeated while Ms. All Sunday and Mr. 3.5 remained silent. "The problem with idealistic fools like Princess Vivi is they take a stand without any comprehension of what is truly involved in a real fight. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yup," Luffy replied as he finally looked up at Crocodile and slowly pushed himself up to his feet. "But that doesn't change the fact that as long as you're around Vivi's gonna fight until she either wins or dies trying. So I figure… I'LL TAKE YA DOWN RIGHT HERE!"

"Kuahahahaha," Crocodile laughed. "Such a foolish boy. Despite what the idealists cry about there's one constant truth: on the rough battle fields of life: you either kill or die. That's why I'm more than happy to shoot a bullet through every bleeding heart I meet."

"Yeah," Luffy said as he brushed off his cloak then punched one fist into the other and cracked his knuckles, "Which proves _you're_ the bigger fool here."

Crocodile was so annoyed by Luffy's comment that ended up biting off the end of the cigar that was dangling out of his mouth.

"Fufufufu," Ms. All Sunday laughed.

"You think something's funny?" Crocodile growled her. "Perhaps you'd like to die as well… Nico Robin."

"If you wanna try… go right ahead," Ms. All Sunday a.k.a. Nico Robin prompted as she turned and walked off towards the city. "And didn't you promise not to call my by that name?"

"Where are you going?" Crocodile demanded.

"I have some business to take care of," Ms. All Sunday answered. "And then I'm heading to Alubarna. I'll see you there."

"I'll never figure her out," Crocodile muttered before he turned to Mr. 3.5 who was standing obediently beside him. "Call ahead to the other Officer Agents and tell them to keep a look out for the Straw Hat Pirates. Give them a description of One Eye and Mr. Prince. And give them orders to make sure that Princess Vivi and the Rebel Leader Koza don't meet. Then go to my personal stable and take one of the Accelagators and immediately head for Alubarna. Once there, find One Eye and eliminate him. He's proven to be too much of a problem to let live. You know him better than the others do and I will not have him mucking up my plans again."

"Yes sir," Mr. 3.5 agreed. "Be careful. Straw Hat is surprisingly resilient."

"So am I," Crocodile stated, "Now go." Mr. 3.5 nodded and headed back towards Rain Base following the footprints left by Ms. All Sunday.

This left Luffy and Crocodile alone. It was finally time 'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy, Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, Most Wanted Man in the East Blue worth 30,000,000 berries was going to face Sir Crocodile, President of Baroque Works, Warlord of the Sea with a former bounty of 81,000,000 berries.

Crocodile pulled something out of his coat and tossed it down into the sand near Luffy. Luffy glanced down and saw that it was an hour glass with purple sand slowly dripping from the top part down to the bottom.

"I've got three minutes to spare," Crocodile stated. "After that… I'm certain your time will have run out as well."

**-x-**

"Usopp, I need you to help me with something," Ricky requested as he and the other Straw Hats raced away on the Moving Crab. The First Mate pulled off his boots – leaving him barefoot – then produced the two bars of Sea Stone he'd managed to break off of Crocodile's holding cell. "Before we get to Alubarna I need you to meld these bars into the steel on my boots. Most of the remaining Officer Agents have Devil Fruit Powers so if my boots are laced with Sea Stone I'll be able to take them down easier."

"I'll see what I can do," Usopp agreed as he fished into his artillery pouch and pulled out a hammer and a handful of orange marbles. The marksman pulled down his goggles and held one of Ricky's boots upside down then placed one of the Sea Stone bars in the middle of the boot's steel treads. Usopp nodded then took one of the orange marbles and smashed it down on the steel sole of the boot. "FIRE STAR!" **FWOOSH! **The marble combusted and the resulting flames heated up the steel and the Sea Stone on the boot's bottom. Usopp quickly tossed another marble down on the other half of the boot's sole. **FWOOSH! **With the steel bottom now blazing hot from the Fire Stars Usopp took his hammer and began smashing it down on the hot metal. **KLANK! KLANG! **Usopp slowly began to rework the Sea Stone bar so it started to meld with the steel on Ricky's boot.

"Very good," Ricky commented. "Just remember Usopp… the more effective my boots are against the Devil Fruit Powered Officer Agents… the less you have to do against them."

"Hey wait a minute!" Sanji protested. "If _you_ take 'em all down what'll be left for—" Sanji was cut off by the rapid pounding of Usopp's hammer.

**KONK! KLANG! KLANG! KLANK! PING! KONK! **Usopp increased speed and began rapidly pounding the hot metal desperate to get Ricky's boot upgrade done quickly. The way he saw it, if Ricky took down a bunch of Officer Agents then _he_ wouldn't have to fight them but as a helpful side-benefit he could still say he helped when the battle was over.

"Oi, seriously, you'd better not take 'em all down," Zoro warned Ricky. "Cause I've got a new technique I still wanna try out."

"Yeah," Sanji agreed, "Don't be greedy! Your escape plan only let me run away from Crocodile. I still haven't had a chance to face any Officer Agents yet!"

**-x-**

**Thirty Million versus Eighty-One Million:**

**-x-**

A strong wind blew by as Luffy and Crocodile stared down. Luffy's desert cloak and Crocodile's fur coat waved in the breeze but the two paid it no mind.

"Your three minutes are counting down," Crocodile stated. "I don't have any more time to waste on the likes of you."

"…" Luffy remained silent. The only sound to be heard was the billowing wind.

"It's your move kid," Crocodile prompted.

"With pleasure," Luffy replied as he clenched one hand and cracked his knuckles. He drew his arm back and sent his rubber fish flying at Crocodile, "GUUUUM… GUUUUUMMM… PIIIISTOOOOOL!" **SWOOSHH! **Crocodile didn't even bother letting the punch pass harmlessly through him, he tilted to the side and avoided then his body became and cloud of sand and blew away in the wind.

_**BANG!**__ Usopp fired his revolver and a red bullet shot through the bars of the cell and sank into Crocodile's chest before it came out his back and exploded on the floor, __**KA-BOOOM!**_

"_Was there a point to that?" Crocodile asked as the hole Usopp's bullet had made through his chest filled with sand and reformed his body. Crocodile was left standing there completely unharmed._

"_It's just as I suspected," Ace remarked. "He's a Logia. What're the odds of having three of us in one room?"_

"_That's right," Crocodile replied with a smirk, "I ate the Sand Sand Fruit and now I can not only control but also become the sands themselves. I'm the King of the Desert."_

**SHHOOO! **Crocodile reformed right in front of Luffy and lashed his golden hook out at the rubber pirate. **SWOOSH! **Luffy flipped backwards to avoid the hook and landed on his hands.

"And GUMMM… GUUUUMMMM… STAAAAMMMP!" **SKUSSSHH!** While still upside downLuffy's rubber leg shot out and burst straight through Crocodile's head, reducing the Warlord to a cloud of sand. **WOING! **Luffy's leg came back and he flipped over in midair and landed on his back in the sand somehow losing his cloak in the process.

"By now it should be quite obvious," Crocodile called out as his sandy body reformed. "But I'll warn you. You cannot defeat me. This is an exercise in futility."

"_DAMN IT RICKY!" Nami yelled. "THAT'S CLEARLY NOT WORKING!"_

"_Yes it is," Ricky replied. __**SLISH! **__The Warlord was once again reduced to a pile of sand. "He can't attack me…" __**SLASH!**__ "…if he's not…" __**SWISH! **__"…solid." _

Luffy stood back up now clad in only his hat, vest, shorts, and sandals. "GUUUUUMMMM… GUUUUUUUMMMMM… GAAAATLIIIINNNG!" **SHWUK-SHWUK-SHWUK-SHWUK-SHWUK! **Luffy shot his rubber arms out in a rapid-fire barrage of punches, they passed through Crocodile's body and left wide gaping holes in their wake.

Crocodile reformed again and spoke with his eyes closed looking utterly bored. "Listen to my warning and take heed," Crocodile called out. "If you continue this senseless attack you will have accomplished nothing and wasted what little time you have left. Both you and One Eye should've both realized that you're no match for me."

"_Were you really a Whitebeard Pirate?" Crocodile asked as he held Ricky by the throat and coked him. "I was expecting better."_

_**PTOOII!**__ Ricky spat in Crocodile's face and the Warlord flinched back in surprise. Ricky pulled free from Crocodile's grasp and spun around before he jumped up and drove his foot back into the Warlord's wet face. "Machete…BACK KICK!" __**THWAK! **__The kick connected and Ricky had positioned Crocodile perfectly that he went flying backwards and slammed back-first into the Sea Stone bars of the cell._

Crocodile's eyes were still closed so he never saw Luffy spit on his fists. So he made no move to dodge as Luffy charged him with his arms stretched out behind his back. "GUUUUUMMM… GUUUUUUMMMMM… BAAAAAZOOOOOKAAAAAAA!" **WHAAAAM! **Luffy's wet fists slammed into Crocodile's body. A look of utter shock was on the Warlord's face as he was sent flying backwards across the sea of sand.

**SKUSSHH!** Crocodile's body hit the ground and collapsed into a pile of sand. **WOOOSH! **The sand swirled around and Crocodile's body reformed with him standing up and holding his stomach were Luffy had hit him.

"So he _can_ learn…" Crocodile growled in irritation. "The little fool packs a lot of power in his punch but he's nothing compared to me." **SHWOO! **Crocodile's right arm became a loose blade of sand before the lashed out and sand it down into the sand at his feet. "DESERT SPARDA!" **SHOOOSH! **The blade rushed through the sand like a torpedo causing it to split and become a deep ravine as it rushed towards Luffy.

"WHOA!" Luffy gasped as he jumped to the side to avoid Crocodile's attack. He glanced down at the ravine that was left by the rushing sand and couldn't see a bottom. "That was close."

**WOOOSH!** Sand swirled and Crocodile reappeared behind Luffy. "You're wasting your time boy," Crocodile said. "No matter how hard you fight against the truth… there's no way a rubber freak like you could even hope to rival me. You…"

**Ptoi! POW! **Luffy spat on his fist and socked Crocodile in the face. The Warlord was knocked off his feet and landed on his ass in the sand. A bruise formed on his right cheek where Luffy had hit him.

"I'M SORRY! MY FIST INTERRUPTED YOU!" Luffy taunted. "NOW WHAT WAS THAT?"

Crocodile glared at Luffy and let out a low growl as he got to his feet. "I've had my fill of you," Crocodile snarled. "Let's end this now."

"Sounds good ta me!" Luffy retorted. **SKISH! **The rubber pirate leapt up into the air overhead Crocodile looked up at him but Luffy's silhouette was hidden by the bright desert sun. **PTOOI! **A wad of spit came flying down at Crocodile but the Warlord was ready this time and weaved to the side and avoided it. "GUUUUUMMM… GUUUUUUMMMM… BATTLE AAAXEEE!" Luffy came down with his leg stretched up overhead he snapped it down and cleaved Crocodile in half before his heel slammed down into the sand and created a small crater. **THWUMP!**

Crocodile's two halves floated backwards and then joined together and reformed the Warlord's body to reveal him completely unharmed.

"Damn, he avoided it," Luffy realized, "Spitting on him isn't gonna work anymore. Now what am I gonna do?"

"We may both be pirates but you fall grossly short on skill," Crocodile commented. "DESERT SPARDA!" **SHOOOSH!** Again Crocodile formed a blade of sand on his right arm and sank it down into the sand. The blade raced towards Luffy and split everything in its path. **SHWOOM! **This time with Crocodile so close and the attack moving so fast Luffy had a harder time dodging but he managed to dive out of the way and avoid being split in half along with the sand.

"Hmph, nice reflexes boy," Crocodile commended Luffy. "A full-on hit from that attack would've killed you."

"Whoa! That one looks even deeper!" Luffy exclaimed as he stared down the new ravine. This one had been shorter and more concentrated resulting in it being even deeper than the previous nearly bottomless ravine.

"You may have Devil Fruit Powers but you lack discipline and training," Crocodile said as he changed his commending to criticism. "With that your skills could be as formidable as any. But you're not there yet. Like so many fools you waste so much time obsessing over your abilities. Gimmicks get you only so far in a fight without the skill set to back them up. I've worked hard to develop my Devil Fruit Powers. I can use them to make any weapon I want. Unlike some fools who are satisfied with their powers as they are I continually condition myself and improve my skills." Luffy stood up and Crocodile's entire right arm once again became a blade of sand. "DESERT GIRASOLE!" Crocodile sank his blade arm down into the sand. **SHWUMP!**

Luffy clenched his fists and got ready to avoid the next attack but suddenly found that Crocodile had positioned him so he was trapped in between the two deep ravines. **SHOOOOOM! **The sand all around Luffy started sinking into the ground in a large round sunflower-like shape.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?" Luffy exclaimed as the sinking sand started to pull him down along with it. The sand rushed down into a bowl-like shape and Luffy desperately ran towards the side to avoid being pulled down along with it. "WHAT IS THIS? THAT SAND'S SINKING! IT'S LIKE QUICKSAND!"

"It _is_ quicksand," Crocodile informed the frantic rubber pirate as he calmly stood at the edge of the bowl. "It makes for a convenient desert burial when you need to get rid of someone in a hurry. The sand is drawn down into underground waterways. And I have the good fortune of being able to detect exactly where they are. That advantage alone is what makes me invincible in a desert battle."

"If you… think I'm gonna let myself… be buried alive in this sand trap…" Luffy panted as he sprinted up the wall of the bowl while the sand rushed in the opposite direction. "YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING! YOU BASTARD!" **SHOOM! **Luffy stretched his arms up over his head, "GUUMM… GUUUMM… BAZOOOKAAA!" **BOOOM! **Luffy drove his rubber fists down into the sand at his feet and sent himself flying up into the air.

"_I can't hit him if he's not wet," _Luffy thought to himself as he flew overhead. _"But now he's dodging my spit… SO I'LL BRING MY SPIT TO HIM!" _"GUUUMMM… GUUUUMMMM…" Luffy's rubber head swelled up and he stretched his mouth opened, "MUNCH MUNCH!" **CHOOMP! **Luffy came flying down and bit down on the top half of Crocodile's body. Crocodile's legs were left standing as Luffy hit the ground and rolled away from him.

"EEEENOOOOUUUGH!" Crocodile roared as his upperbody erupted out of Luffy's mouth. His sandy body was now damp and brown from Luffy's saliva. "DAAAAMN YOOOUUU STRAAAW HAAAT! THIIS EENDS NOOOWWW!"

"You're right!" Luffy agreed as he shot to his feet, "GUUUMM… GUUUMMM… WHIIIP!" **THWAK! **Luffy stretched his leg out and swung it around into Crocodile's wet sandy body and sent the Warlord flying. "I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET!" Luffy chased after his opponent while leaving his arm behind allowing it to stretch out behind his body. "GUUUMM… GUUUUMMMMM…. BUUUULLEEEEETTT!" **POW! **Luffy drove his fist into Crocodile's face and sent the Warlord flying and then tumbling away across the sand.

Crocodile slowly rose to his feet and glared at Luffy. Blood was dripping out of the corner of the Warlord's mouth

"RAAAAHHH!" Luffy roared as he raced at Crocodile and pulled back his arm to punch him again. "GUUUUUMMM… GUUUMMMMM… PIIII—"

"CRESCENT CUTLASS!" **WHAK! **Crocodile cut Luffy off as he slashed his right arm through the arm that Luffy was swinging at him. **WHAM! **Luffy went off balance and tumbled passed him and landed on his back.

"AAAAAHHHH! MY AAARRRMM!" Luffy screamed. He chanced a glance over at his right arm and his eyes went wide in shock. "WAAAAAHHHHHH!" Luffy's long thin arm was now even thinner. Only this time it was gray shriveled and wrinkled. It looked like the arm of a zombie or a mummy. "WHAT DID YOU DO? IT'S ALL SHRIVELED UP! LIKE A MUMMY! YOU TURNED MY ARM INTO A MUMMY!"

"Stop whining!" Crocodile snapped. "This is the price you pay for angering me. The sand has absorbed all the moisture from your arm. You're lucky all I decided to attack was your arm. I could've gotten your whole body and turned you into a pile of dust."

"You've gotta be kidding me," Luffy groaned as he sat up and held his mummy arm with his good arm. Then he spotted his water barrel lying on top of this abandoned desert cloak. "THAT'S IT WATER!" Luffy ran frantically over to this discarded cloak and grabbed the small barrel of water that Toto had given him when he was leaving Yuba. **SLUUUURRRP! **Luffy put the straw in his mouth and sucked down a mouthful of precious Yuba water. **WOING! **The moisture from the water went straight to Luffy's mummy arm which bulked up and muscled like a classic Popeye cartoon.

"All in vain," Crocodile stated as he glared at the pirate that was now really annoying him.

"YOU'RE WRONG SANDY!" Luffy yelled. "Y'see that old guy in Yuba gave me this barrel of water. He spent all night digging it up just for me. He's not scared and neither am I!"

"_The dream of Yuba can't be ruined by a bunch of lousy sand," Toto said as Luffy watched him dig for water in the dried up oasis._

Luffy stood up with the water barrel now hanging from his neck. "I'm not about to give into the sand," Luffy declared, "NOT WITHOUT A FIGHT! RRAAAAHHH!" Luffy charged Crocodile and pulled back his fist.

"Predictable," Crocodile growled, "I'm growing bored. CRESCENT CUTLASS!" **SWISH! **Luffy dropped down and Crocodile missed him. The Warlord looked down to see Luffy standing on his hands while the bottoms of his sandals were pressed together.

"SPEEAAAR!" Luffy's legs shot up straight into Crocodile's still damp stomach, **THWHAM!** Crocodile went flying up into the air but Luffy flipped over and stretched one of his legs up over his and Crocodile's heads, "AAAND BAATTLEE AAAXEEEEE!" **THWHOMP!** Luffy's leg snapped down and the heel slammed into Crocodile's damp back and sent him flying back down to the ground. **WHAM! **Crocodile's body hit the sand and then dispersed as a dark sand cloud before reforming to reveal the battered Warlord panting and doubled over. **TMP! **Luffy landed across from him and grinned, "SHISHISHI! That old guy in Yuba won't give in to your lousy sand… neither will Alabasta… AND NEITHER WILL III!"

"VERMIN!" Crocodile snarled. "I'LL DESTROY YOU _AND _THE CURSED LAND OF YUBA!" Crocodile looked over at the empty hourglass. "Your three minutes are up. Like I said at the start… I don't have time to fool around with you here. You may think that you've accomplished something but all you've succeeded in doing is waste my time AND SEVERELY ANGER ME! SABLES!" **SHWWOOO! **Crocodile held out his hand and a small tornado of sand swirled into existence on the Warlord's palm. **WOOOOOSSHHHH! **The sand tornado grew in size until it was towering overhead.

"WAAAAHH!" Luffy screamed as he stared up at the sandstorm that Crocodile had created.

"Ahh, that sand's so soothing and dry," Crocodile commented.

**-x-**

At Rain Base the civilians and Marines alike spotted the swirling sand off in a distance. "LOOK OUT! SANDSTORM!" someone shouted. "HEAD FOR SHELTER!"

"Wait a minute!" someone else protested, "It's not coming this way! It's headed south!"

"CAPTAIN SMOKER LOOK!" Tashigi exclaimed as she stood with Captain Smoker and Lieutenant Devo and stared out at the sandstorm that had just appeared out of nowhere.

"_You don't know much about sand storms do you, 'Straw Hat' Luffy?" Crocodile questioned. "Ever wonder how one can hit a city perfectly every time?" _

_**SHHHWWOOOOO… **__Seconds later Crocodile formed a small tornado of sand on his hand effectively demonstrating that he could use his Sand Sand Fruit Powers to create a sandstorm at will. "Kuahahahahahaha…"_

"_That's Crocodile's doing…" _Smoker thought to himself.

**-x-**

"Miss. Vivi what's going on?" Sanji asked in alarm.

"There's a giant sandstorm heading south from Rain Base!" Vivi observed as she stared at the sandstorm that had appeared on the spot outside Rain Base where they'd left Luffy. "It's Crocodile…"

The Princess and the pirates all stared at the sandstorm that marked where Luffy was fighting Crocodile.

"…" Zoro and Sanji were both silent.

Usopp frowned then went right back to Ricky's boot upgrade.

"Luffy no…" Nami gasped.

Chopper looked over at Ricky wanting his big brother's take on the grim-looking situation.

"Luffy's gonna be fine," Ricky stated. "This isn't the first time he's gone up against a sandstorm. He can handle this one too. Take this as a good sign… if Crocodile resorted to using his powers to create a sandstorm that means Luffy really has him backed into a corner."

**-x-**

"Can you hear it move?" Crocodile asked. "In this land the prevailing winds always blow from north to south. If this infantile sandstorm of mine were to say… catch one of these winds… it would grow exponentially until it became a monster! And following its trajectory south… WHERE DO YOU THINK IT WOULD STRIKE? YUBA!"

"I WON'T LET IT GET THAT FAR!" Luffy insisted. "WON'T LET YOU HURT THAT OLD GUY! _OR _YUBA! I'LL STOP YOUR STUPID SANDSTORM RIGHT HERE!"

"_So… uh… how do we fight a sandstorm?" Luffy asked as he, Ricky, Zoro, and Sanji stood in front of the sandstorm that was baring down on them and threatening to destroy them along with the village of Edo. __**SSSHHHHWWWWOOOO… **_

"_A sandstorm is basically wind blowing the sand," Ricky reasoned, "so we should be able to stop it if we counter with an even stronger wind. Luffy, make your biggest Gum Gum Balloon and then spin around and blow out all the air at the sandstorm. Zoro, stand beside him and swing two of your swords around as fast as you can. DO NOT let the sandstorm move any further."_

"_RIGHT!" Luffy and Zoro agreed._

"_GUUUM… GUUUUM…" __**SHOOOM!**__ Luffy inflated until he was five-times his normal size while Zoro drew two of his swords._

_Ricky looked over at Sanji, "The sandstorm is spinning counter-clockwise. While those two keep it at bay, the two of us will jump inside and spin clockwise. If we do it fast enough we should be able to cancel it out."_

Luffy took a deep breath, "GUUUUMMM… GUUUUUMMMMM… BAAAALLOOOON!" **FWOOSH! **Luffy's rubber body inflated with air then he jumped towards the sandstorm. As he flew through the air Luffy noted which was the sandstorm was spinning and spun the top half of his round rubber body the other way until he looked like a strange balloon animal. **SHWOOO! **The strong wind from the sandstorm sucked the inflated pirate right in and threw him around inside of it. Luffy let out all the air he'd been holding in and let his rubber body snap back the other way. **FWWWOOOOOOOOO!** Luffy spun around and flew through the sandstorm while blowing out a torrent of counter-wind.

Crocodile's expression was one of utter shock as he watched the sandstorm he'd just created lose power until the sand dropped unmoving down to the ground.

Luffy was left standing tall in the sandstorm's place. "YOUR STUPID SANDSTORMS ARE NO MATCH FOR ME AND MY CREW!" Luffy shouted, "We already stopped two of 'em! One outside of some Epo place and the other in Yuba! That one was weak enough that I could stop it all by myself!"

Crocodile's shocked expression turned angry as he tried to glare a hole straight through Luffy.

**-x-**

"IT STOPPED!" someone in Rain Base exclaimed. "THE SANDSTORM STOPPED!"

"Straw Hat…" Smoker muttered to himself. He was actually doing it. He was actually facing Crocodile. And he was actually stopping him.

**-x-**

"YEEAAAH LUUUFFYYY!" Nami, Usopp, and Chopper all cheered.

Vivi, Zoro, and Sanji smiled and looked relieved.

Ricky remained seated and had his signature sly grin in place, "Told ya," he stated. "Crocodile may have skill and experience being a pirate. But he doesn't have what it takes to beat someone as strong-willed as Luffy."

Chopper looked over at Ricky and attempted to copy his big brother's cool confident grin.

**-x-**

"I beat your sandstorm, sandy!" Luffy boasted, "NOW I'M GONNA BEAT YOU!" Luffy charged at Crocodile and stretched his arms out behind him, "GUUUUUUMMMMMM… GUUUUUUUMMMMMM… BAAAAAZOOOOO—" **SHUNK!**

Luffy's stretched arms fell limply to the ground and retracted, his body was slumped, his head hung, and his eyes partially glazed over. Blood dripped down into the sand. Luffy had left himself wide opened when he charged Crocodile with his arms stretched out behind him… and Crocodile had lunged forward and impaled him with his hook.

"Did you really think you were my equal?" Crocodile asked as he held Luffy's limp body aloft on his hook. "There have been many other rookies like you who have challenged me and you've all shared a common trait: fatal ineptitude."

The Warlord looked battered there was a bruise on his cheek, he was bleeding from the mouth, and his slicked back dark purple hair was now a mess. But it was Luffy who was the worse for wear. His eyes were blank and his body was limp as Crocodile's golden hook went through his stomach and came out his back causing the rubber man's blood to leak out onto the sand.

"You may have come closer to beating me that any of them…" Crocodile admitted, "but in the end… you, like them, are only qualified for one thing… death."

**-x-**

Dun! Dun! DUN! Luffy's been beaten! I hope Ricky's presence in the story altered the fight enough that it wasn't just a boring rewrite. Luffy may be down but the other Straw Hats are still racing for Alubarna and will have to deal with Alabasta's animal land as they dash for a miracle.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	48. Chapter 48

**Another Nakama**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of the related characters, just the original characters that appear in this story.

**Dash for a Miracle**

**-x-**

The three Whitebeard Pirates were heading south along the coast of the Sandora River towards their ships when Ace suddenly stopped in his tracks prompting Han and Ollie to stop too.

Ace removed his orange hat and stared down at the two pieces of paper that had been sewn into the underside of the brim. The rectangular shaped Vivre Card was burning up. Ace knew that Vivre Cards were resistant to fire, the only time they burned was if the person who the card was made from was injured or dying. Ace frowned as he watched Luffy's card burn.

"What's the matter?" Han asked him.

"Luffy's in trouble," Ace stated.

"He's not… dead… is he?" Ollie questioned uncertainly.

"No, he's still alive," Ace reassured them as he stared at the small sliver that remained of Luffy's Vivre Card. "But I think he's really hurt."

"Do you wanna go back and help him?" Han inquired.

Ace was silent for a moment as he continued staring at the sliver of paper. "No," he eventually answered. "Crocodile is Luffy's fight. It's not my place to fight Luffy's battles for him. Luffy's always had an incredibly strong will. As long as he's not dead he can come back from anything."

"Seems like something he shares with you," Ollie commented.

"Ricky used to joke that the 'D.' in our names stood for Determination," Ace informed them with a small smile. "Luffy's outright determined to beat Crocodile. So whatever the injuries were inflicted on him… he's gonna rise up and fight back."

"Portgaz D. Ace… Monkey D. Luffy…" Ollie listed, "What _does _the D. stand for?"

"No idea," Ace admitted.

"You mean you don't know your own name?" Ollie asked.

"Guess not," Ace replied. "I didn't exactly name myself. And my parents weren't really around to ask, were they?" Ollie quickly quieted knowing full well that Ace's parents were a sore subject. "Maybe we'll just stick with Determination."

**-x-**

The abandoned oasis of Yuba was still and quiet. The only living occupant of the city was currently standing at the bottom of the incredibly deep pit he'd spent that last two days digging.

"WATER!" Toto exclaimed. The old man's persistence had paid off, all around him was a layer of water that he'd finally managed to reach. "I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE MY EYES!" Tears welled up in Toto's eyes as he stood in the water, it came up to his shins and was the most he'd seen in the last three years. "There's so much of it! Precious water! The water is coming forth!"

Toto cupped his hands together and scooped some water out of the pool around him.

"Didn't I tell you Luffy?" Toto exclaimed. "This land is strong! Through it all Yuba lives on!"

**-x-**

Crocodile stood in the desert on the outskirts of Rain Base with his golden hook still going through Luffy's stomach and coming out his back. The rubber man's blood dripped down into the sand as Crocodile held him up in front of him.

"You may have stopped the sandstorm but the destruction of Nanohana has already fanned the flaming tempers within the Rebel Army causing an inferno to ignite," the Warlord stated. "In the end… the bleeding hearts which infest this land are what's killing it. And you 'Straw Hat' Luffy are the worst of them all. If only you had purged yourself of such weakness, you may have lived a little longer."

Crocodile's eyes narrowed when he felt something… wet. Upon closer inspection he saw that his hook had cracked Luffy's water barrel as he forced it through the rubber pirate's body. The water was leaking out of the barrel and was now running down Crocodile's arm.

"Hm… water," Crocodile noted. "I assume you don't feel so indebted to this water now." **WHAP! **"UUGGHHH!" Crocodile let out a groan of pain as Luffy grabbed his arm. The water from the leaking barrel wet Crocodile's arm and made the sand it was made out of solid enough for Luffy to grab.

"Ahh… ahh…" a weak gasp of pain worked its way out of Luffy's throat as he hung off of Crocodile's hook. Luffy's rubber legs flailed as he attempted to pull himself free.

"What's this?" Crocodile asked in alarm. "YOU'RE STILL ALIVE? GRRRAAAHHH!" Annoyed at the rubber pirate's persistent will to live Crocodile raised his arm up into the air and threw Luffy into the bowl of quicksand he'd made during their fight. The sand was still as Luffy rolled down the side of the bowl and eventually came to rest at the bottom.

"AAAAHHHHH!" Luffy screamed as he rolled onto his back and clutched at his stomach. His body was coated in the blood that had poured from his wound. **SIISSSSHHH! **Luffy's jerking movements caused sand to begin sliding down the sides of the bowl to the bottom.

"Hmph, that looks like it hurts," Crocodile cruelly commented as he watched Luffy's body slowly get buried by the sand. "But you'll be out of your misery soon enough. Kuahahahaha!"

"GRAAAHHH!" Luffy growled in a panic as his body slowly sank into the sand and disappeared from view. The last thing he saw was Crocodile's retreating back as the Warlord walked away from the edge of the bowl.

"Gooodbyyee!" Crocodile called out mockingly. The Warlord's face hardened as he walked back towards Rain Base. He idly felt the bruise Luffy had left on his cheek and wiped away the small trickle of blood that had been coming out of his mouth before he began smoothing out his dark purple hair which had been mussed during his fight. "That was a complete waste of my time."

**-x-**

Toto stood at the edge of the water-filled hole he'd dug in the middle of Yuba and looked up at the sky that was colorful from the oncoming sunset but still clear of clouds.

"Once we've weathered this drought the rain will bring us sweet relief," Toto commented. "Just like always! TAKE THAT YOU INCESSANT DROUGHT! YUBA WILL NEVER GIVE IN TO THE SAND!"

**-x-**

**SNIP! SNIP! SNIP! SNIP! **The Moving Crab carrying the Straw Hats raced sideways across the seemingly endless dunes of sand towards Alubarna.

"Ugghh," Zoro grunted as he held his sword _Yubashiri_ sideways and pumped it like a weight.

**KONK! KONK! **"And that's when it happened!" Usopp told Chopper as he hammered on the Sea Stone that he'd managed to work into the steel on the bottom of Ricky's boots. "I looked 'im straight in the eye and yelled 'YOU BOW-LEGGED BASTARD!' And ever since that day Crabs have been self-conscious about being bow-legged."

"Oooooooh!" Chopper gasped in amazement. Apparently there _was _someone who believed Usopp's tall tales. "So that's the reason they walk sideways?"

"Yup," Usopp replied, "_And_ at the particular moment a lobster happened to be within earshot and heard the whole thing!"

"Oooooh! So crabs and lobsters _too_?" Chopper asked.

"Better believe it!" Usopp answered. "AHAHAHAHA!"

"Zoro, why don't you relax?" Nami asked the swordsman who was still pumping his sword in one hand… with EYELASH balanced on the blade. "You're wasting your energy doing that."

"Who asked you?" Zoro growled as he continued lifting and lowering the camel free weight with one hand.

"Excuse him Miss. Nami," Sanji spoke up. "He's hopeless. Guys like Zoro… they've gotta keep moving or they won't stay focused. They have one-track minds. Especially…" Sanji paused to blow out a puff of smoke from the cigarette he was smoking, "…our own resident muscle freak here, now that he's had a taste of the Seven Warlords."

"Stop whining," Zoro complained, "Just say what's on your mind or shut up."

"You need me to spell it out?" Sanji inquired as he sat facing away from Zoro. "All this tough guy bluster is just a sad attempt to mask your fear that Luffy _might_ lose this one."

"Who me?" Zoro retorted as he dropped his camel free weight and stood up. "You saying _I'm _scared? Is that what you're saying? Look at me Dartboard Brow!"

Hearing the insult to his eyebrow Sanji stood up and glared at Zoro "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU! YA DAMN MOSS HEAD!"

"WHAT'D YOU CALL ME?" Zoro snapped.

The swordsman and the cook marched across the Moving Crab and got in each other's faces. "YOU WANNA GO?" they challenged each other at the same time. Usopp, Chopper, and Vivi looked on nervously while Nami rolled up her sleeves and prepared to put a stop to it herself.

"**Enough you two," **Ricky spoke up as he sat on the other side of the crab staring down at a small burned piece of paper in his hand with a frown marring his face. "This isn't the time for us to be at each other's throats. We have to stay focused for when we get to Aubarna."

"He's right," Sanji agreed before he turned to the Princess, "Sorry about that Miss. Vivi!"

"If we tear each other apart we've already lost," Zoro realized. He and Sanji calmed and sat back down on the crab… conveniently as far from each other at possible.

"Alright, that's settled," Nami resolved as she surveyed the subdued swordsman and cook. "Now let's focus on Alubarna. FULL SPEED SCISSORS!"

**SNIP! SNIP! SNIP! SNIP! **The Moving Crab picked up speed and raced onward as the sky began to grow dark overhead.

"Scissors?" Ricky repeated as he looked over his shoulder at the navigator.

"I named the crab," Nami proudly informed him.

"Yeah, named it _badly_," Ricky retorted. "What kind of name is 'Scissors'? That's stupid."

"It's better than anything _you_ could come up with!" Nami retorted. "I bet you'd name it something even worse… like Carl."

"What is your obsession with me naming an animal Carl?" Ricky asked.

"Oh yeah? Then what _would _you name a crab?" Nami challenged him.

"Craig," Ricky stated.

Nami face-faulted then shot back up and screamed, "THAT'S HORRIBLE!"

"It's not as bad as Scissors!" Ricky stood up and defended himself. "At least it's a name."

"It's _worse!"_ Nami argued as she stomped over to him with her arms folded stubbornly across her chest. "It's just a boring generic guy's name!"

"And Scissors is just naming it after a part of its body!" Ricky pointed out. "In this case its scissor-legs. It's almost as bad as naming Eyelash after his bushy eyelashes. It's like calling me 'One Eye' that's more of a nickname than an actual name! What if I called you 'Orange'?"

The other Straw Hats all sweat-dropped as the two continued arguing over the crab's name.

"Weren't _they_ the ones trying to calm _us _down?" Sanji asked.

"I'd hate to hear what they name their kids," Zoro dead-panned.

Zoro's commented caused Ricky and Nami blush and finally stop arguing while all the other Straw Hats – even Sanji and Vivi – cracked up at laughed at their expense. At least for now the rising tension that the Straw Hats had been feeling was broken.

**-x-**

"Captain… you want us to go to Alubarna?" Lieutenant Devo questioned as Smoker addressed him and Sergeant Major Tashigi near the outskirts of Rain Base.

"But are we chasing after the Straw Hat Pirates or reinforcing the Royal Army?" Tashigi asked.

"That's up to you," Smoker answered as he sat in the seat of his Blower Bike. "You'll have to decide which is more important when you get there."

"But sir, I don't understand… what's going on?" Tashigi inquired. Smoker clearly hadn't explained what he'd learned while he was trapped with the Straw Hats.

"Rely on your sense of justice," Smoker stated as he adjusted his gloves and reached out and grabbed the handle bars on his Blower Bike. "Lieutenant, you're in charge. Whatever happens I'll accept responsibility."

Devo gave a curt nod showing he understood what he had to do while Tashigi continued to question their superior, "Captain where are you going?"

"I have to head out to sea," Smoker replied. "Something unforeseen has come up. Be on alert to receive communication from me at any time."

"Right," Devo agreed.

"I need you to keep a vigilant eye on this country and where it ends up," Smoker continued as he pulled his goggles down over his eyes. "Whether it falls or whether it survives the dawn of a brand new historic age is on the horizon." **vvvVVVRRRRROOOOOM! **With that Smoker raced off into the desert on his Blower Bike and left a cloud of smoke in his wake.

"Lieutenant… what do we do?" Tashigi asked.

"Like Captain Smoker said: we have to rely on our sense of justice," Lieutenant Devo resolved the two officers turned around and found the entire battalion of Marines standing before them awaiting orders. The Lieutenant took a deep breath then addressed the troops, "MEN! We came to this island to capture the Straw Hat Pirates. Without the Whitebeard Pirates gone we'll finally be able to complete our objective. EVERYONE REINFORCE YOUR GEAR! WE'RE HEADING OUT TO ALUBARNA!"

"YES SIR!" the Marines chorused then ran off to prepare for departure.

Lieutenant Devo and Sergeant Major Tashigi were left alone.

"Captain Smoker said that a new age is on the horizon," Devo stated. "Kingdoms rise and fall like clockwork. This rebellion has been brewing for years while we've only been here a week. It's not our place to get involved in a Civil War that has nothing to do with us. We'll allow events to run their course and the war to end as it is fated. We'll focus on the threat that _does_ concern us and apprehend the pirates that we chased here."

**-x-**

**SNIP! SNIP! SNIP! **A star-filled night sky was overhead as Scissors the Moving Crab raced through the sand and carried the Straw Hats towards Alubarna.

"WHAT?" Usopp shrieked. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE CAN'T CROSS THIS RIVER?"

"Moving Crabs are creatures of the desert," Vivi explained. "They don't take to water."

"HAS EVERYONE GONE NUTS?" Usopp exclaimed. "IT'S A _CRAB_ THEY CAN EXIST ON LAND _AND _WATER!"

"We have to cross the Sandora River to get to Alubarna," Ricky stated. "And if we waste all our energy swimming across we'll never make it in time."

"And what are we supposed to do if we managed to swim across?" Usopp continued, "RUN TO ALUBARNA ON FOOT?"

Sanji looked off ahead of the crab and his visible eye widened when he spotted water up ahead. They were closing in on the river but they still didn't have a way to cross it without getting wet. "I can see it!" the cook reported. "The Sandora River!"

Ricky glanced at Nami, "Way to go," he muttered, "your badly named crab can't even swim."

Nami glared at him then turned back to the crab, "C'mon Scissors!" she pleaded with the crab. "Help us, please!"

"I know!" Chopper chirped. "Scissors loves dancer girls!"

Nami stood up and slipped off her desert cloak which left her in her revealing dancer girl outfit, "Will this do?" she asked.

"WOW! I CAN'T TAKE IT!" Sanji swooned. Both he and Eyelash had hearts in their eyes.

Scissors' stalk-like eyes swiveled around to look at Nami.

"He's looking this way!" Chopper noted.

**SNIP!SNIP!SNIP!SNIP!SNIP! **Scissors' eyes turned to hearts and the Moving Crab put on a burst of speed and raced towards the river. A cloud of sand was kicked up in the fast-moving crab's wake.

"WE'RE ACCELERATING!" Chopper cheered.

"ATTA BOY SCISSORS!" Nami encouraged the crab.

"MIIIISSSS NAAAAAAMIIIIII!" Sanji swooned.

"Great… now we've got two animals in heat," Zoro groaned as he looked over at Eyelash, the pervy camel was practically hyperventilating at the sight of Nami.

"How is this helping?" Ricky questioned. "Now we're just moving faster towards the water the crab can't cross."

"DON'T LISTEN TO HIM SCISSORS!" Nami shouted. "KEEP GOING!"

Scissors reached the river in no time and raced off of the bank and onto the water. But due to its fast speed the crab didn't sink into the water and instead ran along the surface.

"HE DID IT!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Pervert power," Zoro muttered.

"I'm seeing it but I don't believe it," Sanji remarked, "This crab is incredible!"

"WOO-HOO!" Usopp cheered, "DON'T STOP CRAB! JUST KEEP ON GOING!"

"I think you owe _someone _an apology," Nami informed Ricky as she put her hands on her hips.

"Then think again," Ricky corrected her, "Your pervy crab is _sinking_." As the Moving Crab moved further out across the lake it slowly began to sink down into the water. Ricky grabbed Chopper and quickly threw his Devil Fruit Powered younger brother up onto his shoulders before the crab and the Straw Hats were all completely submerged. **SPLOOSH!**

Chopper's pink top hat was the first thing to break the surface followed closely by Ricky's head and shoulders while the other Straw Hats popped up out of the water around them. The river was fortunately shallow so the water only came up to their chests.

"YOU STUPID CRAB!" Usopp shouted.

"Y'see?" Ricky asked as he looked over at Nami. "I may name the animals I come across 'generic guy names' but at least _they're_ useful!"

"Scissors got us halfway across," Nami protested.

"Oh yeah, and how long do you think it'll take us to reach the other side?" Ricky countered.

"The rest of the night I'm afraid," Vivi admitted.

"Then we'd best get started," Zoro resolved, "There's no use whining about it." And so the Straw Hats with Eyelash in tow began to slowly wade their way across the river.

"Ricky… can't _you_ get us across faster?" Nami asked.

"Miss. Nami, I learned Ricky's speed technique!" Sanji exclaimed, "I'd be happy to carry you across! We'd have to make trips but we could use the technique to get everyone across faster."

"We _could_," Ricky admitted, "but with all the trips we'd have to make we'd barely be able to use our legs when we finally got to Alubarna."

"That wasn't what I meant," Nami corrected them as she pointed to her right eye.

Ricky frowned and shook his head, "I don't wanna risk it. I was lucky that I was able to keep it in check before. I don't wanna use it again where you could all be in jeopardy. And especially not for something as simple as crossing a river."

"What is 'it'?" Vivi asked.

"The less you know about 'it' the better," Ricky answered cryptically.

"I guess we're on foot then," Zoro decided in a quick attempt to change the subject.

The group continued wading through the chest-deep water. From his perch on Ricky's shoulders Chopper looked back and spotted Scissors behind them on the shore. "THANKS FOR THE RIDE!" Chopper called out. "TAKE CARE!"

"Well… at least the river water cooled off Ricky's boots," Usopp commented as he held up a pair of black boots.

"See, _some _good came from this," Nami pointed out.

**SPLOOOSH!** The water in front of them rose up and fell away to reveal a colossal fish. It was dark gray with black spots and a lighter gray belly. It had a mouth filled with sharp teeth and long whiskers protruding from around its mouth.

"IT'S A SANDORA CATFISH!" Vivi screamed as they all stared up at the enormous fish. It was easily two hundred times their size. "THEY'RE RARELY SEEN BY HUMANS!"

"Then maybe it'll give us a ride," Ricky suggested.

"THEIR FAVORITE FOOD IS HUMAN FLESH!" Vivi added in a panic.

"THAT'S THE PART YOU SHOULD'VE MENTIONED _FIRST_!" Usopp shrieked.

"So much for good coming from this," Zoro muttered to Nami.

**GAARROOOOOO! **The monster catfish let out a loud roar.

**-x-**

**Alabasta Animal Land:**

**-x-**

"Don't worry, I've got a plan," Ricky reassured the others as the monster catfish looked down at them hungrily.

"If it's 'run' I'm way ahead of you!" Usopp exclaimed as he turned to dash off.

**WHAP! **Ricky grabbed the sniper by the back of his cloak. "I think it's time for me to break in my new boots," he stated. "Sanji, protect Nami and Vivi, Zoro, stall it."

Sanji grabbed Nami and Vivi and quickly ushered them behind the others. Usopp helped Ricky slip his feet into his boots while Zoro stepped forward and stood in between his Nakama and the monster catfish.

**GAROOOOOOO! **The monster catfish howled and then dove at the swordsman.

Zoro drew all three of his swords and slashed them at the water in front of him, "DRAGON… TWISTER!" **SPLOOOSSSHHH! **A large column of water flew up and splashed the catfish in the face and sent it flying backwards.

"OI RICKY!" Zoro called out. "HURRY UP OR I'LL TURN THIS THING INTO SUSHI!"

"Stand down, we've got this," Ricky told the swordsman as he rushed passed him towards the catfish with Chopper still riding on his shoulders.

"Wait… 'we'?" Chopper repeated.

"Yup," Ricky answered, "We're gonna take it down together little brother. Just don't hit it too hard. I still want it to be alive when we're through with it."

"Right!" Chopper agreed.

**GAAARRRROOOOO! **The Sandora Catfish dove through the water and charged towards them. **SHOOM! **Ricky shot up into the air and flew over the catfish's head. The monster fish stopped charging and stared at the empty water in front of it in confusion.

"RIPPER BLUDGEON STOMP!" **WHA-WHOMP! **Ricky and Chopper – who was morphed into his Heavy Point form – slammed feet-first down onto catfish's head. **SLOOOOSSSHHHH! **The monster fish was driven down into the river and Chopper quickly shrunk back down to his Brain Point form and clung to Ricky to avoid getting wet. The one-eyed pirate grabbed two of the catfish's long whiskers and yanked back on them like reins.

**GAAAARRRROOOOOOOOOO! **The catfish howled and began thrashing about while Ricky attempted to stay perched on top of its head.

"IS THIS A PART OF THE PLAN?" Chopper shrieked in terror as he clung desperately to Ricky to keep from flying off.

"No… usually when I smash something on the head it calms down," Ricky admitted, "Looks like we just made this guy even angrier."

"**JUU!" SPLA-SPLA-SPLISH! **Five brown torpedoes shot up out of the water and flew up overhead and then slammed down onto the top of the catfish's head around Ricky. **WHA-WHA-WHOMP! SPLOOOSH! **Once again the catfish was driven down into the river water but this time when Ricky pulled back on the whisker-reins it stopped thrashing around and remained still.

Ricky's eye went wide when he spotted a familiar brown seal with a piece of red sash tied around its forehead like a bandana. "Doug!"

"ARF!" the shell-less Kung Fu Dugong barked as it and the other four Dugongs bowed to Ricky. "Arff juuuu bark-arf! Juu! Arf-arf-arroooo!"

"He says 'We're here to help master'," Chopper translated. "'I beat these guys in a fight so now they're your students too'."

"Well done," Ricky praised Doug and the other shell-less dugongs, "I'm proud to call you my students. It's so nice to have _useful_ animals around for a change."

"JUUU!" the Dugongs chorused.

"As for you," Ricky addressed the Sandora Catfish as he yanked on its whiskers. "Take us back to the others."** SPLOOOSH! **The catfish dove into the water and swam back over to the other Straw Hats. "All aboard. Clark here is gonna give us a ride to the shore. And unlike that stupid crab he _can_ swim."

"YEAH RICKY!" Usopp cheered before proudly boasting, "I MADE THE BOOTS THAT HELPED HIM TAME THIS MONSTER!"

"Now he's just showing off," Nami muttered as she eyed the now docile Clark the catfish before climbing up on its back with the others. "There'll be no living with him after this."

"You might as well resign yourself to having a kid named Kit," Zoro quipped.

Nami blushed then shouted, "SHUT UP! THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL I'M GONNA LET HIM NAME MY KIDS!"

"Although… it does seem like he might be good with them," Vivi pointed out as she looked up ahead at Ricky who was sitting with the five Dugongs clustered around him and Chopper perched on his shoulders.

"Don't you start!" Nami scolded the Princess as her face pinked again.

"Everybody hang on," Ricky called out before he turned back to Clark the catfish and snapped the whisker-reins, **WHAP! **"Clark, take us to shore!"

**SPLOOOOOSSSHHHHH! **The catfish surged off and cut through the water like a motorboat and quickly brought the five human pirates, the princess, the reindeer pirate, the camel, and the five Kung-Fu Dugongs over to the shore.

**-x-**

**SKISH!** Luffy's head pushed out of the sand at the bottom of the pit Crocodile had left him in. The rubber pirate was buried from the neck down but that didn't stop him from taking a deep breath and letting out a loud scream, "MEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAT!"

Remembering Crocodile's words from their desert duel Luffy began struggling in earnest to free himself from the sand. His head bounced around but his body remained rooted in place. Luffy's struggles caused sand to slide down the sides of the bowl to the bottom once again burying the rubber pirate completely.

But Luffy wasn't alone out in the desert. A tall figure wearing a white fur coat and a white cowgirl hat stood overlooking the bowl. **SHIFF! SHIFF! SHIFF! **Arms sprouted out of the Luffy's submerged body and pushed against the sand, **SHWOOFF! **Luffy came bursting out of the sand and was tossed out of the bowl and landed at the feet of Ms. All Sunday. **FWUMP!**

"Th-thank you…" Luffy gasped.

"Why do you fight?" the woman known as Nico Robin asked curiously, "Those of you with the name of 'D.'?"

"D.?" Luffy repeated in confusion. Like Ace, he didn't seem to have any clue what the initial in the middle of his name stood for.

"_Who are you people?" _Nico Robin wondered. "Apparently you don't have a clue what I'm talking about." Luffy's straw hat was pulled out of the sand and tossed to Nico Robin with the aid an extra arm.

"**I'VE FOUND YOU!" **a familiar voice called out.

Ms. All Sunday looked over her shoulder and saw Pell staggering towards her. There was blood dripping out his mouth and he was walking with a bit of a hunch.

"WHERE IS VIVI?" Pell demanded.

"My, awake already?" Ms. All Sunday questioned.

"Now that I've studied your ability… this won't turn out like it did last time," Pell assured her.

"Be careful Pell," Ms. All Sunday warned the warrior. "You don't want to overexert yourself." She tossed Luffy's straw hat down onto his stomach then started walking off. "Perfect timing, why don't you save the boy before he dies?"

Pell stopped in his tracks and it was only then that he noticed the bloody pirate lying in the sand.

"After all," Ms. All Sunday continued, "if it weren't for his courage and selflessness who knows if your precious Princess would've made it back alive at all." Pell stared down at Luffy in surprise. Ms. All Sunday used the opportunity to walk over to the bananagater that was her ride.

While the bananawani were crocodile's with bananas on their heads this one was an alligator with a banana on its snout. It was yellow in color and had a slimmer, sleeker build than the big bulky bananawani. There was a comfortable-looking seat attached to the bananagator's back and a checkered racing flag was tied around its long tail which ended with an even bigger banana than the one on its snout. This creature was called an Accelagator and was known to be the second fastest animal in Alabasta Kingdom.

"It must please you to know that Princess Vivi is safe…" Ms. All Sunday commented as she climbed up the ladder rungs to her seat on the Aceelagator's back, "And that even as we speak she's on her way to Alubarna. Though it's a long trip and anything could happen. I guess the situation is what it is."

Pell was left staring in confusion as the mysterious woman raced off. **ZZZZZOOOOOOM! **

Pell dropped to his knees and stared off at the sand cloud the speedy reptile was kicking up as it headed… south? _"If I'm not able to stop her than who can?" _the warrior wondered. _"Vivi must be protected for everyone's sake."_

**WHAP! **Pell was drawn out of his thoughts when he felt an arm on his and looked down to see Luffy tugging on his sleeve.

"GRRRRRRR!" Luffy growled with a determined look on his face. "MEEEEEAAAAAAAT!"

**-x-**

The Straw Hats had made it to the eastern shore of the Sandora River and Clark the catfish had already swam off. Ricky stood apart from the others and addressed his five students who had since put their turtle shells back on.

"You five fought bravely," Ricky praised the Dugongs. "And I can tell that you've been training hard. We have some business to take care of in the capital. But once it's finished I'll return and test you. I expect you to train hard in that time so you can impress me on my return."

"JUU!" the five Dugongs chorused. They bowed to Ricky then dove into the river and swam off.

Ricky quickly rejoined the others. "So? What's the new plan?" he inquired.

"I'm afraid we're going to have to walk," Vivi admitted. "Even if we ride Eyelash there's no way we'll be able to make it to Alubarna by daybreak."

"And not to be pessimistic… but Eyelash can only carry two of us," Usopp pointed out. "And if Baroque Works is gonna attack us it'll be from here on. We can't split up! Isn't there any way for us to stick together?"

**SHHWWWOOOO! **Nami tensed when she felt a wind blowing in from the east. "That's not a natural wind," she stated, "Something's coming."

Ricky closed his eye and turned the way Nami was looking, "I can hear them," he stated. "There's seven of them."

"WHAT IS IT NOW?" Usopp exclaimed. "IS IT THE ENEMY? DON'T TELL ME THEY'RE HERE TO KILL US ALREADY!"

**TMP!TMP!TMP!TMP!TMP!TMP! **Vivi stared ahead along with the others and a smile appeared on her face, "That sound… CARUE!" Out from a cloud of sand rode Vivi's faithful pet but he wasn't alone… six other spot-billed ducks all wearing different hats were running along with him. "IT'S THE SUPER SONIC DUCK SQUADRON!"

"The Super _what_?" Ricky asked.

"QUACK!" Carue quacked as he and the other six spot-billed ducks skidded to a stop in front of the Straw Hats. Together the seven ducks were known as the Super Sonic Duck Squadron… the _fastest_ animals in all of Alabasta.

"You've come to help us haven't you?" Vivi asked.

"QUACK!" all seven spot-billed ducks replied.

"Carue!" Vivi cried out in relief.

"Looks like you'll be sitting this one out, Eyelash," Sanji informed the camel. Eyelash hung his head in response.

"Unless you _want _to ride into the middle of a war?" Zoro suggested.

"GRRRUUMMPHH!" Eyelash cried and frantically shook his head.

"There's one for each of us," Nami realized then looked away from the ducks and over at Ricky, "Now we'll see who's better at naming animals."

Ricky opened his mouth to reply but Vivi cut him off, "Actually you two, they already have names."

The ducks were standing in formation with the five smaller ones in the front and two bigger ones in the back. Vivi pointed to a relaxed-looking duck on the left in the front row that was wearing a dark cowboy hat, half-moon sunglasses, and a scarf, "That one's Cowboy."

Next she pointed to a fat duck wearing a fisherman's cap, round sunglasses, and a bottle of bourbon around its neck, "That one's Bourbon Jr."

Next came Carue who was wearing his usual blue beanie. "You all know Carue, he's the leader."

Vivi pointed to an angry-looking duck that was smoking a cigar and wore a Roman legionary helmet, "This one's Kentauros."

Vivi pointed to the final duck in the front that wore a conical straw hat and a tie around its neck, "This one's Hikoichi,"

Vivi motioned to the first of the two bigger ducks, it was tall and thin and a baseball cap that was turned in reverse, "He's Stomp."

Vivi motioned to the final and largest of the ducks that was wearing a horned Viking helmet with goggles strapped to it, "And this one's Ivan X."

Vivi turned back to the Straw Hats, "Now that I've cleared that up. Everyone pick a duck and let's get going. With the Super Sonic Duck Squadron taking us we might be able to make it in time."

**-x-**

The Super Sonic Duck Squadron was racing towards Alubarna in V-Formation. Vivi and Carue led the way with Ricky and Nami flanking her on Cowboy and Bourbon Jr., Sanji and Zoro followed behind them on Hikoichi and Kentauros while Chopper and Usopp brought up the rear on Stomp and Ivan X.

"Hey Sanji, what'd you do with my hat anyway?" Ricky asked as he eyed his steed's cowboy hat.

"I buried it along with the money you won at Crocodile's casino," the cook answered as he rode behind Ricky on Hikoichi.

"Good, I can sense the money from here," Ricky commented. "I'll go back and get it once we've dealt with Crocodile."

"That's _if _Luffy hasn't beaten that lousy sandbag already!" Usopp called out from on the back of the group on his enormous steed Ivan X.

"YEAH LUFFY!" Chopper cheered.

"Then all we've gotta do is clear a path through the Officer Agents so Vivi can stop the war," Zoro reasoned. "No problem."

"See Vivi? You've got nothing to worry about," Nami assured the Princess. "A few measly Officer Agents are nothing these guys can't handle. Crocodile's plan is going to fail."

Vivi smiled at her friends' confidence and felt confidence growing inside of her as well.

**-x-**

The Rebel Army charged north on horse and camel back with Koza leading the charge on his black stallion.

"Damn you Cobra," Koza muttered to himself. "My brethren and I are willing to defend Alabasta with every last drop of blood in our bodies. We will die before turning it over to you!"

**-x-**

To the north, at the capital city of Alubarna the Royal Army was fortifying their defenses. The capital was actually situated on top of a rocky cliff with tall walls surrounding the city for an occasion like this one. Sandbags were being stacked on the city walls to provide cover and cannons were being carted to their positions. Up in the Royal Palace Chaka was overseeing everything.

"CHAKA!" a guard called out to him. "The enemy's number is said to be well over two million!"

"Tell me soldier," Chaka instructed, "What do you think of his Majesty's attack on Nanohana?"

"I've served his Majesty for over ten years," the guard answered, "and I was quite… surprised."

"You're right," Chaka agreed, "there's really no way anyone could rationalize it. Logic would suggest that something has happened to the King. If true, it is all the more reason we must not lose this fight. Bury your fear deep… for your King's sake… as well as that of Princess Vivi. We will defend this country at all costs."

"EVERYONE WHO IS NOT PREPARED TO FIGHT TAKE SHELTER OUTSIDE THE CITY!" one of the guards warned the citizens. The civilians ran down the tall flights of steps and evacuated the city to avoid being caught in the war.

**-x-**

Ms. Merry Christmas and Mr. 4 stood on a rocky cliff and watched the capital from a distance as the civilians evacuated.

"Things are getting hectic down there!" Ms. Merry Christmas noted. "BUT IT'S STILL MOVING TOO SLOW! HURRY UP AND FIGHT ALREADY! I CAN'T STAND WAITING!"

"FWWAAAAHHH! FWWAAAAHHH! FWWAAAAHHHH!" Mr. 4 stood by and laughed.

Behind the two, bound and gagged, was King Nefertari Cobra. The King could do nothing but watch as his Kingdom charged into a war that would no doubt kill many.

"I DON'T CARE IF HE _IS _THE KING!" Ms. Merry Christmas snapped. "I'M GONNA GO OUT OF MY MIND IF I HAVETA STAND HERE GUARDING HIM ANY LONGER! CAN'T – CAN'T – CAN'T TAKE THIS!"

"Boooooooorrrrrreeeeed," Mr. 4 chimed in.

"I mean sure! Slipping passed the palace guards and kidnapping this royal pain-in-the-rear is a mission only a team of our accomplished skills can pull off!" Ms. Merry Chirstmas boasted. "But now that it's over this assignment has become a tedious bore! Right Mr. 4?"

"Boooooorrrreeeeeed…" Mr. 4 said again.

"DID ANYTHING I SAID MANAGE TO SINK THROUGH THAT THICK HEAD OF YOURS?" Ms. Merry Christmas demanded. "SLOW! YOU'RE SO SLOW! UGGGHH! MY BACK IS KILLING ME!"

"_Chaka… Koza…" _King Cobra thought to himself as Ms. Merry Christmas continued to complain. _"You mustn't fight. The two of you embody the spirit of this great country. Divided, you will only weaken her resolve."_

Cobra lamented the war. Koza, Chaka and their respective armies were racing towards it. Crocodile and his Officer Agents were inciting it. Only the Straw Hats know the truth and are trying to prevent it.

The Rebel Army, the Royal Army, Baroque Works, the Marines, and the Straw Hats are all about to clash in the capital city of Alubarna.

**-x-**

The port city of Nanohana was silent and seemed to be mourning from the destruction dealt to it.

The only movement in the entire city came from a lone figure walking down the middle of the road. The man wore a fancy suit and had rolls in his hair that made it look like a colonial wig.

"Maaaaa… maaaaaaaa… maaaaaaaaaa…" the man cleared his throat and surveyed the silent city around him. Igaram was alive. "So… the final revolt has begun. I saw their ship. Princess Vivi and those pirates must've made it here safely. I must hurry… I pray there's still time."

**-x-**

We've reach the climax of this arc and this story. Next chapter, it's the Rebel Army versus the Royal Army. It's finally time for the showdown in Alubarna.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	49. Chapter 49

**Another Nakama**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of the related characters, just the original characters that appear in this story.

**A/N: Be warned, this one's a long one. I wanted to set up all the fights so this chapter spans one-and-a-half episodes instead of the usual one. Although, I have yet to hear someone complain about a long chapter… so enjoy!**

**Showdown in Alubarna:**

**-x-**

In the dead of night Pell knelt next to the wounded form of Luffy, his skin and clothes were caked with blood and sand and the hole going through his chest was still bleeding profusely.

"KOFF! KOFF! KOFF!" Luffy wheezed.

"Hey kid… are you alright?" Pell asked with concern.

"Neeed meeaat…" Luffy groaned. "Ugghh… meeeaaat…"

"Meat?" Pell repeated, "You don't need food now. That's the least of your worries. Hang on, I'll get a doctor for you." Pell got up and started headed back towards Rain Base but was stopped when a hand grabbed his ankle. **WHAP! **Pell flinched in surprise when he looked down and saw that Luffy's arm had stretched to allow him to grab him.

"I'm going to make sure Crocodile pays for this…" Luffy growled, "He insulted Vivi… and that old man with the shovel… he gave me water… HE'S DEFINITELY GONNA PAY!"

Pell blinked in surprise, "Who is this person?" he wondered.

"Meeaat…" Luffy gasped.

Pell walked back over to the strange boy and knelt down next to him. He'd learned from Princess Vivi's letter to King Cobra that Crocodile was behind the whole rebellion and now this boy seemed determined to defeat Crocodile. And despite his incredible injuries all the boy was asking for was 'meat'? Ms. All Sunday had even admitted that this boy was the reason Princess Vivi had made it home safely. If 'meat' was all the boy was asking for in return Pell couldn't think of any reason not to give him some.

"Alright," Pell agreed, "I'll get you something to eat."

**-x-**

The sun was barely starting to rise as Ms. All Sunday's Accelagator sped through the badlands of the Sandora Desert. **ZZZZOOOOOOM! **The large yellow reptile finally came to a stop outside the Spider's Café.

Mana was inside leaning over the counter humming to herself as she spread chocolate icing on a small personal-sized cake. The blonde was still wearing Nami's yellow skirt with the white circles on the side as well as a tight black t-shirt with yellow sleeves and over that she wore a yellow apron that read 'Kiss the Cook' on the chest. Her usual yellow hat had been replaced by a small yellow chef's hat that the blonde stylishly wore on an angle.

**Kreeek! **Mana looked up and her blue eyes widened in surprise as the tall form of Ms. All Sunday walked through the swinging double doors into the café. "M-M-Ms. All Sunday…" Mana stammered in shock.

"Ms. Valentine," Ms. All Sunday greeted her as she crossed the empty café until she was standing in front of the counter.

"Wh-what do you want?" Mana asked.

"Hmm… that looks and smells delicious," the Vice President commented as she eyed Mana's chocolate cake before looked up at the blonde. "But I'm afraid I'm here for business. Mr. 5 came to us up in Rain Base and told Mr. 0 that you, he, and Ms. Goldenweek got here on the Straw Hats' ship. Despite Mr. 5's information the First Mate 'One Eye' Ricky managed to free his crewmates when we had them captured. Something about him intrigues me. Mr. 5 knew a little about him but since he convinced you to defect I assume that you know even more. I'm here for information. What can you tell me about 'One Eye' Ricky?"

"Nothing," Mana answered firmly.

"Can't or won't?" Ms. All Sunday inquired.

"Won't," Mana insisted. "Ricky's done more for me than any of you Baroque Works jerks ever could. I _won't_ betray him."

"I see," Ms. All Sunday commented. "I was afraid you'd say that. Now you've left me no other choice but use force. Ocho Fleur…" Two arms sprouted out from the back of Mana's shoulders and reached around to grab her chin, another two bloomed out of her legs and pressed against the small of her back, four arms grew out of the floor with two wrenching her arms to the side and the other two gripping her ankles to keep her rooted in place. "This is your last chance. Tell me what I want to know and I won't have to hurt you."

"Bite me!" Mana snapped the look on her face screamed pure defiance.

"If you insist," Ms. All Sunday agreed, "CLUTCH!" The two arms clutching Mana's chin wrenched backward looking to break her back like Ms. All Sunday had done to Pell but Mana remained standing stiff as a board causing Ms. All Sunday's eyes to widen in surprise.

"Kyahahahaha!" Mana laughed mockingly. "I weigh ten thousand kilograms! You're gonna need more than four measly arms for that to work on me! YOU WON'T BREAK ME!" **WHAP! **Mana bent forward and wrenched her heavy body free from Ms. All Sunday's extra arms then vaulted clear over the counter and slammed her fist into Ms. All Sunday's chest, "10,000 KILO PUNCH!" **KA-POW! **Ms. All Sunday was sent flying backwards towards the door, "GET OUT! AND STAY OUT!"

**WHAP! **Ten arms sprouted out from around the door frame and another ten arms bloomed out of the palms of those arms creating a web of arms that caught Ms. All Sunday and placed her back on her feet.

"I'm afraid we're not done here," Ms. All Sunday stated.

"WE'LL I'M DONE WITH BAROQUE WORKS!" Mana hollered as she charged across the room. "SO STAY OUT OF MY LIFE!"

"Dos Fleur!" Two arms sprouted out of the ground and grabbed Mana's ankles. The blonde tripped and went crashing to the ground, **KA-BOOOM! **The impact of the ten thousand kilogram woman hitting the floor caused the whole café to shake. The wooden panels cracked under Mana's immense weight and left her imbedded in floor.

Ms. All Sunday stepped forward and pressed her foot down into Mana's back, "You may be done with Baroque Works but Baroque Works isn't done with you. You have information I want and I'm going to get it one way or another."

"**EEP!" **a loud squeak broke out drawing Ms. All Sunday's attention to an open doorway that led to further back into the Spider's Café.

"Seis Fleur… toss!" **WHUMP! **Ms. Goldenweek was unceremoniously tossed out of the doorway and into the main room. Her pallet of paints went skidding across the floor and ended up next to Ms. All Sunday. The younger agent appeared to have been woken up by all the noise and had come to investigate. Her hair hung loose and she wore a sleep shirt that was clearly too big for her and had sleeves that hung down over her hands. "Ms. Goldenweek, how nice of you to join us. I was just asking Ms. Valentine to share with me some of her knowledge on 'One Eye' Ricky. Do you have anything you might be able to add?"

"DON'T TELL HER ANYTHING!" Mana shouted from where she was imbedded in the floor.

"Unfortunately, I'm short on time," Ms. All Sunday admitted, "I have somewhere else to be so I can't stay here and wait for you to make up your mind. I'll have to force the issue. Seis Fleur!" Two arms pulled Ms. Goldenweek out of the floor while another four bloomed out of her back and shoulders and threatened to snap her spine. "If you don't wish to die, I must insist that you tell me what I want to know. Unlike Ms. Valentine, I _can _break your back."

"H-he's very c-clever," Ms. Goldenweek stammered in sheer terror. "And h-his crew h-has an i-incredible amount of f-faith in h-him."

"I am already aware of this," Ms. All Sunday told her. "He outmaneuvered Mr. 0 and freed his friends while they cheered him on the entire time. We also discovered that he has ties with the Whitebeard Pirates and was even a member at one time."

"Ricky's a Whitebeard Pirate?" Mana whispered in genuine surprise.

Ms. All Sunday stared down at Ms. Goldenweek, "Do you have anything _useful_ to tell me?"

"STOP!" Mana shrieked, "DON'T TELL HER—MFFFFMFFF!" Two hands sprouted out of the floor and clamped over the blonde's mouth to silence her.

"H-he doesn't like to h-hurt w-women," Ms. Goldenweek revealed. "D-during the f-fight on Little G-Garden no matter what Ms. V-Valentine did to him he w-wouldn't actually h-hit her. H-he especially l-likes the orange girl… h-he dove in front of b-bombs and a h-harpoon for h-her."

"Anything else you wish to share?" Ms. All Sunday inquired.

"H-he's a dreamer of unspeakable l-loyalty," Ms. Goldenweek confessed. "H-he wants to f-find the One Piece T-treasure but f-for his C-captain. H-he believes in and s-supports other people's d-dreams too… e-even Mana's chocolate dream."

A small smile appeared on Ms. All Sunday's face. "Your cooperation is appreciated," she said. "You've told me everything I need to know." The six arms holding Ms. Goldenweek dispersed in a shower of flower petals. "Now I'm off to join Mr. 0 and the other Officer Agents in the capital city of Alubarna. The civil war that Mr. 0 has been orchestrating for the past three years should be starting in a matter of hours. Farwell." Ms. All Sunday stepped off of Mana and headed out the door, it was only once she was gone that the arms on Mana disappeared.

Mana pushed herself out of the floor and glared at Ms. Goldenweek, "How could you?" she demanded. "After everything they've done for us… after everything _he's _done for us! How could you betray him like that?"

**Sniffle… **"I didn't want to…" Ms. Goldenweek whispered as tears welled up in her eyes. "B-but she was going to k-kill me. I don't wanna die."

"For some reason she told you where she's heading," Mana resolved. "To hell with staying out o the war! That went out the window when you and Mr. 5 blabbed. I'm gonna go after her and see if I can prevent some of the damage you've just caused." Mana undid her apron and tossed it and her yellow chef's hat onto the counter then stomped out of the room to get her umbrella.

Ms. Goldenweek slowly stood up and crossed the room and picked up her paint pallet. The girl stood there and stared silently down at the paints before turning to the door Mana had just disappeared through. "Wait! I'm coming too!"

**-x-**

Dawn. The sun was beginning to rise as the Rebel Army charged towards Alubarna. They'd ridden through the night to get the capital.

"There it is!" one of the rebels exclaimed as he stared through a telescope at the distant city ahead of them. "It's still in a distance but its Alubarna! Koza! We're less than thirty minutes away!" The rebels were closing in on the capital.

"WE'RE NEARING ALUBARNA NOW!" Koza announced to his army. "THE TIME HAS COME MEN!"

"YEEEEAAAHH!" the rebels cheered as they charged onward after their leader. The final battle was finally upon them. It was finally time to take back their country.

**-x-**

Ahead of them at Alubarna, the Royal Army was undergoing last-minute preparations as they waited for the enemy to reach them.

"Chaka, we've sighted the Rebel Army!" a soldier reported. "They're about ten miles to the south. Their forces are bearing down on the southern gate as we speak!"

"EAST! WEST! SOUTH! SOUTH-EAST! SOUTH-WEST!" Chaka barked as the Royal Army stood assembled behind him. "GUARD EACH GATE WITH YOUR LIFE! DO NOT LET EVEN ONE OF THEM SET FOOT WITHIN OUR WALLS!"

"RIGHT!" the royal soldiers chorused.

The capital was placed strategically. The entire city was situated on top of a large cliff and the only way into the city was up long flight of steps and through one of the five gates. The five gates were all spread across the southern half of the city. There was the West Gate, the South-West Gate, the South Gate, the South-East Gate, and the East Gate. The majority of the northern half of the city was taken up by the Royal Palace and in the middle was a wide opened plaza.

**-x-**

The Super Sonic Duck Squadron charged towards the capital. Carue was notably absent but the six remaining Straw Hats were all wearing identical white cloaks.

"Big Brother!" Chopper's voice piped up from the back of the group. "Where did you find all of these cloaks?"

"Convenience," Ricky's voice answered from the front.

"What?" the other five all asked in sync.

"Let's just say the ducks had them in their saddle bags and leave it at that," Ricky suggested, "Everyone remember the plan … this is it! See you when it's over!"

"Right," the other five chorused.

**-x-**

At the bottom of the cliffs on the west side part of Alubarna Mr. 1, Ms. Double Finger, Mr. 2, Mr. 3.5, Mr. 4, and Ms. Merry Chirstmas were all lying in wait for Princess Vivi and the Straw Hats. The Officer Agents were waiting on a cluster of rocks beside the west gate and were looking off in the direction that the Straw Hats _should _be coming from.

"Hey! Look over there!" Mr. 2 called out as he stood apart from the others and farced south-east with his hand over his eyes so he could see off in a distance. "The Rebel Army's approaching! There are so many of them! The Princess is such a little idiot to think she could stop them. But then… is the little idiot even coming? Now will she show up? Or will she not? Or will she? Or will she not? THE OUTCOME IS VAGUE!" The Okama was happy to once again shout his favorite word.

"WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? WHAT?" Ms. Merry Christmas demanded while stamping her foot like an impatient child. "Are we sure about this? Shouldn't we be sure about this? The Princess and the pirates are really coming right? At this rate the Rebel Army's gonna beat them here! I thought those idiots wanted to stop the fighting! Shouldn't they at least try to be on time?"

"I think it's entirely possible that they won't make it soon enough," Ms. Double Finger reasoned as she stood in front of a rock casually smoking a long pipe. Mr. 1 was silently sitting on top of the rock behind her. "After all, they did lose precious time when they were at Rain Base."

"WHAT? THEY DID?" Ms. Merry Christmas snapped.

"We had them trapped there for a good hour," Mr. 3.5 supplied as he leaned against a rock with his arms folded across his chest. "_I _only managed to make it here on time because I was riding one of Mr. 0's Accelagators."

"Suppose the rebellion does get started first," Mr. 2 suggested. "What are we supposed to deux if that does happen?"

"We wouldn't have to _deux _anything," Ms. Double Finger replied somewhat mockingly. "Think about it, once the rebellion gets underway nothing, not even the Princess, will be able to stop it."

"All we need to do is eliminate whoever we're told to," Mr. 1 stated. "Can't you even manage to figure that much out on your own?"

"IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE JUST _DYING _TO SEE SOME MORE OF MY _DANCE MOVES_!" Mr. 2 growled as he got in a fighting stance.

"Just calm down and let it go you two," Ms. Double Finger interrupted, once again playing peacemaker between her partner and the irrational Mr. 2 Bon Kurei.

"AAHHH!" Ms. Merry Christmas groaned. "MY BACK! IT HURTS! GET OVER HERE AND MASSAGE IT MR. 4!"

Mr. 4, who had gone mostly ignored, stood on a rock staring through a pair of binoculars. He turned to the others and called out, "Tthhhheeeeeyyyyy'rrrrrreeee ccooooommmmiiiiinnnnggg nnnoooooowwwwwww…"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US THAT EARLIER YOU IDIOT?" Ms. Merry Christmas shouted as she raced over and claimed the binoculars, knocking her partner off his rock in the process. **FWUMP!** Ms. Merry Christmas peered through the binoculars and let out a startled gasp at what she saw, "AHHH! DUCKS! THEY'RE ON DUCKS!"

"They're on ducks?" Ms. Double Finger repeated. "Are you sure? Do you see anything else?"

"Seems like their number's gone up too," Ms. Merry Christmas commented. "There are six of them. With Straw Hat out of the way I thought there was only supposed to be fore left."

"Their number's gone _down_," Mr. 5 corrected, "There's the Princess, the First Mate, the swordsman, the girl, the long nose, the cook, and the pet. And back in Rain Base they had three Whitebeard Pirates: Ace, King, and Queen. If there are only six of them where are the others?"

"I doesn't matter," Mr. 1 said, "Vivi is our only target. What are you so worried about?"

"Well Mr. 1…" Ms. Merry Christmas replied, "You say Princess Vivi is the only one we need to eliminate? Okay! THEN HOW ABOUT YOU TAKE A STAB AT GUESSING WHICH ONE SHE IS!"

"GAAAAHH!" Mr. 2 shrieked. "THEY'RE ALL WEARING IDENTICAL OUTFITS!"

"Grrr…" Mr. 1 growled. Things had just gotten a lot more complicated.

"At this rate I won't even be able to identify _my _target," Mr. 3.5 realized remembering his specific orders to eliminate Ricky.

"Even worse," Ms. Double Finger added, "Those birds are the fastest animals in the whole kingdom… Super Sonic Ducks!"

"THOSE SNEAKY RATS!" Mr. 2 exclaimed. "HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO TELL WHICH ONE IS VIVI LIKE THIS? IT'S JUST NOT A FAIR THING TA DO, YA KNOW?" Suddenly, 'vague' didn't seem like such a fun word.

"DO IT NOW MR. 4!" Ms. Merry Christmas ordered when her slow partner finally managed to pull himself up off of the ground.

Mr. 4 removed a huge cannon from his back and fired it, **BOOM! **A baseball flew out and landed in front of the charging clamor of ducks.

"DODGE IT!" Zoro warned the others.

**SWISH! **The ducks and their riders split up to avoid the baseball as it exploded, **KA-BOOOM!**

"MISSED THEM!" Mr. 2 snapped. "Those damn birds! They're too fast!"

"Team three… go!" Ricky ordered. On cue, Stomp and Hikoichi split off from the group.

"THEY'RE SPLITTING UP!" Ms. Merry Christmas exclaimed as she stared after the two ducks. "THEY'RE HEADING FOR THE SOUTH GATE!" _"Those two are heading straight towards the Rebel Army! That means one of them must be Vivi!" _"WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DEAL WITH THOSE TWO! MOVE IT MR. 4!" Ms. Merry Christmas jumped off of her rock and ran off after the ducks with Mr. 4 dutifully following behind her.

One of the four remaining cloaked riders pulled out a familiar revolver and fired, **BANG! **A red bullet impacted with Mr. 3.5's chest and caused to Bomb Man to explode. **KA-BOOOOOM! **The mushroom cloud that resulted from Mr. 3.5's full body explosion blew Mr. 1, Ms. Double Finger, and Mr. 2 backwards and left a dark ring on the ground in Mr. 3.5's place.

"Team two… go!" Ricky ordered prompting Kentauros and Bourbon Jr. to break off.

"They're trying to go in through the west gate!" Ms. Double Finger realized as she sat up and watched the two ducks run passed them and up the steps to the west gate.

"Bastards…" Mr. 1 growled, "Let's go, Ms. Double Finger!" Mr. 1 got up and charged up the steps after the two ducks.

"So they're going to approach three of Alubarna's five gates from the west," Ms. Double Finger realized as she ran after Mr. 1. "If they're gonna split up and enter that way, then we'll do the same thing! We can wipe them out inside the city."

This left Mr. 2 Bon Kurei alone as he slowly got back up to his feet. **WHAM! **Only to be bowled over by Cowboy while Ivan X ran in his wake.

"C'mon Princess!" Ricky called out to the smaller cloaked figure that was following him on the bigger duck, "We'll go through the south-west gate and convince the Royal Army to stand down."

Mr. 3.5's body reformed on the black ring he'd left in the sand as he glared after the two ducks. "One Eye…" the Bomb Man snarled. "Come on Mr. 2!"

"HEY! I'M YOUR SUPERIOR!" Mr. 2 exclaimed. "WHERE DO YOU GET OFF ORDERING ME AROUND?"

"Because…" Mr. 3.5 answered as he ran off after the ducks, "if we go after them I can complete my objective and eliminate One Eye while you deal with the Princess."

"Works for me!" Mr. 2 agreed as he bounded after Mr. 3.5.

**-South-West Gate-**

"Hey someone's coming!" the soldiers at the gate realized as they saw two cloaked figures running up the steps towards them.

"Is it the rebels?" another soldier asked.

"No," the first soldier answered. "It's the Super Sonic Duck Squadron. Let them in!"

**-South Gate-**

Hikoichi and Stamp raced straight passed the South Gate without even pausing to look at it. Mr. 4 and Ms. Merry Christmas kept chasing them as the two duck riders were now headed towards the South-East Gate.

**-West Gate-**

Kentauros and Bourbon Jr. raced passed the royal soldiers and through the streets of Alubarna's West Block with Mr. 1 and Ms. Double Finger cutting through alleyways in an attempt to cut the two off.

**-South-West Gate-**

"I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY!" Mr. 2 screamed as he bounded passed Mr. 3.5 and closed in on their two targets only for Cowboy and Ivan X to skid to a stop in the middle of a wide street.

"**Tee-hee-hee,"** the cloaked figure on Ivan X laughed. **"Thank you for following us all the way here!"**

"Say whaaat?" Mr. 2 questioned in surprise.

"Don't… let them..." Mr. 3.5 panted as he ran up to Mr. 2 but stared at the two ducks in surprise. "…escape?"

**-West Gate-**

"**Now stop!" **the cloaked girl on Bourbon Jr. ordered prompting the two ducks to skid to a stop under a stone beam that was connecting two buildings. Mr. 1 and Ms. Double Finger ran out of an alley and stood in front of them. **"Wow, you guys are really good, ya know! That's right, I'm the real Princess Vivi."**

"**Uh… what are you talking about **_**I **_**am the real Princess Vivi," **the figure on Kentauros said in what was clearly a man's voice.

"**Stupid!"** the cloaked girl scolded him, **"You don't have to be Vivi if **_**I'm **_**Vivi!"**

Mr. 1 and Ms. Double Finger could only stare at them in surprise.

**-South-East Gate-**

"**This is far enough now," **the figure on Hikoichi announced in a smooth falsetto. Hikoichi and Stamp had run straight passed the South Gate and the approaching Rebel Army and were now positioned amidst the ruins outside the South-East Gate.

Ms. Merry Christmas stopped running and stared at the two cloaked figures on their ducks while Mr. 4 kept running to catch up.

"**I have to say,"** Hikoichi's cloaked rider continued in the same smooth falsetto, **"It's really entertaining how easily you fell for this. Now we can go ahead and take these silly cloaks off."**

**-x-**

**SWISH! **As one the six duck riders threw off their cloaks to reveal Ricky and Usopp at the South-West Gate, Zoro and Nami at the West Gate, and Sanji and Chopper at the South-East Gate.

"Sorry, looks like you guessed wrong!" the Straw Hats taunted their pursuers.

"WHAAAATT?" all six Baroque Works Agents shrieked.

**-x-**

Off in a distance, Vivi and Carue watched as the six Straw Hats lured the Baroque Works Agents into the city.

"Thank you so much everyone," Vivi said as she clasped her hands and bowed her head. The Princess looked up and addressed Carue, "We have to hurry now. The Rebel Army is almost to the city. Let's go Carue!"

"QUACK!" Carue agreed.

**-x-**

**Rebel Army versus Royal Army:**

**-x-**

"I've dealt with Straw Hat," Crocodile informed the Baroque Works Officer Agents the night before via Transponder Snail. "If my plan is to succeed the rest is up to you. Whatever the cost: Vivi and her friends must be prevented from making contact with the Rebel Army."

**-x-**

"Looks like _I _made the right choice," Mr. 3.5 commented as he glared at Ricky and Usopp.

"Did you?" Ricky asked. "You and the Okama chased me into the city. Vivi's still out there and with you all in here dealing with us nothing's going to stop her from making contact with the rebels. What's taking me out going to accomplish if Crocodile's little war never gets started?"

"YOU!" Mr. 2 shouted at Usopp who was hiding behind Ricky, "I RECOGNIZE YOU FROM THE SHIP! YOU'RE NOT A PRINCESS! HOW DARE YOU DECEIVE ME!"

"Uh… sorry," Usopp apologized.

"I'm not gonna let them do whatever they want," Ricky told Usopp, "I'll take the freaky ballerina and you deal with the nose-picker."

"Wait… why do I have to fight the bomb guy?" Usopp asked.

"You know more about him than the Okama," Ricky pointed out. "Would you rather face the enemy you know or the enemy you don't?"

"Good point," Usopp agreed.

**SKISH! **Ricky darted forward and in a flash appeared in front of Mr. 2 and swung his legs around at the Okama. **WHAP! **Mr. 2 raised his leg and blocked Ricky's kick with one of his own.

"For an amateur… that wasn't so bad," Mr. 2 remarked, "Just who are you anyway?"

"I'm One Eye Ricky Treasure Hunter Extraordinaire and First Mate of the Straw Hat Pirates," Ricky introduced himself. "And I'll be kicking your ass today."

"OH NO YOU WON'T!" Mr. 3.5 snapped as he turned and glared after Ricky. "YOUR FIGHT IS WITH ME, ONE EYE!"

"SPECIAL ATTACK: LEAD STAR!" **WHAK-WHAK-WHAK! **Mr. 3.5 was knocked off his feet and sent rolling down the street. "DON'T TURN YOUR BACK ON ME, BASTARD!"

"Long Nose…" Mr. 3.5 growled as he glared at Usopp who was standing by the two ducks with his slingshot drawn, "Now you're really starting to piss me off…"

**-West Gate-**

"YEAH C'MON ZORO!" Nami cheered as she stood between the two ducks while Zoro stood in between them and the two agents, "LET 'EM HAVE IT!"

"WOULD YOU KEEP QUIET OVER THERE?" Zoro snapped.

"Hey, Ricky told you to look after me!" Nami reminded him, "So you'd better do it!"

"QUIT TELLING ME WHAT TO DO!" Zoro shouted.

"They fooled us," Mr. 1 dead-panned as he and his partner watched the two pirates bicker.

"Quite a farce," Ms. Double Finger added.

**-South-East Gate-**

"Wahaha," Sanji chuckled while Chopper stood beside him in his Heavy Point form, "Looks like there won't be any rebellion now."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Ms. Merry Christmas demanded.

"Chopper, stay on your toes," Sanji instructed, "The big guy launched some kind of explosive before. And there's no telling what the old lady can do."

"Right," Chopper agreed, "I'm gonna do whatever I can!"

**-x-**

"_I have to stop them at any cost," _Vivi thought to herself as she and Carue raced to head off the Rebel Army. _"if I don't then all this struggling will have been for nothing." _Vivi thought of all the people they'd lost, and all the people that were suffering, all because of Crocodile's manipulations that led to this point. Her resolve strengthened she needed to stop the rebels before Crocodile's plans had a chance to come to fruition.

**-x-**

At the Royal Palace everything was shaking due to the approach of the Rebel Army.

"SECURE THOSE CANNONBALLS!" one of the soldiers ordered, "I DON'T WANT THEM ROLLING AWAY!"

"YOU HEARD HIM MEN!" another soldier shouted. "MAN YOUR POSTS! KEEP THE ARTILERY UNDER CONTROL!"

"The ground is really moving, huh?" a soldier commented as he stood next to Chaka.

"The Rebel Army is made up of two million angry men," Chaka replied, "Even the ground shakes a little before them. Stay strong."

**-x-**

Vivi lowered her hood and shook out her long blue hair. At this point she _needed _the rebels to recognize her. She and Carue were situated just south of Alubarna ready to intercept the Rebel Army as they made their final approach on the South Gate.

"Quuaaaa…" Carue mumbled, the shaking ground had the duck shaking with terror.

"It's okay Carue," Vivi reassured him. "You don't have to be here."

"QUA!" Carue said as he shook his head frantically. He wasn't going to leave Vivi's side _now_, even _he_ knew this was an important confrontation.

"You could get trampled," Vivi told her duck, "So just be careful."

Vivi stared ahead of them at the large sand cloud that was approaching. In front of it was the Rebel Army. Two million men on horse and camel back were charging towards the capital.

"_Please Leader," _Vivi pleaded internally, _"Please listen to what I have to say. You must hear it."_

"RRAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" the rebels roared as they charged at the capital.

Koza drew his sword and raised it high overhead, "EVERYONE LISTEN!" Koza shouted. "CLOSE YOUR RANKS AND STAY TOGETHER! WE'LL KNOCK THROUGH THE GUARDS AT THE SOUTHERN GATE! THE REST WILL FALL FROM THERE! DO NOT LOSE HOPE!"

"YEEEAAAHH!" the rebels cheered.

As the Rebel Army drew near Vivi threw out her arms and yelled at the top of her lungs, "REBEL ARMY! YOU MUST STOP! THIS FIGHT IS POINTLESS! ITS ALL A SETUP!"

"RAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" the rebels kept going. Vivi's voice was drowned out by their charging steeds and their own loud shouts.

"PLEASE LOOK DOWN!" Vivi hollered, "YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO ME!"

At the head of the army Koza squinted through his purple-tinted glasses and saw a blue-haired girl and a duck standing out in front of them. **BOOOOOOM! **A cannonball hit the ground in front of her and exploded, hiding the girl and the duck in a cloud of smoke and sand.

Koza and the rebels charged forward into the smoke, "HEY!" Koza called out to the rebel next to him, "DID YOU SEE A PERSON STANDING IN FRONT OF US JUST NOW?"

"PERSON?" the rebel repeated. "THAT ISN'T IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW! THE ENEMY IS ALREADY SHOOTING AT US!"

Vivi raised her arms to shield her eyes from the sand, "AAAHHH!" the Princess gasped as she stared at the cloud of sand and smoke in front of her. The Rebel Army wouldn't be able to see her through it. "Why did they do that? Neither side can see anything now!"

"QUAACK! QUAACK!" Carue quacked in a panic.

Vivi turned to look back at Alubarna and spotted the smoking cannon that had fired the cannonball, "What is the Royal Army thinking?"

**-x-**

"WHAT THE HELL!" Chaka roared. "I HAVEN'T GIVEN _ANYONE _THE ORDER TO OPEN FIRE! DO NOT ACT WITHOUT MY SAY SO!"

"Yeah, sir, I'm terribly sorry about that," the soldier standing by the smoking cannon apologized while giving a dubious salute. "I guess my hand just slipped. Sorry." The soldier let out a low chuckle. Tattooed on his right arm was the symbol of Baroque Works.

**-x-**

"Kuahahahahaha!" Crocodile laughed as he stood by a window somewhere on the south side of Alubarna and surveyed the battlefield. Thanks to some quick orders to one of his men infiltrating the Royal Army, Princess Vivi's plans to confront Koza and the Rebel Army had, literally, gone up in smoke. "KUAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA! KUUUUAAAHAAHAAHAAHAAAA!"

**-x-**

"QUUUAAACK!" Carue shrieked in alarm as the Rebel Army bore down on them. With the smokescreen in between them they couldn't see them.

"**CHARGE THROUGH!"** the voice of one of the rebels cut through the floating smoke and sand. **"IT'S JUST A CLOUD OF SAND!"**

"NOOO!" Vivi shouted into the smoke and sand. "YOU HAVE TO STOP NOOOW!"

"**FIGHT FOR THE COUNTRY!"** another rebel shouted. From the sound of his voice he was right in front of Vivi. **"WE'LL MAKE THE KING PAY!"**

"LEEEAAAADEEEERRR!" Vivi screamed in desperation. "LEEEEEEAAAADEEEERRR!" The loud shouts from the rebels and the pounding foot-falls of their camels and horses made it so Vivi's voice was barely heard.

Despite this, Koza's sharp ears twitched at hearing a vaguely familiar voice and frantically searched through the smoke and sand as he continued forward. But he couldn't see anything let alone anyone.

"Koza, what is it?" the rebel next to him asked.

"Nothing," Koza answered. "It's nothing!" _"Was I imagining it?"_

"LEEEEEEEEAAAAADEEEEEERRRR!" Vivi continued to scream. But her voice was completely drowned out. And out of the corner of her eye she saw a man on a black stallion race passed her. _"Leader…" _Vivi could only stare after him in shock. He hadn't heard her. They'd gone right passed her.

"REMEMBER MEN!" Koza shouted to the rebels. "THIS WILL BE OUR FINAL BATTLE!"

"WAIT! LISTEN TO ME!" Vivi yelled after them, "LEEEAAD—" **WHAM! **The Princess was knocked to the ground by one of the blindly charging rebels. "AAAAHHH!" Vivi let out a terrified shriek, she was now on the ground hidden by a cloud of sand as over a million rebels on camel and horseback charged towards her.

"QUUUAAAAACK!" Carue dove forward and tackled Vivi to the ground. **WHUMP!**

**-x-**

"THEY'RE HERE!" one of the royal soldiers shouted as he spotted the rebels charging out of the cloud of smoke and sand. The soldier waved a flag to signal the men manning the cannons. "CANNONS READY! FIIIIIRREEEEE!"

**BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! **A volley of cannonballs fired off at the charging rebels. Despite Vivi's best efforts the war poised to destroy her kingdom had begun.

**-x-**

**KA-BOOOM-BOOOM-BOOOM-BOOOM!** The rebels struggled to dodge as the cannonballs exploded within their ranks. Some of the men were blown off their camels but the Rebel Army charged forward.

"SAVE THE COUNTRY!" Koza yelled as he and the rebels closest to them abandoned their mounts and charged up the steps at the Royal Soldiers guarding the south gate. "TEAR DOWN ALUBARNA!"

**KLANG! SLISH! **Swords clashed and blood was spilled as Koza and his men charged passed the soldiers. The south gate dissolved into chaos as the fighting between the Rebel Army and the Royal Army officially broke out.

**-x-**

Out in the dessert amidst the sea of hoof-prints laid Carue. The sounds of the two armies fighting echoed in a distance as the duck laid in the sand covered in hoofmarks, sand, and blood. The poor duck had been trampled by who knows how many camels and horses belonging to the Rebel Army.

Carue's wing twitched and Vivi pushed herself out from under him and rolled her faithful duck onto his back. "No Carue…" Vivi gasped as she stared at her duck and his severe wounds.

"Quuuuaaa…" the duck quacked weakly.

"Carue…" Vivi whimpered as tears welled up in her eyes. "You shielded me from them… I'm sorry… we've come so far… we've done so much." **Sniff! **"But the rebellion has started… I'm so sorry… but I _will _stop it. No matter how many times they refuse to listen! No matter how loudly I have to yell! I will not let mindless fighting destroy what we've worked so hard for! That's something I learned while I was onboard the ship. DO NOT EVER GIVE UP! "

**-South-West Block-**

"RICKY WAIT!" Luffy called out as he frantically waved his arms. "IT'S ME!"

"JAVELIN KICK!" **CRUNCH! **Ricky drove his foot into his brother's jaw and sent his swan-costumed Captain flying backwards.

"AAAHH!" Luffy shrieked as he pushed himself off of the ground, "RICKY! WHY WOULD YOU HIT ME? I'M YOUR CAPTAIN! STOP IT!"

"Low… ARROW KICK!"** THWHAM! **Both of Ricky's feet slammed into Luffy side and sent him tumbling into a building. **WHAM!**

**SWISH **Luffy touched his face and became Zoro and the green haired swordsman gasped in pain as he pushed himself up onto his knees. "Uggghhh… Ricky… stop it!" Zoro pleaded.

"Jumping... AX KICK!" Ricky launched himself up overhead and swung his leg down at Zoro but the swordsman let out a shriek and rolled away. **TMP! **Ricky landed on his feet while Zoro scrambled back to his.

"YOU COLD-HEARTED BASTARD!" **SWISH! **Zoro touched his face and reverted to Mr. 2. "How could you ruthlessly attack your friends like that?"

"You may be able to wear their faces," Ricky admitted, "but you don't know a thing about my Nakama! Luffy and Zoro would _never_ back down from a fight! And they'd _never_ beg for mercy! Maybe you should do some research before you try to imitate someone."

"Oh yeah… let's see if you can still fight me if I do _this_!" **SWISH! **Mr. 2 touched his face and became Nami."Ricky… you wouldn't hit _me_…would you?"

Ricky frowned and stared down at his feet, "You're right… I wouldn't hit Nami," he confessed. Nami grinned and drew back her leg to kick Ricky while his guard was down. "But on the other hand…" **POW! **Ricky's fist slammed into Nami's face and knocked her on her back. "I _would _hit _you_!" **WHUMP! **Ricky drove the bottom of his Sea Stone boot down onto Nami's stomach and the orange-haired navigator turned back into Mr. 2.

"Ugghhhh… Sea Stone…" Mr. 2 groaned.

"Nami would never wear a ridiculous outfit like yours," Ricky stated. "And if she were here she'd probably hit you herself for daring to wear her body again. Try your tricks on someone stupid because they won't work on me."

**-x-**

"Allow me to introduce you to my new gun, Long Nose," Mr. 3.5 stated as he pulled a triple-barreled shotgun out of his coat. **Ptooi! **The Bomb Man spat into the three bullet chambers and trained his gun on Usopp.

"Oh yeah!" Usopp retorted, "Let me introduce you to _this_! CALTROP HELL!" **WHING! **Usopp threw to handfuls to caltrops at Mr. 3.5 and watched with a grin as the sharp pieces of metal landed all around the Bomb Man. "NOW TAKE THIS! SPECIAL ATTACK: SMOKE STAR!" **FWOOSH! **Usopp fired a round from his slingshot and it created a thick cloud of smoke as it hit the ground. "AHAHAHAHA! It'd tell you to watch your step… but it looks like you can't now!"

**SKISH! **Mr. 3.5 leapt straight up out of the cloud of smoke and floated in the air as he aimed his shotgun and fired. **BANG!**

**WHUMP! **Usopp dove to the ground and the spit-bullet flew over his head and exploded somewhere behind him. **KA-BOOOM! **Usopp looked up and grinned, "AHA! YOU MISSED!"

"Wasn't aiming for you," Mr. 3.5 replied.

Usopp whirled around and gasped in horror when he saw that Ricky had been blasted off of Mr. 2 and was now lying prone on his back. "AAAH! RICKY!"

**BANG! KA-BOOOOM! **A wad of spit impacted with Usopp's back and exploded. **FWUMP! **The charred sniper fell to the ground and laid motionless.

Mr. 3.5 walked passed Usopp and over to Mr. 2 who was getting back up, "One Eye's too clever to fall for your tricks," Mr. 3.5 lectured Mr. 2, "I'll deal with him and the Long Nose."

"Then I'll go find the Princess," Mr. 2 decided but then his eyes fell on Usopp, "But first… I'll need a disguise."

**-x-**

**Carue's Resolve:**

**-x-**

"I'm getting really tired of you blind-siding me," Ricky complained as he pulled himself up off of the ground and glared at Mr. 3.5.

"Then I hope I've got your full attention now," the Bomb Man replied as he pointed his new triple-barreled shotgun at Ricky.

"Not quite," Ricky replied. "Usopp!"

Ricky kept his eye locked on Mr. 3.5 as the sniper groaned in response. "Ugghh!" Mr. 2 had stolen Usopp's green desert cloak and his goggles and left him in his usual brown overalls, white sash, and green bandana.

"Get on your duck and go find Sanji at the South-East Gate," Ricky instructed. "Tell him Vivi's in trouble and to go find her near the South Gate. Once he goes off, stay and back up Chopper against Mr. 4 and his partner."

When Usopp didn't respond immediately Ivan X ran over and scooped Usopp up onto his back and carried him off towards the South-East Gate. Cowboy ran off with after them leaving Ricky alone with Mr. 3.5.

"There," Ricky resolved as he stared straight at Mr. 3.5, "Now it's just you and me."

**-x-**

Vivi stood up and stared at Alubarna with tears in her eyes. The sounds of fighting could be heard from a distance. The thought of all those misguided soldiers killing each other because of Crocodile's twisted scheme was like a knife to the Princess' heart.

"If I can't stop the Rebel Army then I'll find Chaka and stop the Royal Army," Vivi decided. "At this point it doesn't matter if the Royal Army surrenders. I have to do whatever it takes to stop the fighting." With a new plan now in mind Vivi started towards the city up ahead of her.

"Quuuuaack!" Carue wearily called out as he slowly got back up to his feet.

"Carue!" Vivi exclaimed as she turned back around and looked at her faithful companion. "You're injured. You shouldn't be standing right now." It was only a few minutes ago that the duck had been trampled while shielding her from the charging Rebel Army.

"QUACK!" Carue quacked and shook his head. He darted forward and scooped Vivi up onto his back and started running towards the South Gate. He'd been with Vivi through everything. He'd been her pet as a child. He'd infiltrated Baroque Works with her. We joined her on board the Straw Hats' ship and he fought to save her on Little Garden. He was completely devoted and loyal to Vivi and would die before he left her side.

_"For a duck, you're really brave," Ricky praised Carue after the battle on Little Garden. "You risked your life to save your Princess. Many grown men would've turned tail and run if faced with what you were faced with today. Even more would've failed trying to do what you did. But you did it, you saved her."_

_Luffy, Ricky, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Vivi, and Carue all stood in a circle on board the Going Merry proudly displaying the bandage on their arm. "No matter what happens on that island, remember, this thing on all our arms is a sign of our friendship," Luffy announced._

Like Vivi, if Carue learned one thing from his time with the Straw Hats it was: never give up. Carue was proud to fight beside such brave warriors and honored that they considered _him _brave enough to be one of them.

Even if he had been trampled by an army of camels, Carue refused to give up on Vivi. Not now, not ever. But especially not now when it was so important.

"QUUUUAAACK!" Carue cried out as he raced towards the city with Vivi on his back.

**-South Block-**

A platoon of Royal Soldiers armed with bows and arrows stood along a street still awaiting contact from the invading rebels.

**TMP!TMP!TMP!TMP! **Two large figures suddenly raced out of an alley and into the street drawing the attention of all the soldiers.

"WAIT!" one of the soldiers exclaimed, "DON'T SHOOT! IT'S THE SUPER SONIC DUCK SQUADRON!"

The soldiers watched as Ivan X and Cowboy ran across the street and darted into another east-bound alley with Usopp clinging to Ivan X's back.

"Who was they were carrying?" another soldier wondered, "A rebel soldier?"

"NO!" the first soldier shouted as a bunch of rebels came running up the street. "_There _they are! FIRE MEN! PROTECT ALABASTA!"

**SHOO! SHOO! SHOO! **The Royal Army fired a volley of arrows at the rebels and the rebels returned fire with their guns. **BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!** Fighting had now broken out in the city streets.

-**South-East Gate**-

"Where'd they go?" Chopper wondered as he and Sanji stared at the empty expanse of sand outside the South-East Gate of Alubarna. All they could see was scattered stone ruins.

"They gave up way too quick," Sanji stated. "I don't trust it. Stay on your toes."

**SKUSSSHHH! **A wave of sand suddenly shot up into the air behind them and raced towards them. **SKISH! SHUNK! **The cook and the doctor jumped away as the sand they'd been standing on was sucked underground and left a hole where they'd been standing.

**SHUNK! **Another hole was created. **SHUNK! **And then another.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?" Chopper shrieked.

"Something's _burrowing _underground," Sanji realized as he watched the wave of sand travel around them leaving holes in its wake.

"**Hahahahaha!" **Ms. Merry Christmas's laugher rang out from underground in one of the holes. **"Let me introduce you to our Number 4 Batter!"**

**Shooooo… **Before their eyes Mr. 4 slowly rose half-way up out of one of the holes. The large man was now holding a large metal baseball bat in both hands. The cannon he'd shot earlier was noticeably absent. **WOOOSH! **Mr. 4 started swinging his bat. The huge gust of wind the swing generated spoke wonders for the strength behind it. **WOOOOSH!**

"_I have to do whatever I can," _Chopper thought to himself, _"I have to remember: I am a pirate!"_

**CHOO! **A baseball came flying up out of the hole in front of Mr. 4 in time for him to slam his bat into it, **KRACK!**

"DODGE IT!" Sanji shouted as the baseball came flying towards them. The two pirates jumped out of the way only for the baseball to explode in midair in the exact spot they'd just been standing, **KA-BOOOOOM!**

"AAAAHH! IT EXPLODED!"Chopper screamed.

**SHOOOM!** A wave of sand shot towards Chopper but suddenly stopped short leaving the human-reindeer staring at the sand in front of him in confusion.

**WHAP! **Two clawed hands shot out of the sand and grabbed Chopper by the legs, **"TI'S TIME TO DIE!" **Ms. Merry Christmas shouted from underneath him.

"CHOPPER! GET OUTTA THERE!" Sanji hollered.

"Foooouuuurrrrr…" Mr. 4 said as he rose up out of another hole and started winding up again. With Chopper rooted in place by Ms. Merry Christmas there was no way for him to dodge the next exploding attack.

**-West Block-**

"GO GET 'EM ZORO!" Nami continued to cheer along with the two ducks while Zoro stood in between her and the Mr. 1 pair. "WHAT'RE YOU WAITING FOR? PUNCH 'EM OUT! YOU CAN DO IT!"

"I DON'T NEED A CHEERING SQUAD!" Zoro snapped. "GO HIDE SOMEWHERE!"

The swordsman turned back to Mr. 1 and Ms. Double Finger and smirked. "Alright you guys, you think you could make this a _little _challenging?"

Zoro gripped his sword as Mr. 1 and Ms. Double Finger began to silently advance on him.

"COME ON ZORO!" Nami called out. "THIS IS WHY WE KEEP YOU AROUND! IT'S THE ONLY THING YOU CAN DO WELL, RIGHT?"

Zoro tensed as the two Baroque Works Agents walked up to him but then blinked in surprise when they _walked_ _right passed him_.

"HURRY UP AND FINISH OFF THOSE… ugly looking… reallybadevilpeople…" Nami trailed off when she realized that the two Officer Agents were coming for _her_.

"What do you think you're doing?" Zoro demanded as he looked back at the agents. "Hold up!"

"Primary rule to assassination: all weaker targets are to be eliminated first," Mr. 1 stated as he and Ms. Double Finger advanced on Nami.

"We'll show you how professionals handle these sorts of things," Ms. Double Finger added.

Nami glanced around her and suddenly realized that she was all alone in front of the two agents without even the ducks for cover.

"What? You mean me?" Nami asked. "Hold on a minute! Getting rid of me won't accomplish anything at all! Sure I'm pretty and know how to dress but I don't have any fighting skills!"

"Yes, we know, it's fairly obvious," Ms. Double Finger replied, "As we said, picking off the weaker ones is the fastest way to work."

"Damn it that's exactly why I told her to shut up and hide somewhere," Zoro muttered.

"Hold on!" Nami exclaimed as she quickly reached into her cloak and pulled out the three blue poles that made up her Clima-Tact. "I may not have fighting skills but I _do _have something to fight _with_! Stay back or I'll use this!"

"You think that little toy of your scares us?" Ms. Double Finger asked as she and Mr. 1 walked right up to Nami. Both agents arrogantly dismissed the Clima-Tact as a mere toy.

"It should!" Nami retorted as she stuck two of the blue poles into the third one creating a Y-shape then held the two slanted pipes and pointed third at the agents, "THUNDER TEMPO!" **BANG! **A boxing glove shot out of the pipe and slugged Ms. Double Finger in the chest. **WHOMP! **The close-proximity of the unexpected attack caused the glove to slam into Ms. Double Finger's left breast for a surprisingly high-impact punch.

"Owwwww…" Ms. Double Finger let out a low moan of pain as Nami twisted one of the pipes she was holding and drew the boxing glove back in. **SHUNK!**

"Hah, I bet that hurt!" Nami taunted. "I have it on good authority that it does!"

**-Nami and Ollie's Training Flashback-**

"So what's that weapon of yours do?" Ollie inquired as she and Nami separated from the others so she could learn to use her new weapon.

Nami unfolded the instructions that Usopp had given her and read the top, "It says 'It summons the clouds! Its causes rain to fall! It even makes winds blow! When combined the right ways the miraculous Tacts call forth natural disasters!'"

"Sounds impressive," Ollie commented. "Let's see then…"

Nami stared at the diagram on the instruction sheet and fitted the blue pipes together in a Y-shape and pointed it at Ollie. "THUNDER TEMPO!" **BANG!** **WHOMP! **A boxing glove sprang out and punched Ollie in the chest.

"OOOWW!" Ollie howled. "YOU PUNCHED ME IN THE FREAKING TIT!"

"I'M SORRY!" Nami quickly apologized. "I didn't know what it was going to do! It just shows the shape to put it in and the attack name!"

"Damn it that freaking hurts!" Ollie complained as she massaged the area Nami's boxing glove had punched. "Why the hell did I volunteer to do this?"

"Come on, it couldn't have hurt _that _much," Nami defended herself.

"Then let's see how _you _like being punched in the tit, ya damn dairy cow!" Ollie snapped as she glared at Nami. "Sheeshh… at least now you know what to do if you really wanna piss some poor girl off. No one'll see _that_ coming."

**-Flashback End-**

"She just crossed the line," Ms. Double Finger growled as she rubbed where Nami's glove had punched. "I'll take care of the girl, Mr. 1. You can have the swordsman."

"Very well," Mr. 1 agreed.

Ms. Double Finger looked up only to find that Nami was already halfway down the street screaming at the top of her lungs. "WWWAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

"GET BACK HERE!" Ms. Double Finger yelled as she ran after her.

Mr. 1 turned and addressed Zoro. "It's only fair to warn you… no swordsman can defeat me."

"We'll see about that," Zoro retorted as he slowly drew _Wado Ichimonji_.

**-South-East Gate-**

"CHOPPER TURN SMALL!" Sanji shouted.

**CHOO! **A baseball was launched up into the air in front of Mr. 4 and the batter smashed his big bat into it, **KRACK!** **WHING! **The baseball bomb went flying towards Chopper who was rooted in place by Ms. Merry Christmas as she held onto his legs from underground.

**SKISH! **Chopper shrunk down into his tiny Brain Point form and leapt away from Ms. Merry Christmas' sunken claws just as the baseball exploded where his head had been, **KA-BOOOM!**

**CHOO! **Another baseball popped up into the air and Mr. 4 smashed it with his bat, **KRACK!**

**SWISH! **Sanji ran over and cut the baseball off before it could even partway reach Chopper. "Bastard!" Sanji growled, "You shouldn't dish out what you can't handle!" **THWAK! **The cook jumped up into the air and kicked the baseball with all his strength it was sent flying back towards Mr. 4 but fell short and landed harmlessly on the sand before exploding, **KA-BOOOM!**

"They disappeared again!" Chopper exclaimed as he glanced around the battlefield. Mr. 4 and Ms. Merry Christmas were nowhere in sight. All that was left were the holes they'd left behind.

"That guy's a brute," Sanji told Chopper. "That baseball I kicked weighed a ton. The fact that he can hit them as fast as he can and time exactly where they're going to explode speaks volumes for his skills with that bat of his.

"**SAAAAAAANNNNNJIIIIIIIIII!" **a loud scream rang out as Ivan X and Cowboy came running out from the South-East Gate and down the steps. "HEEEEEEEELLLLLP!" Usopp and the two ducks skidded to a stop in front of the cook.

"Quack!" Hikoichi and Stamp popped up from wherever they'd been hiding and stood with the other two ducks.

"Usopp, what're you doing here?" Sanji demanded as he glared at the sniper. "You're supposed to be with Ricky!"

"I _WAS_!" Usopp protested as he slipped off of Ivan X. "Things were going great! He was beating up Mr. 2 while I had Mr. 3.5 on the ropes. But then he fired an explosive spitball at me! I dodged it with my usual grace of course but it ended up blind-siding Ricky. I was caught off guard and he blew me up too! Mr. 2 recovered and ran off with my robe and goggles! Ricky sent me—"

"DAMN IT!" Sanji interrupted, "NOW MISS. VIVI'S IN DANGER!" **Swish! **Sanji threw off his blue desert cloak leaving him in his usual suit then he raced off. "I'LL SAVE YOU VIVI MY LOVE!"

"LOOK FOR HER AND CARUE NEAR THE SOUTH GATE!" Usopp shouted after him.

"QUACK!" the four Super Sonic ducks ran off after the cook.

**KA-BOOOOM! **Usopp's attention was drawn back to the hole-filled battlefield by the sound of an explosion. He spotted Chopper lying prone and scorched on the ground in Heavy Point form.

"CHOOPPEEEER!" Usopp screamed. _"Just what I need… more bombs!"_

**-South Gate-**

"_Carue… you saved my life…"_ Vivi thought to herself as her duck began running up the stairs to the South Gate, _"You're in no condition to be exerting yourself life this…"_

**KA-BOOOOM! **"QUUUAAACK!" Carue shrieked and leapt backwards as a cannonball blasted the stairs in front of them. Vivi looked up and spotted a grinning soldier with a cannon pointed at her. The Baroque Works tattoo was on his arm. It was the same infiltrator that had fired the first cannonball that had kept her from making contact with the Rebel Army.

Rather than chance running up the steps again where the Baroque Works Agent could blast them Carue instead found his own way. "QUUUUAACK!" The duck promptly began running straight up the sheer side of the cliff. The incredible speed he was running at kept gravity from pulling Carue down immediately.

"CARUE!" Vivi exclaimed, "INCREDIBLE! HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS?"

"QUUUUAAA!" Carue crowed as he charged up the rocky cliff. But he encountered a problem when he reached the top. The cliff tapered off and Carue was left with nothing to run on.

**FWAP! FWAP! FWAP! FWAP! FWAP! **Carue frantically pumped his wings and managed to stay airborne long enough to launch himself forward and grab onto the top of the cliff.

**SKISH! **Vivi jumped off of Carue as he dangled off the edge of the cliff and launched herself at the Baroque Works gunman, "PEACOCK… STRING… SLASHER!" **SLA-SLISH! **Vivi slashed the agent cross the chest with the bladed jewels. **FWUMP! **The infiltrator fell to the ground while Vivi turned around and helped the still dangling Carue up onto the top of the cliff. "CARUE! THAT WAS AMAZING! YOU FLEW!"

Vivi and Carue made it over the wall and immediately encountered their next obstacle: the street in front of them was now a battlefield between the rebels and the royal soldiers.

Vivi closed her eyes to avoid seeing the citizens of her country cut each other down. "Carue… do you think you can make it through the battlefield?" Vivi asked.

"QUACK!" Carue agreed with a salute.

Vivi got back on Carue's saddle, "We need to find Chaka at the Royal Palace," the Princess explained. "At this point it'll be impossible to find Koza."

"QUUACK!" Carue cried out before he took off running through the field of fighting rebels and soldiers.

**BANG! **A bullet rang out and Carue sagged to the side and dropped to the ground right in the middle of the battlefield.

"OH NO! A STRAY BULLET!" Vivi gasped. "CAARUUEE!"

"_For a duck, you're pretty brave."_

"QUUUUAAAAACK!" Carue surged back up off of the ground and ignored his newest wound as he charged passed the fighting soldiers. Some of them actually stopped and stared at the sight of the Princess riding passed on the back of her duck.

**FWUMP! **It was only when they were completely through the crowd that Carue's strength gave out and the determined duck dropped to the ground.

Vivi fell off of Carue's saddle and stared at her duck companion in horror, "Carue… CAARUUUEE!" the Princess cried.

Carue had been with Vivi through everything and had carried her as far as he could. But now he could go no further. Tears welled up in the wounded duck's eyes as he began waving the Princess on. "QUAAA! QUAAA! QUAAA!"

"Okay… I'll go…" Vivi agreed as she stared down at her frantically waving companion. They'd been through so much together and had come so far. But now it looked like she was going to have to press on alone.

"**VIVI! IT'S YOU!" **Vivi looked up in time to see Usopp come running out of an alley wearing his green desert cloak and goggles. "HE'S AFTER ME! WE'VE GOTTA RUN!"

"Usopp!" Vivi exclaimed.

"C'MON VIVI!" Usopp insisted as he rushed over to her. "Leave the duck, we've gotta go!"

Vivi's heart stopped as she dared down at Carue. _"The… duck?" _she repeated in her mind as she remembered how Usopp and Carue had fought side-by-side on Little Garden. Vivi stood up and turned to face the Sniper. "Usopp! Prove yourself!"

"Huh? Really? You don't believe that it's me?" Usopp asked. The Sniper smiled and raised his left arm up into the air and proudly displayed the bandage wrapped around his forearm. "See?"

But rather than belay her concerns it confirmed them. _"It's not him!" _Vivi realized as she stared at the sniper in horror.

**-Bandage Flashback-**

"Listen up," Zoro addressed the Straw Hats on board the Going Merry before they landed on Sanddy Island. "That creepy ballerina's transformations are perfect. There's no telling when he might pose as one of us and make an attempt on Vivi's life. Does everyone understand? If you ever feel like one of us is acting suspicious…" Zoro held up his bandaged forearm and then pulled off the wrappings to reveal a blue 'X' that was tattooed underneath, "…ask them to take off this wrapping to reveal their mark. If they can't do that… they're an imposter."

"Clever," Ricky commented, "Looks like we're all getting a tattoo."

"Whoa, having such a well-thought-out plan seems uncharacteristically smart for you," Sanji remarked. "So how can we be sure that you aren't already an imposter?"

"I'LL STAB YOU!" Zoro snapped.

"Yup, that's him," Luffy realized recognized the swordsman's natural hostility for the cook.

"Phew," Usopp sighed in relief, "Definitely Zoro."

**-End Flashback-**

"You're lying!" Vivi told Usopp. "You're not really Usopp!"

"Well… that's too bad," Usopp commented before he touched his face with his left hand and revealed the gaudy make-up-covered face of Mr. 2. "Now really! You knew? How? _I _thought my imitation was perfect!" Vivi could only stare at Mr. 2 with mounting horror. "We even had a helpful tip from the boss that you all had the same bandages wrapped around your arm like this. So smart of you!"

Vivi backed away from the Officer Agent but bumped into Carue who was still prone on the ground behind her.

"I suppose there's no need to continue this ruse then," Mr. 2 decided as he took off Usopp's robe and shemagh leaving him in his normal swan-themed ballet outfit with Usopp's goggles still strapped to his head on top of his puff-ball headband. "Sorry Princess… but orders are orders. I'm afraid I must eliminate you now."

"QUUUUAAACK!" Carue shrieked in a panic, he made to defend Vivi as Mr. 2 advanced on her but couldn't move off of the ground.

"**SAUTÉ!" ZZZOOOM! **In a flash Sanjisuddenly appeared in between Mr. 2 and the Princess.

"SANJI!" Vivi exclaimed.

"YOU!" Mr. 2 gasped then stared in confusion, "Wait… who are you?"

"Sorry Miss. Vivi," Sanji apologized, "I would've gotten here faster but I brought company."

**THWAK! WHAM! **Mr. 2 was caught off guard when Cowboy suddenly appeared and delivered a flying kick to the Okama's face while Ivan X ran in and drove his horned helmet into Mr. 2 stomach for a vicious headbutt.

"WAAAAH!" Mr. 2 cried out as he was sent flying.

**SWASH! **Hikoichi ran in and knocked Mr. 2 up into the air. **WHOMP! **Stamp appeared from above and drove both of his webbed feet down into the airborne Okama and slammed him down into the ground. **WHAM! **The Officer Agent was _not_ having a good day when it involved ducks.

"Good job ducks, you can stand down," Sanji addressed the four spot-billed ducks.

"QUACK!" Cowboy, Hikoichi, Stamp, and Ivan X all quacked and saluted then grabbed Carue and carted him away from the impending battle.

"Now Miss. Vivi, don't you have a rebellion to stop?" Sanji inquired as he took a moment to adjust his tie. "Go on. I'll take care of this creep."

"Right, thank you Sanji!" Vivi replied as she got up and ran passed the cook towards the palace.

"AAAAAAH! NOOO!" Mr. 2 shrieked, "SHE'S GETTING AWAY!"

Sanji's one visible eye narrowed as he watched Mr. 2 pull himself up off of ground. "So I take it you're that ridiculous face-changing freak," Sanji commented.

"YOU REALLY SHOULD STAY OUT OF MY WAY!" Mr. 2 exclaimed. "But first… just who are you? No matter! NOW YOU'RE GONNA DIE!" Mr. 2 did a pirouette and spun towards Sanji and lashed out his leg.

"I think I'll start by having you return our sharpshooters goggles," Sanji announced as he swung his own leg around and intercepted the ballerina's kick with one of his own. **THWHAM! **All the weight training in the desert had given Sanji's already powerful kicks and additional boost of power. Where before their legs would have been locked in a stalemate, instead Sanji overpowered Mr. 2 and sent him spinning off balance. **THWAK!** Sanji spun around and sent Mr. 2 flying with a follow-up kick. "And that's just the beginning."

**SKIISSSHH!** Mr. 2 skidded to a stop and managed to prevent himself from being smashed into a building. "So you're with the Straw Hats, huh?" he inquired. "Well then! That must make you the mysterious Mr. Prince!"

"My name is Sanji," Sanji introduced himself to his opponent. "And I'm the best cook in the entire ocean."

"Well then, this should be quite interesting," Mr. 2 commented with a grin.

"I'll make this clear," Sanji announced. "Keep your hands off this country!"

And so as Vivi raced onward towards the palace the stage was set for the battles ahead.

Zoro was going up against Mr. 1

Nami was ducking and hiding from Ms. Double Finger

Sanji was facing down Mr. 2 Bon Kurei

Ricky was alone against Mr. 3.5

And Usopp and Chopper were taking on the team of Mr. 4 and Ms. Merry Christmas

**-x-**

I know the fights are the same as canon but as you can hopefully tell from this chapter, they're not going to go exactly the same way. The Straw Hats have all had special training leading into their respective fights so hopefully that'll keep things interesting. Each of these battles is specifically important to the Straw Hats' growth so I didn't want to completely rearrange everything.

Next chapter, Usopp and Chopper take on the team of Mr. 4 and Ms. Merry Christmas in a Battle on the Molehill.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	50. Chapter 50

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of the characters. I just own Ricky and the other OC's I've written into this alteration of the story.

**A/N:** **Sorry it's late. But we're finally here at the big chapter fifty and if you include '**_**Another Nakama**_**' this story has now spanned one hundred chapters plus a prologue. I'd like to take this time to thank everyone who has reviewed and even the regular readers that haven't. With 754 combined reviews so far this story has been even more successful than I had ever hoped. Thank you everybody. I promise to keep this story going as long as I can and to continue with a timely update schedule.**

**I'm changing things around a bit for the next few chapters. Each one is going to cover a fight in its entirety. In the anime and manga most of the fights span around two episodes or four or five manga chapters but I think it'll be easier to follow if I compress each fight into one convenient action-packed chapter. However, actually doing this proved a lot longer than I expected. The first fight spanned two whole episodes and took me a little longer to finish than my usual single-episode chapters. That's the reason for the half-day late update. But now that I know what I need to do I should be able to get next chapter out on time.**

**First up: Usopp and Chopper versus Mr. 4 and Ms. Merry Christmas.**

**Battle on the Molehill:**

**-x-**

Near the ruins outside the South-East Gate of the Capital City of Alubarna, Usopp was kneeling beside Chopper attempting to wake the reindeer after he'd been blown up by one of Mr. 4's baseball bombs.

"Chopper!" Usopp exclaimed. "Hey Chopper! Wake up! Open your eyes!"

Chopper, in Heavy Point, slowly opened his eyes and let out a groan, "Ugghh… Usopp… you're alright. That's great."

"Don't be ridiculous," Usopp scolded him, "You're the one we need to worry about."

"No, it isn't serious," Chopper reassured him as he sat up as stared out at the hole-filled desert in front of him.

"What happened?" Usopp asked with concern.

"Mr. 4 got me with one of his bombs while you were talking with Sanji," Chopper answered. The human-reindeer's eyes narrowed as he stared out at the sea of hole-filled sand. "Be careful. They're still out there waiting for us."

"WHAAT?" Usopp shrieked as he ducked behind Chopper. "WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO?" **THOOM! KRASH! **Off in a distance something burrowed under a ruin and toppled it over. "AAAAAAHH! WHAT WAS THAT?"

"Quiet," Chopper warned him, "They're underground. Mr. 4 uses his bat to hit exploding time bombs that look like baseballs. Something's pitching the balls to him but I'm not sure what. At first I thought it was Ms. Merry Christmas but she's just responsible for digging all the holes."

**ARF! **Usopp and Chopper flinched at the sudden bark. They looked in front of them and saw the strangest… dog… that either of them had ever seen. It had the head and legs of a dog but the dog's long body was that of a high-tech _cannon_. The dog was simply known as Lassoo. And was Mr. 4's gun/dog. A small dribble of snot that was coming out of the dog's nose signified that it had a cold.

"WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?" Usopp demanded.

**A-CHOO! **The dog let out a sneeze and a baseball came flying out of its mouth.

"DODGE IT!" Chopper shouted in alarm. **FWUMP! **He and Usopp dove to the ground and the baseball flew over them.

**SWISH! **Mr. 4 popped out of a hole behind the two pirates and smacked his big baseball bat into the ball when it got in range. **KRACK! **The ball went flying back the way it came and the two pirates frantically dove out of the way just as the baseball time bomb exploded. **KA-BOOOM!**

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?" Usopp shrieked.

"That dog's the mysterious pitcher," Chopper realized. "He launches the bombs at Mr. 4 so he can hit them with his bat. Mr. 4 can time exactly when they're going to explode and where to hit them. And the bombs all weight a ton. Sanji tried kicking one back at him before but it was too heavy. Mr. 4's strength must be incredible if he can hit the bombs as accurately as he can."

"**That's right!"** Ms. Merry Christmas' voice called out from one of the nearby holes. **"Mr. 4's a Number Four Batter! And Lassoo is a gun that ate the Dog Dog Fruit: Model Dachshund."**

"A GUN CAN'T EAT A DEVIL FRUIT!" Usopp argued. "A GUN CAN'T EAT _ANYTHING!_"

"**SHOWS WHAT YOU KNOW!" **Ms. Merry Christmas snapped from within another hole. **"It's a new technique developed here in the Grand Line! Devil Fruits can be infused with previously inanimate objects! I tell you this because YOU'RE GONNA DIE!"**

"WAAAAAAHHH!" Chopper screamed in terror. "I DON'T WANNA DIE!"

"**AND DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME!" **Ms. Merry Christmas barked. "**I made all these wonderful holes because I ate the Mole Mole Fruit! I can move through this sand as easily as a swimmer through water!"**

"The Mole Mole Fruit?" Usopp questioned.

**SKUSH!** Ms. Merry Christmas popped out of one of the holes in front of them.

"AAAAAAHH!" Usopp and Chopper screamed and hugged each other, "MOOOOLLLEEEE!"

"I HAVEN'T EVEN TRANSFORMED YET!" the still-human Ms. Merry Christmas snapped at the two pirates. She held out her arms and they sprouted brown fur while her fingers grew in size and became claws the size of bananas. The same thing happened to her feet and toes. The top half of her face became covered in brown fur and her nose grew downwards and became a snout topped with a black nose that hung down passed her mouth. Ms. Merry Christmas remained standing upright and kept her sunglasses, clothes, and frizzy brown hair. The mole-woman waddled forward and was now in the hybrid form that her Zoan-Type Devil Fruit Power gave her. "I see my form has you shocked speechless! Good! Now you're gonna die! WELCOME TO A PLACE WE CALL 'MOLEHILL BLOCK FOUR'! THERE'S NO ESCAPE!"

"WAAAAAHHH!" Usopp and Chopper suddenly shrieked, "PENGUIN!"

"I TOLD YOU I'M A _MOLE_!" the annoyed mole-woman yelled at them. **SKISH! **Ms. Merry Christmas dove forward and dug down into the sand and disappeared out of sight again. This left only Lassoo visible to the two terrified pirates.

"NO WAY! NO WAY! NO WAY!" Usopp whimpered, "I CAN'T FIGHT MONSTERS LIKE THESE! NO WAY!"

"You said we had to 'do whatever we can'!" Chopper reminded him.

"Well I _can't_ fight freaks like these guys!" Usopp protested. "Make one of the others do it!"

"They're all fighting the stronger, higher ranked agents!" Chopper pointed out.

"Yeah but they're all freakish monsters too!" Usopp insisted. "I'M JUST A HUMAN!"

"HEY! I'M HUMAN TOO!" Chopper shouted. He _was _in his Heavy Point, human form.

"_No_… you're a furry _monster_!" Usopp argued.

"Oh yeah, have you seen that nose of yours?" Chopper countered as he got in Usopp's face. The sniper's long nose curled upward from their close proximity.

"At least _my _nose isn't _blue_!" Usopp snapped.

**A-CHOO! **The two finally stopped arguing when Lassoo sneezed and sent another baseball time bomb flying at them.

"WAAAHH!"Usopp and Chopper yelped and ran in different directions to avoid the bomb.

**SWISH! **Mr. 4 popped up and smacked the baseball with his bat, **KRACK! **The bomb was sent flying after Usopp who was sprinting through the field of mole holes as fast as his legs could carry him.

"USOPP! LOOK OUT!" Chopper yelled.

The ball caught up to Usopp and didn't even hit him, it just exploded. **KA-BOOOM! "GAAAH!" **Usopp let out a yelp as he was engulfed in the explosion of fire, smoke, and sand.

"UUUSOOOOPP NOOOOO!" Chopper screamed as he stared at the cloud of smoke in horror. When the smoke and sand settled, Usopp was nowhere to be seen. There wasn't even a charred body left. "AAAAAAHHH! THERE'S NOTHING LEFT! UUUUSSOOOOPP!"

"**AHAHAHAHAHA!" **came a familiar laugh. Usopp jumped out of the hole the explosion had centered around and landed on the sand completely unharmed. "That was a close one! But you missed! YOU BAROQUE WORK JERKS HAVE NO IDEA WHO YOU'RE MESSING WITH! I'M _CAPTAIN _USOPP!"

"YOU'RE ALIVE?" Ms. Merry Christmas demanded as she and Mr. 4 popped their heads out of two of the holes and stared at the sniper in surprise.

"OF COURSE I'M ALIVE!" Usopp boasted while striking a heroic pose. "As if your lame bomb could hurt me! It was closing in fast! But I acted with my usual impressive speed and dove into the nearest hole to avoid the explosion! Ahahahahahaha! In my home village people called me Usopp the Speed Demon because no one could _ever_ catch me! You losers don't have a chance!"

"WOOOOOOOW!" Chopper cheered. "AMAZING USOPP!"

"LIAR!" Ms. Merry Christmas snapped. "YOU JUST TRIPPED AND FELL IN THE HOLE AT THE LAST SECOND!"

Usopp face-faulted and mumbled, "How'd she know?"

Chopper ran over to Usopp and stood next to him. "Usopp… are you okay?"

"Yeah," Usopp replied. "But you're right. We can't run away. The others are counting on us. We've gotta stay here and fight these monsters. Because the others are all fighting people even stronger than these two. We can't let them down. We can't let _Vivi _down."

"RIGHT!" Chopper agreed, "LET'S GET 'EM!"

"Now… what would Luffy do?" Usopp wondered. Both he and Chopper paused for a moment and thought of what their rubber Captain would do in this situation.

_Imaginary-Luffy charged through the field of holes with his arms stretching out behind him as he went, "GUUUUUUUM… GUUUUUUUM… BAAAAZOOOOOKAAAAA!" __**THOOOOM!**_

"Uhhh… I don't suppose you can stretch?" Usopp inquired.

"WHAT KIND OF MONSTER DO YOU THINK I AM?" Chopper demanded.

"Right, we can't copy Luffy," Usopp realized. "Zoro's brave. What would he do?"

_Imaginary-Zoro drew his three swords and slashed them as he charged at the opponents, "TIGER HUNT!" __**SLA-SLA-SLISH!**_

"WE DON'T HAVE ANY SWORDS!" Chopper exclaimed.

"And we can't kick or run like Sanji," Usopp reasoned. "Nami's normal. What would she do?"

"_What? I'm just a girl!" Imaginary-Nami protested. "You can't expect me to fight freaks like them!" The imaginary thief turned tail and ran. "YOU GUYS DO IT!"_

"I can't see how that would be helpful," Usopp commented.

"What would Big Brother Ricky do?" Chopper suggested.

_Imaginary-Ricky appeared in front of the two with a sly grin on his face. "Hah-ha, gotcha. You fell for my trap."_

"Right!" Usopp realized, "We can't compare to the others in terms of freakish strength! But we can still trick 'em like Ricky would!"

"RIGHT!" Chopper agreed. "Big Brother would outsmart 'em _then _beat 'em!"

"_Duck!" imaginary-Ricky called out before he dove to the side._

Usopp and Chopper blinked in surprise and suddenly saw the baseball time bomb that was flying towards them. "WAAAHH!" the pirate duo shrieked and followed imaginary-Ricky's example and dove to the side. A split-second later the bomb exploded in the spot they'd been standing in. **KA-BOOOOOM!**

"Usopp! We've gotta keep moving!" Chopper exclaimed. "We can't stop for a second!"

"Right," Usopp agreed, "If we stop moving we're sitting ducks."

"What _is_ a Number Four Batter anyway?" Chopper wondered.

"_In baseball it's common strategy for a team to put their best batter as number four," imaginary-Ricky explained. "The first four people in the batting line-up are usually the best batters on the team. The way it works is in case the first, second, and/or third batters manage to get on base. The fourth batter has the best chance of bringing those other guys home to score."_

"Ooooooh!" Usopp and Chopper chorused.

"Wait… how do you know so much about baseball?" Usopp inquired.

"_I dunno, convenience?" imaginary-Ricky suggested, "I'm not really here. I'm just a figment of your imaginations. How do _you _know so much about baseball?"_

"Uhh…" Usopp and Chopper stared at each other in confusion. Imaginary-Ricky was just as confusing as real-Ricky. Before they could respond a loud series of sneezes rang out.

**A-CHOO-CHOO-CHOO! **Lassoo fired a volley of three baseball time bombs from his mouth. Usopp quickly ran to the side while Chopper ran alongside the baseball bombs towards Mr. 4 as he popped out of one of the holes.

"_If I can get to him before they reach him I can take him out," _Chopper thought to himself.

**WHAP! **Ms. Merry Christmas popped out of one of the holes and grabbed Chopper by the leg. "JUST HOLD ON!" mole-woman ordered as she held Chopper's leg with one of her brown-furred long-clawed hands. "THE GAME ISN'T GOING TO BE ANY FUN IF WE DON'T HAVE A BATTER!"

The three baseball bombs reached Mr. 4 and he sent all three of them flying with just one big swing of his bat, **KRACK!**

"WAAAAAAHHH!" Chopper screamed he was rooted in place with Ms. Merry Christmas holding his leg and three ticking time bombs flying towards him.

"CHOOPPEEER!" Usopp called out in alarm.

"_Duck," imaginary-Ricky advised._

**SKISH! **Chopper shrunk down to his tiny Brain Point form and the bombs flew over his head and exploded. **KA-BOOM-BOOM-BOOOM!**

"Phew, at least I can still do that," Chopper sighed in relief.

"WAAH! SO YOU CAN TRANSFORM!" Ms. Merry Christmas realized as she stared at the much smaller reindeer-human hybrid. "Here I was thinking you were just a normal person!"

"MOLE!" Chopper snapped as he swung at Ms. Merry Christmas. **SWISH! **The mole-woman dodged and sunk back down into her hole. But Chopper was now free from her grasp and charged at Mr. 4. Chopper shifted into his big Heavy Point form and swung at the batter while there were no bombs around him. "BASTARD!" **SWISH! **The large man dropped back down into the hole and Chopper's attack missed.

"Damn," Chopper cursed to himself. "If they keep running away through these mole tunnels even if I use a Rumble Ball I won't have any time to do any real damage." Chopper let out a low growl and glanced around him. It was only then that he realized that he was alone on the surface.

"HUH? WE'RE MISSING ONE OF 'EM!" Ms. Merry Christmas exclaimed as she and Mr. 4 popped out of separate holes away from Chopper and looked around for Usopp. "Where'd the guy with the long nose run off to? Where is he? Where?"

"Fooouuurr…" Mr. 4 called out as he peered off in a distance.

"Yeah, I don't see Usopp around anywhere," Chopper realized.

"**WHAT'S THE MATTER?" **Usopp's familiar voice called out from underground. **"YOU GUYS LOSE SOMETHING?" **Mr. 4 and Ms. Merry Christmas stopped and stared around them in surprise. **"I've gotta say mole-woman! I'm impressed that you could dig all these underground tunnels in such a short time! Good work! Really! Then again… there can be some pretty literal pit-falls if you fight like this! You should be careful!"**

"WHERE ARE YOU?" Ms. Merry Christmas demanded. "WHERE DID YOU GO?"

"**So kind of you to dig all of these tunnels!" Usopp's voice drifted out from a nearby hole. "But I hope you realize that you're not the only one who can use them!" SKISH! **Usopp leapt up out of a hole behind Mr. 4 with a giant hammer that was nearly as big as he was raised over his head. "UUUSOOOPP POOOUUUNNND!" **WHOMP! **Usopp smashed his huge hammer down onto Mr. 4's head. The batter was caught off guard and fell backwards leaving him half in the hole, half lying on his back. At the same time, Usopp landed on his feet and let out a groan as he stood tall with his huge hammer held out at his side.

"WHAT?" Ms. Merry Christmas gasped in surprise as she stared at the big red '5t' that was written on the head of the hammer. "HE HIT HIM WITH A FIVE-TON HAMMER! HOW DOES A STRING BEAN LIKE HIM HAVE THE STRENGTH TO DO THAT?"

Usopp walked passed Mr. 4 and towards Ms. Merry Christmas all while twirling the Five-Ton Hammer around as if it weighed nothing.

"Wow… that's a big hammer," Chopper remarked as he started at the huge hammer in surprise.

"Who is this long-nosed freak?" Ms. Merry Christmas hissed.

"I am a traveler of the world's oceans!" Usopp proclaimed as he stopped swinging his hammer and addressed the mole-woman. "Crusher of notorious monsters, beasts, and foes! The sinker of countless ships! The flattener of numberless towns! Trembling with fear, people everywhere call me THE MASTER OF DESTRUCTION! I suggest that you take the time to remember my name carefully!" Usopp slung the hammer across his shoulders and struck a heroic pose, "IIII AAAM CAAAPTAAAIIIN UUUSOOOOOPP!"

"WOW! WOW! WOW!" Chopper cheered in sheered amazement. "THAT'S INCREDIBLE!"

"Yes, yes, it's nothing really," Usopp assured his cheering fan, "I'll sign autographs later!"

"AMAZING!" Chopper exclaimed. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE USELESS UNTIL NOW!"

"HEY!" Usopp snapped.

"Mr. 4 …" Ms. Merry Christmas whispered as she stared in shock at her unmoving partner.

"_He isn't moving," _Usopp noted as he adjusted his goggles and glanced back at the batter out of the corner of his eye. _"Could I have really hit him that hard? No. It doesn't matter. This is my chance to beat them both. I have to take it!"_

"YOUR TURN PENGUIN!" Usopp shouted at Ms. Merry Christmas. The mole-woman stared in alarm as Usopp raised his huge hammer over his shoulder and charged at her. "NOW YOU'LL FEEL THE WRATH OF MY FIVE-TON HAMMER!"

"WAAAAAHHH!" Ms. Merry Christmas screamed in shock.

"UUUUSOOOOPP POOOOUUUUNND!" **SKISH! **The mole-woman dropped back down into her hole causing Usopp's big hammer to miss. **WHOMP!**

"She escaped," Usopp growled, "WHERE ARE YOU PENGUIN?"

"I TOLD YOU I'M A MOLE NOT A PENGUIN MORON!" Ms. Merry Christmas shouted from a nearby hole.

"NOW I SEE YOU!" Usopp called out. "USOPP POUND!" **WHOMP! **What followed was a physical interpretation of a Whack-a-Mole game. Usopp ran around the hole-filled clearing bringing his hammer down wherever the mole-woman popped up. "USOPP POUND!"** WHOMP! **"POUND!" **WHOMP! **"POUND!"** WHOMP! **"POUND!"** WHOMP!**

But Ms. Merry Christmas was fast and managed to avoid getting hit by any of Usopp's attacks. At least until he briefly changed tactic. "USOPP RUBBER BAND OF DOOM!" **SNAP!**

"GAAH!" Ms. Merry Christmas let out yelp as Usopp snapped the dreaded rubber band in her face. But then quickly sank back down into the hole and popped out of another one prompting the Whack-a-Mole game to continue.

Eventually Usopp and Ms. Merry Christmas were both left panting. Usopp hadn't managed to hit her but on the plus side, the mole-woman still wasn't trying to hit _him_.

"Damn, you're everywhere mole-woman!" Usopp complained.

"HAH!" Ms. Merry Christmas chortled. "YA MISSED ME! SO WHAT'S THE POINT OF THAT BIG HAMMER…" **HUFF! **"…IF YOU CAN'T MANAGE TO HIT ME?"

"Ahahahahaha!" Usopp laughed, "Let me tell ya something, penguin! I'm sure you've heard by now that a good number of your fellow Baroque Works Agent have been eliminated by us. But the truth is… it was all me!"

"NO!" Ms. Merry Christmas shrieked. "YOU DID ALL THAT?"

"In addition!" Usopp added.

"_Remember to make your story sound believable," imaginary-Ricky advised._

"I COMMAND A PLATOON OF EIGHTY ELITE WARRIOS!" Usopp seamlessly continued.

Ms. Merry Christmas just stared in shock while Chopper shouted. "THAT'S AWEESOOMEE!"

"FIVE TONS!" Usopp boasted as he held up his huge hammer.

"AWESOME!" Chopper cheered.

"FIVE TONS!" Usopp called out again.

"AWESOME!" Chopper cheered again.

But while Usopp and Chopper carried on boasting and cheering… Mr. 4 opened his eyes.

"Uuuggghhh…" the large man groaned as he pushed himself back upright and rubbed his head.

"GAH! HE HAS TO WAKE UP _NOW_?" Usopp complained.

"HE SURVIVED BEING HIT BY A FIVE-TON HAMMER?" Chopper exclaimed. "WHAT KIND OF MONSTER IS HE?"

"HE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A BUMP ON HIS HEAD!" Ms. Merry Christmas realized. _"He took a direct blow to the head from a five-ton hammer and he's okay? Why is that?"_

Usopp shook in shock as his ruse began unraveling.

**A-CHOO! **Lassoo sneezed out a baseball which hit the head of Usopp's hammer and exploded. **KA-BOOOM! **Everyone stared in shock as the remains of Usopp's 'hammer' hung limply off of the stick.

It was Chopper who found his voice first. "YOU MEAN THAT THING WAS A FAKE?"

"OF COURSE IT WAS!" Usopp called back as he held his smoking stick. "YOU REALLY THINK I CAN LIFT FIVE-TONS? I STOP TRYING AFTER A HUNDRED _POUNDS_! This is a model a made! It's only a couple of frying pans, attached to a stick, and covered in paper!"

An aura of pure rage surrounded Ms. Merry Christmas as she glared at Usopp and was filled with a building rage. "WHY YOU!" the mole-woman snarled. "YOU TRICKED ME WITH A PIECE OF PAPER? NO MORE MERCY FOR YOU! MOLE-SWIMMING: MOLE-FISH ESCCAPE!" **SWISH! **Ms. Merry Christmas dove into her hole and disappeared.

**-x-**

**4:**

**-x-**

"SHE WENT UNDERGROUND INTO THE MOLE-TUNNELS AGAIN!" Usopp shouted in alarm. "WATCH OUT FOR THE HOLES CHOPPER!"

"_What's she planning this time?" _Usopp wondered and he spun around and looked for any signs of Ms. Merry Christmas. All he saw as Mr. 4 sticking out of his hole and Lassoo still standing in the same spot as before.

"WHERE ARE YOU MOLE THING?" Usopp hollered. "WHERE DID YOU GOOO?"

"**HAHAHAHA!" **Ms. Merry Christmas' laughter rang out from underground. **"Did you say watch out for the holes? Hahahahaha! That won't do you any good! Moving around underground is just like swimming in a pool to me! YOU CAN'T ESCAPE THIS TIME!"**

**Skiff!** The sand Usopp was standing on began to shake and a strong sense of fear gripped him. "Now this is bad…" Usopp whimpered.

**SKUSH! **Ms. Merry Christmas leapt out of the sand behind Usopp and swung her clawed hand at him, "MOLE MOLE BANANA!" **SWASH!** Usopp was smacked upside the head by the hand that was baring claws the size of bananas and was sent flying across the hole-filled expanse of sand, hit the ground, and eventually tumbled to a stop in the middle of the ruins.

"Mr. 4! Lassoo!" Ms. Merry Christmas barked out. "Take care of the reindeer-man! Show him your 400 Base Hits!"

**A-CHOO-CHOO-CHOO-CHOO! **Lassoo started sneezing up a storm and Chopper stared in shock as he suddenly found himself surrounded by FOUR HUNDRED ticking time bombs.

"_It's no use… there's no way I can handle an attack like this!" _Chopper thought to himself. _"I have to think up a way to beat this guy! And quickly! Before he kills us both!" _

"_Or you could… I don't know… DODGE!" imaginary-Ricky advised. "Hide in a hole and find his weakness once everything's stopped exploding."_

**KRACK! KRACK! KRACK! **Showing speed that went against his slow nature Mr. 4 rapidly popped in and out of the sea of holes and smacked his bat into the baseball bombs and sent them flying towards Chopper.

Chopper found himself surrounded by the incoming bombs and quickly heeded imaginary-Ricky's advice and shifted into his Brain Point form and dove into the nearest hole. **SWISH!**

Chopper curled into a ball underground in the hole while the bombs exploded overhead, **KA-BOOOM-BOOOM-BOOOM-BOOOM-BOOOM!**

-x-

Heading north through Alubarana Vivi was running through the streets trying to ignore the sounds of the Royal Army and Rebel Army fighting just streets away from her.

"_Koza… where are you?" _Vivi thought to herself. _"What have you done to our country?"_

Vivi closed her eyes and tried to drown out the sound of her people killing each other but ended up tripping over a loose stone and fell to the ground. The Princess slowly pushed herself back up. She couldn't afford to stop now.

"_Remember…" her father once told her, "a country is its people."_

"Oh father," Vivi sobbed.

_"Now Miss. Vivi, don't you have a rebellion to stop?" Sanji asked as he stood ready to fight Mr. 2 so she could go on._

"_You want it to work out so nobody dies in this fight," Luffy pointed out before they had fought after leaving Yuba. "Isn't that right? You'll never win that way."_

_"WHAT IS SO WRONG ABOUT NOT WANTING TO SEE PEOPLE DIE OR GET HURT?" Vivi had shouted._

_"'Cause people die, that's why," Luffy bluntly stated._

_"STOP TALKING LIKE THAT!" Vivi yelled. "I WON'T LISTEN TO IT!_

"_You truly are the one and only hope of preventing that tragedy," Zoro had said when they left Luffy behind to face Crocodile while racing ahead to Alubarna. "You must survive… no matter what. From this point on what happens to Luffy… or ANY OF US for that matter isn't the least bit important!"_

"_QUAAA! QUAAA! QUAAA!"_ _Carue shrieked from the ground as he waved Vivi onward._

_"LUUUUUFFYYYYYY!" Vivi stood up and shouted across the sand at the now distant form of Luffy. "LIIIIISTEEEEEN! WE'LL BE WAITING FOR YOU! WE'LL BE IN ALUBARNA!"_

_"YEAAAAHHH!" Luffy cheered as he watched his Nakama race off on the crab._

With the support of her friends and to spite Crocodile, Vivi pushed herself onward towards the palace. "I'm going to stop this," she resolved. Everyone was counting on her to succeed. She couldn't fail. "No matter what I have to do!"

**-x-**

Usopp sat up in the middle of the ruins and stared at the black cloud of smoke that was billowing over where he'd last seen Chopper. "CHOOOPPEEER!"

When the smoke finally cleared, Usopp's sharp eyes spotted a blue nose poking out of the holes cautiously sniffing the air.

"Ooooooooohhhhhh…" Mr. 4 moaned as he watched Chopper climbed out of the hole.

"Now it's time to get serious," Chopper resolved as he pulled out a familiar yellow ball. "RUMBLE!" Chopper tossed the ball up into the air and caught it in his mouth, then bit down on it, **CHOMP! **"Brain Boost: SCOPE!" Chopper held his tiny hooves together and stared through the circle in between them at Mr. 4 and attempted to find his weakness.

"Heh… Chopper," Usopp sighed in relief. Happy to see that the reindeer was okay.

"**YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO WORRY ABOUT SOMEONE ELSE!" **Ms. Merry Christmas shouted from underground. **"I TOLD YOU I WAS DONE BEING MERCIFUL! I think I'll torment you for just a little while longer before I finish you off for good! MOLE BANANA!" SKUUSH!**

"WAAAH!" Usopp yelped as Ms. Merry Christmas's banana-sized claws shot out of the sand in between his legs and shot up towards a 'private' place in between his legs. The sniper jumped up off of the sand in a frantic attempt to dodge the claw. "HEY! IT'S POOR FORM TO GO AFTER THAT SPOT ON A GUY!"

"**STOP YOUR WHINING!" **Ms. Merry Christmas snapped. **"MOLE BANANA!"**

"AAAAAAAHHH!" Usopp screamed and took off running while Ms. Merry Christmas' claws shot out of the sand and swiped at him.

Usopp looked ahead and spotted a wall followed by the remains of some kind of building. _"There's a part of a wall there!" _Usopp realized. _"If I keep running at this speed and she follows me, she'll run into the part of the wall that's under the sand!"_

"**BANANA! BANANA!" **Ms. Merry Christmas shouted as her claws shot out at Usopp.

"_Come on…"_ Usopp thought to himself as he picked up speed and sprinted towards the wall. _"Come on…" _Usopp reached the wall and jumped up and over it, "GO AHEAD AND SPLIT YOUR HEAD IN TWO! STUPID PENGUIN!"

Usopp flew over the wall and landed on the foundation of the building behind it. **KRAASSHH! **The wall shattered as Ms. Merry Christmas smashed straight through it and kept going. **KRESH! KRESH! KA-THOOOOM! **

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" all Usopp could do was let out a terrified scream as the ruin crumbled around him and came crashing down all around and on top of him.

**-x-**

"USOPP!" Chopper gasped when he saw the building remains go crashing down around the sniper out of the corner of his eye.

**KRACK! **Mr. 4 smashed his bat into a baseball bomb and sent it flying at Chopper. The reindeer still had his hooves clasped together in a Scope as the bomb it him, **KA-BOOOOM!**

"WAAAAAAHHH!" Chopper screamed as he was blown backwards.

"Fooooouuuurrrr…" Mr. 4 said as he held his bat out to the side while one hand while using the other to rub his upper-arm.

But when the smoke cleared, Chopper pulled himself back up and once again looked over at the demolished remains of the ruins.

"Usopp…" Chopper groaned. Then he looked back over at Mr. 4 and put his hooves together in another attempt to scope out the batter's weakness. _"I can't be worried about that. The Rumble Ball will only last for two more minutes. Usopp will be fine. It'll take more than that to finish him. Right now, finding the enemy's weakness comes first. Otherwise we ARE going to die here. I just have to remember what Usopp told me back on the ship. Right now… I just have to do whatever I can!"_

Chopper continued to stare through the scope while Mr. 4 stared at him and wound up to hit another bomb.

**-x-**

**Krek… KREEK! **Usopp pushed up the chunk of rock he was buried underneath and tossed it aside. **KRASH! **The sniper stood up and took a moment to catch his breath before he glanced around him at the ruined ruin.

Usopp grinned and let out a low chuckle that grew to a loud laugh, Ms. Merry Christmas was nowhere in sight. "Ahahahaha… AHAHAHAHAHA! GOT CRUSHED, HUH? SERVES YA RIGHT YOU STUPID, OLD PENGUIN-WOMAN!"

"**MOLE! I'M A MOLE YOU MORON!"** Ms. Merry Christmas yelled. Usopp let out a high pitched squeak as she popped out of the wreckage right in front of him. "MOLEHILL HIGHWAY!" She dunked underground but her claws came back up and grabbed a hold of Usopp's feet. **WHAP! WWHHSSSSSHHHHHHH! **Ms. Merry Christmas took off and borrowed through the sand dragging the unwilling, wailing Usopp along with her.

"WAAAAAAHHHH!" Usopp screamed. "LET GOOOO! STOP IT ALREADY! HELP! WHATDOIDO? WHATDOIDO?"

"_Have you thought of _**attacking**_ her?" imaginary-Ricky suggested. "You know where she is now. And she's underground so she won't see it coming."_

Usopp desperately shoved his hand into his weapon pouch and pulled out the first one he could find… the flintlock revolver. Usopp pointed the gun down in between Ms. Merry Christmas' claws and pulled the trigger. **BANG! **The bullet impacted with the ground and exploded, **KA-BOOOM!**

"**GRRAAAH!" **the mole-woman stopped burrowing and lost her hold on Usopp's feet.

"AHAHAHAHAHA!" Usopp laughed as he took off running and hurdled a nearby ruin wall. "HOW DO YA LIKE A TASTE OF YOUR OWN MEDICINE? YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES WITH BOMBS IN YOUR ARSENAL!"

"**HOW DARE YOU!" **Ms. Merry Christmas yelled. **"MOLE MOLE BANANA!" SKUSSHH! **The mole-woman burrowed after Usopp and lashed out with her banana-sized claws.

Usopp ran out of the ruins and out into the open field of holes that Chopper and Mr. 4 were in. "And now for a super special attack!" Usopp announced as he pulled out his slingshot and loaded it while still running at full speed. "TAKE THIS!" Usopp jumped over the edge of the first hole he found and aimed down into it, "ROTTEN EGG STAR!" **WHING! **Usopp grinned as he fired the egg into the hole. **KRACK!**

"**AAAAHHHH! DEAR GOD!" **the rancid smell reached Ms. Merry Christmas first. **"NASTY! EEEWW! UGGHHH! KOFF! KOFF! IT'S HORRIBLE!" SHUNK! **Ms. Merry Christmas burst out through a new hole in the sand and promptly started throwing up. **BLAAGGHHH!**

"Foooouuuurrr!" Mr. 4 groaned and dropped his bat so he could clamp his hands over his nose and mouth as the rotten egg smell reached him. "Uuuuggghhhh…"

"THAT'S IT!" Chopper exclaimed. "I KNOW THEIR WEAKNESS!"

"CHOPPER!" Usopp shouted. "IF YOU'VE GOT A PLAN! DO IT NOOOOW!"

"RIGHT!" Chopper agreed he ran across the sand still in his Brain Point form while Mr. 4 and Ms. Merry Christmas attempted to recover from the horrid smell of Usopp's rotten egg. **WHUMP! **Chopper dove and landed in front of Lassoo and quickly flung dirt into the dog's face, **Swish! Swish! Swish!**

**AAAAHHH— **The dog took a deep breath to sneeze, Chopper acted quickly and ducked the dog's head into the nearest hole. **–CHOOOOOOOOO-CHOOOOO-CHOOOOOO!**

"USOPP! USOPP!" Chopper called out. "WE'VE GOTTA RUN!"

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME TWICE!" Usopp shrieked as he took off running.

"Walk Point: LEG BOOST!" Chopper shifted into his reindeer form and easily caught up with Usopp thanks to his four boosted legs. "HURRY! AND STAY AWAY FROM THE HOLES!"

"THOSE BASTARDS ARE GONNA PAY!" Ms. Merry Christmas roared when she finally stopped vomiting. But then the holes started glowing. "What that? What's going on?"

Usopp and Chopper ran as fast as they could as they light from an impending explosion began emitting from every hole in the field.

**KAAA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM! **The resulting explosion caused Alubarna to shake and could be seen from everyone in the city.

**-x-**

**KAAA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!**

Vivi – who was once again running towards the palace – tripped and fell as the ground started shaking underneath her. She looked towards the South-East Gate and spotted the billowing coud of smoke that was easily half the size of the city.

**-x-**

"And that's the molehill's weakness," Chopper said as he and Usopp surveyed his handiwork. "All the tunnels are connected to each other in one big network."

"AHAHAHAHA!" Usopp laughed. "NICE GOING! THAT'LL TEACH THOSE BAROQUE WORKS JERKS TO MESS WITH US! AHAHAH—HUH?"

Usopp stopped laughing when he spotted a large silhouette in the dark cloud of smoke. The large shape was accompanied by two smaller ones.

"AAAAAAAAHHH!" Usopp screamed in horror. "THEY'RE ALIVE!"

"This isn't good!" Chopper gasped. "My Rumble Ball's effectiveness is already half-gone now!"

The smoke cleared and revealed Mr. 4, Ms. Merry Christmas, and Lassoo. They looked scuffed, dirty, and scorched but were all still alive and awake.

"WHAT DO WE DO NOW?" Usopp shouted.

"_I'm out of ideas," imaginary-Ricky admitted, "Those guys are freaks."_

"WWAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Usopp screamed as he took off running with Chopper on his heels. "THEY'RE MONSTERS! WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE CAN SURVIVE AND EXPLOSION LIKE THAT? WE'VE GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE! I DON'T WANNA DIE HERE!"

"USOPP!" Chopper yelled. "RUNNING AWAY ISN'T GOING TO WORK!"

"**HE'S RIGHT LONG NOSE!" SKUSH! **Ms. Merry Christmas popped out of new hole in front of them. "That was some trick you two pulled! I had to dig an entirely new tunnel so I could avoid that damn rotten egg smell! I hope you don't expect us to let you off like nothing happened! YOU'RE GONNA PAY!"

"EEEEEEK!" Usopp screamed like a little girl and jumped away from the two agents. "RUN FOR IT CHOPPER!"

"_Run and regroup," imaginary-Ricky advised Chopper. "As long as you're still conscious you can come at them again with a new plan." _Usopp and Chopper took off running.

"Hahahaha!" Ms. Merry Christmas laughed at the two retreating pirates. "With a Captain that's so pathetic it's not surprise that the rest of the crew is useless!"

**SKIISSSHHH! **Usopp, Chopper, and even imaginary-Ricky skidded to a stop and turned to glare at the mole-woman.

"**What did you say?"** they growled.

**-x-**

**Sworn on a Friend's Dream:**

**-x-**

"WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT LUFFY?" Usopp demanded.

"You mean that Straw Hat kid?" Ms. Merry Christmas asked. "That idiot was killed last night by the boss! And now the rebellion's started and is well underway! I guess you picked the wrong people to mess with!"

"She said that Luffy… is dead?" Chopper questioned.

"_That's bullshit,"_ _imaginary-Ricky chimed in. "There's no way Crocodile could killed someone as strong-willed as Luffy. He may have beaten him. But Luffy can come back from anything."_

Usopp eyes narrowed and he glared at the mole-woman, "DON'T YOU DARE LIE TO US, YOU DIRTY MOLE-WOMAN! THERE'S NO WAY WE'LL LISTEN TO YOU! THERE'S NO WAY LUFFY CAN BE DEAD! YOU HEAR ME? HE'D NEVER LOSE TO THAT ALLIGATOR BASTARD!"

"And what makes you think that stupid scrawny little Captain of yours could even last _five second_ against our boss ya stupid long nose?" Ms. Merry Christmas demanded.

"BECAUSE SOMEDAY HE'S GONNA BECOME KING OF THE PIRATES!" Usopp shouted, "SO THERE'S NO CHANCE THAT HE WOULD LET HIMSELF DIE HERE!"

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Ms. Merry Christmas laughed. "DID YOU HEAR THAT MR. 4? He'll be the 'Pirate King'! Pi-King! Pi-King! Ping! HAHAHAHAHA!"

"FWAAH FWAAH FWAAH!" Mr. 4 laughed along with his partner from behind the pirates.

"THAT'S THE STUPIDEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD!" Ms. Merry Christmas exclaimed. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Usopp gritted his teeth so hard that his mouth bled as the mole-woman continued to laugh at his best friend's dream.

"HAHAHA! KING OF THE PIRATES!" Ms. Merry Christmas laughed. "ONLY IDIOTS LIKE YOU AND YOUR PATHETIC FRIENDS WOULD BELIEVE A RIDICULOUS STORY LIKE THAT! I'M GLAD THAT PATHETIC CAPTAIN OF YOURS IS DEAD! HE'S A MORON WHO DIDN'T KNOW HIS OWN PLACE! HE WAS A 'RON! HAHA! A RON! HAHAHA!"

"CHOPPEEER!" Usopp called out to the reindeer. "LISTEN! A REAL MAN…"

**WHAP! **Ms. Merry Christmas grabbed Usopp's legs again, "MOLEHILL HIGHWAY!" **WHHHSSSSSHHHH! **Ms. Merry Christmas once again burrowed the through the sand dragging Usopp along with her. "IT'S ABOUT TIME YOU DIED LONG NOSE!"

Usopp quickly pulled out his revolver and fired it down at Ms. Merry Christmas' claws, **BANG! **Ms. Merry Christmas heard the gun go off and released Usopp's legs so she could dive deeper and avoid the explosion. **KA-BOOOM! **Usopp jumped back out of the way and quickly drew his trusty slingshot.

"HAHAHAHA! YOU MISSED" Ms. Merry Christmas boasted as she popped her head out of a new hole in the sand.

**WHING! "**SPECIAL ATTACK: SURE-KILL FIRE STAR!" Usopp had planned on Ms. Merry Christmas popping up at that moment so his projectile hit her before she even had a chance to dodge. **FWOOOOSSHH! **

"WAAAAAHHH!" Ms. Merry Christmas wailed. The mole-woman was covered in flames and quickly jumped out of the hole and rolled around on the sand in an attempt to put out the fire before it burned her too badly.

"I WASN'T FINISHED, YOU DAMN PENGUIN!" Usopp snapped before he turned back to Chopper. "LISTEN CHOPPER! There are times when a real man MUST stay and fight… no matter how terrifying, or hideous, or corrupt his enemy might be! No matter how slim the chance of survival! AND THAT'S WHEN A TRUE FRIEND'S DREAM IS LAUGHED AT!"

"**YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU!" **Ms. Merry Christmas hollered from underground. **WHAP! **A pair of scorched claws shot out of the ground and grabbed Usopp by the legs. "MOLEHILL HIGHWAY!" **WWHHHSSSSSHHHH! **Ms. Merry Christmas raced off dragging Usopp with her once again. **"YOU'LL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME!"**

"Not this again," Usopp complained as he reached into his bag to grab a weapon. But he never got the chance to draw it.

"**MOLE MOLE IMPACT!"** **KER-RASH! **Ms. Merry Christmas reached the ruins and smashed Usopp straight through a stole wall. Usopp's arms went limp, his long nose was crooked, and his body was covered in bruises that resulted from pulverizing stone.

"**NOW MR. 4!" **Ms. Merry Christmas shouted to her partner from underground. **"YOU'RE UP! TAKE YOUR BATTING STANCE! READY YOUR FOUR-TON BAT!"**

"USOPP!" Chopper cried out as he desperately ran after the mole-woman as she burrowed towards Mr. 4. The #4 batter pulled back his huge bat and wound up for a big swing.

"**THIS IS IT!" **Ms. Merry Christmas yelled, **"MOLEHILL INTERSECTION #4!"**

**KER-RACK! **Mr. 4 used his herculean strength to smash his four-ton bat into the vulnerable form of Usopp and sent him flying up into the air. The sniper's skull cracked from the incredible impact. Usopp flew overhead then went crashing to the ground and landed in a boneless heap, **KRASH! **A curtain of sand rose around him and hid the sniper's limp body from view.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ms. Merry Christmas laughed from in her hole next to Mr. 4.

"FWAAAH! FWAAAH! FWAAAH!" Mr. 4 chortled along with her.

"THE WEAK ARE ALWAYS WEAK!" Ms. Merry Christmas exclaimed. "EVEN IF THEY PRETEND THEY'RE NOT! HOW SAD!"

"DAMN YOU!" Chopper snarled as he rushed over to the two agents. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?"

"Oh look!" Ms. Merry Christmas observed. "The blue-nose wants to play now! That's no problem at all! We'd be happy to take care of you just like we took care of your long-nosed freak friend over there! Hahahahaha!"

"Fwaaah fwaaah fwaaah!" Mr. 4 laughed along with her.

"SHUT UP!" Chopper shouted.

"_Call her a penguin," imaginary-Ricky advised, "She hates that."_

"YOU DAMN PENGUIN!" Chopper continued.

"DAMN IT! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU IDIOTS? I'M A—"

"USOPP'S _NOT _WEAK!" Chopper yelled over her. "YOU HEAR ME?"

"**Uuuggghhh…" **a low groan broke out from behind the two agents. All three of them turned to see Usopp rising to his feet. The sniper looked dead on his feet. Any part of him that wasn't covered in blood was sporting a purple bruise. But somehow Usopp had withstood the impact of the four-ton hammer and was still standing. "Like I said… its times like these… where a real man can't run away… where he's gotta stay and fight… and he's gotta win…"

"HE'S STILL STANDING?" Ms. Merry Christmas shouted in shock. "BUT YOU GOT HIT IN THE HEAD WITH A BAT THAT WEIGHS FOUR TONS! YOU SHOULDN'T EVEN BE ALIVE YA DAMN 'RON! YOU SHOULDN'T! NO YOU SHOULDN'T! NO WAY! WHAT SORT OF SNEAKY TRICK ARE YOU USING THIS TIME? HUH?"

"Luffy is NOT dead!" Usopp insisted, "He's going to be… King of the Pirates someday! I KNOW HE WILL!" Usopp glared at the two agents. "THAT IS ONE THING! THAT I WILL **NEVER** LET YOU LAUGH AT! NEVER!"

"Hah!" Ms. Merry Christmas barked, "I guess the damn long nose hasn't learned his lesson! LET'S GO AGAIN MR. 4!" The mole-woman dove back down into her hole.

**SWISH! **Chopper through off his desert cloak leaving him in his pink top hat and maroon shorts. "I'm not gonna let that happen! Let me show you the transformation point I've been saving! RAAAAAH!" With a loud roar Chopper shifted into his seventh form. Hands replaced his hooves and his arms became muscled while the back was covered in thick brown fur while his feet remained as hooves. **TMP!** Chopper dropped down onto all fours as his body became muscled and bulky. Thick brown fur grew out on his back. Finally, his short antlers branched out and became the fully-formed antlers of an adult reindeer. "HORN POINT… HORN BOOST! I'M COMING USOPP!" The beastly reindeer raced over to save Usopp.

"MOLEHILL HIGHWAY!" **WHAP! **Ms. Merry Christmas grabbed Usopp by the ankles and once again dragged him through the sand.

"CH-CHOOOOPPEEEEER!" Usopp called out as the reindeer caught up and ran alongside him. "JUST… JUST GET BEHIND ME, OKAY?"

"GOT IT!" Chopper agreed.

"ALRIGHT MR. 4!" Ms. Merry Christmas called out. "GET READY!"

"FOOOOUUUR!" Mr. 4 said as he wound up.

But because the mole-woman hadn't smashed him through a wall this time, Usopp managed to reach into his bag and pulled out his slingshot and a special projectile. The sniper pulled down his goggles and loaded his slingshot as fast as he could in his highly injured state. "Take this special attack…" Usopp growled.

"HERE WE GO!" Ms. Merry Christmas called out as she approached Mr. 4. "MOLEHILL…"

"SPECIAL ATTACK: SMOKE STAR!" **FWING! FWOOOOSSSHH! **The projectile exploded and covered Mr. 4 and the area all around him in smoke. Ms. Merry Christmas was caught by surprise when Usopp slipped from her grasp and leapt to the side. "ARLIGHT CHOPPER! THE REST IS UP TO YOU!"

"Right!" Chopper agreed as he lowered his horns and closed in behind Ms. Merry Christmas.

"THAT STUPID 'RON!" Ms. Merry Christmas exclaimed as she was left holding Usopp's empty shoes, "HE TOOK OFF HIS SHOES AND JUMPED RIGHT OFF!" **WHUMP! **"WAAAAHH!" the mole-woman let out a surprised yelp as she was lifted out of the ground and up into the air by Chopper's horns. The reindeer kept going and charged at Mr. 4.

Usopp sat up and shouted out in his best Ms. Merry Christmas impression, "MOLEHILL INTERSECTION #4!"

"NO! DON'T DO IT MR. 4!" Ms. Merry Christmas screamed. "DON'T DO IT! IT'S ME!"

**KER-RACK! **Mr. 4 swung his four-ton bat and smashed it right into his own partner. The batter could only stare in wide-eyed shock as he watched his partner go flying through the air and demolish a ruin as she crashed down through it. **KER-RASH!**

"HEEEY YOOUUU GUUUUYYS!" Usopp called out to Mr. 4 and Lassoo. "WHY DON'T YOU LOOK OVER HERE?"

Mr. 4 looked to the side to see Usopp crouched behind Chopper. The dreaded Usopp Rubber Band of Doom was stretched around Chopper's boosted antlers like a giant slingshot and was loaded with a heavy-looking hammer.

"USO-CHO HAMMER SHOOTING STAR!" **THWANG! **Usopp released the rubber band and sent the hammer flying straight into Mr. 4. ** BOOOOOM! **The hammer slammed into Mr. 4's chest and sent the large man flying backward straight into Lassoo. **WHAM! **Mr. 4 kept going and slammed himself and his dog through large stone column. **KRASH! **The column was demolished as the big man and his gun went through it and crashed to the ground next to the unconscious Ms. Merry Christmas.

**Blah! **Lassoo spat out one last baseball time bomb which rolled out of his mouth and stopped in the middle of the prone trio. **KA-BOOOOOOM!**

"AHA-ha-haaa-aaahhhh…" Usopp's laugh lost strength and became a groan as his injuries caught up with him and he fell backwards. **FWUMP!** "We did it…"

_"Nicely done you two," imaginary-Ricky_ _congratulated them before fading away._

"USOPP! ARE YOU OKAY?" Chopper yelled. The time limit on his Rumble Ball expired and he shifted back into his tiny Brain Point form and ran over to his injured Nakama. "USOPP! JUST HANG IN THERE, ALRIGHT? DON'T DIE ON ME! WE NEED TO FIND A DOCTOR! A DOOOCTOOOR!"

"Chopper… _you're _a doctor…" Usopp groaned.

"Oh," was Chopper's sheepish reply.

The battle at the South-East Gate had concluded.

**Winners: Team Usopp and Chopper**

**-x-**

And there it is. I didn't change the battle around too much because I think it's one of Usopp's real stand-out fights. But next chapter it's time for something completely different with the battle in the South-West Block where Ricky faces off against Mr. 3.5.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	51. Chapter 51

Another Nakama II

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or any of the characters. I just own Ricky and the other OC's I've written into this alteration of the story.

**3.5:**

**-x-**

Ricky and Mr. 3.5 stood in a wide-open street in the middle of the South-West Block in Alabasta's Capital Alubarna. They ignored the sounds coming from the battling Royal Army and Rebel Army and remained focused on each other.

"I suppose I should be thanking you," Mr. 3.5 commented, "It's because of you that I've become stronger."

"You're welcome," Ricky replied with a casual smile. "Now I'm guessing you plan to demonstrate this new strength against me."

"That's right," Mr. 3.5 agreed. "You see, the Bomb Bomb Fruit allows me to turn any part of my body into a bomb. But I've discovered that different kinds of bombs have different levels of strength. The bombs made from the outer parts of my body are weaker than the ones made from things inside it. That's why I use my fist or foot on low-level lackeys and soldiers but more powerful internal things like snot, saliva, and my breath against higher profile targets. The added benefit of using things like snot and saliva is that they're easily replaceable." Left unsaid was whether or not he used any other bodily fluids for bombs.

"But now you've found something even stronger," Ricky realized.

"My blood," Mr. 3.5 answered. "Thanks to you kicking me in the face back at Rain Dinners I used the resulting blood to create a bomb that's even more powerful than my Full Body Blast. You were lucky enough to be the guinea pig for that."

"Hate to break it to you," Ricky said, "But that blood bomb didn't keep me down for that long."

"That's because it was watered down by my saliva," Mr. 3.5 explained. "This time you won't be so lucky." The Bomb Man reached down and picked up one of Usopp's abandoned caltrops and used it to cut his hand. **Chuck!** Mr. 3.5 opened the bullet chamber of his triple-barreled shotgun and allowed his extremely potent explosive blood to drip inside. Once all three chambers were filled he snapped it closed and pointed the barrel at Ricky. "Once again, I'd like to thank you for leading me to his discovery. As a show of gratitude I'll use my new ability to eliminate you once and for all."

"Well that's nice of you," Ricky remarked but then a sly grin spread across his face, "Too bad it's not going to work."

"We'll see about that!" Mr. 3.5 snapped then pulled trigger. "BLOOD BULLET!"** BANG!** The blood red bullet fired out of the gun barrel at Ricky but the one-eyed pirate was already in motion. Ricky dropped down and slid right under the explosive bullet causing it to explode in the middle of the street behind where he'd been standing, **KA-BOOOOOOOM!**

**SKISH! **Ricky slid passed Mr. 3.5 and swung his leg around into the back of the bomb man's calves, "Quarterstaff SWEEP!"** THWAK! **Mr. 3.5's legs were knocked out from under him and fell to the ground. Ricky spun around and stood back up all in one motion then lashed out his leg and kicked Mr. 3.5 in the side. **THWHAM! **The agent went flying across the street and hit the side of a building then crashed down to the ground. **FWUMP!**

"As I said," Ricky stated as he cast a brief glance at the huge crater that Mr. 3.5's blood bullet had blown in the street, "'Too bad it won't work'. If you can't hit me, your fancy blood bombs won't work."

"Damn," Mr. 3.5 cursed as he pulled himself up and once again pointed his shotgun at Ricky. "Why don't you ever stay still during a fight?"

"I've found that staying in motion helps me stay alive," Ricky replied.

"That's something I've been ordered to rectify," Mr. 3.5 retorted before once again pulling the trigger on his shotgun. "BLOOD BULLET!" **BANG! **

"Speed Step!" Faster than Mr. 3.5 could blink Ricky sped out of the path of his blood bullet and dodged to the side. **ZZZOOOOM!** **KA-BOOOOOOOM!**

"BLOOD BULLET!" **BANG! **As soon as Ricky stopped Mr. 3.5 fired again. Ricky jumped backwards and the bullet hit the street and exploded, **KA-BOOOOOOOM!**

The smoke from the two huge explosions cleared and revealed the two huge craters that had been made in the street and Ricky leaning unharmed against a building across the street from Mr. 3.5.

"Looks like you're out of bullets," Ricky observed as he pushed off of the building and approached the craters. "Now what are you going to do?"

Ricky smirked as Mr. 3.5 looked down at his now empty shotgun. **SKISH! **Ricky jumped over the large craters and flew through the air towards Mr. 3.5.

"LOOGIE BOMB!" **PTOOI! **Mr. 3.5 spat out a wad of explosive spit as Ricky drew close. Ricky was caught in midair with no way to avoid the spit as it impacted with his chest and exploded, **KA-BOOOOM! **Ricky was blown backwards by the explosion and was sent flying across the street and slammed into the front of a building on the other side, **WHAM!**

"Hmph," Mr. 3.5 grunted, "I hope you didn't think I'd completely forget about my other bombs just because I found a more powerful one."

"Actually…" Ricky replied as he pushed himself off of the ground on the other side of the street, "In my experience that's usually what happens. Someone learns a new more powerful technique and forgets about their old ones."

**Chuck! **Mr. 3.5 snapped the bullet chambers opened and quickly dripped blood into them while Ricky was still recovering from the explosion. **Clak! **Mr. 3.5 snapped the bullet chambers closed and trained the gun on Ricky who was still attempting to get back up, "BLOOD BULLET!" **BANG! **Ricky heard the gun go off and lunged to the side and dropped into a roll that took him away from the impending explosion. **KA-BOOOOOOOM! **The blood bullet hit the building Ricky had been in front of and exploded. The resulting hole was two stories high and went halfway through the building. **Krek-krek-krek-KA-THOOOM! **With so much of the structure suddenly missing the building collapsed and was reduced to a pile of broken stone.

"Holes and explosions… I have the feeling that this has been done already," Ricky remarked.

"What nonsense are going on about now?" Mr. 3.5 demanded.

"Have you ever stopped to think about how much collateral damage these explosion of yours cause?" Ricky inquired skillfully changing the subject away from his fourth wall breaking and back to the rubble that remained of the once three-story building. "The last time we fought it was in a giant prehistoric jungle so we didn't have to worry about this sort of thing. Fortunately the city has been evacuated. A lot of innocent people would've lost their lives if they were at home when that building came down." Ricky looked over at Mr. 3.5 and actually saw him frowning at his handiwork.

"That's the curse of the Bomb Bomb Fruit," Mr. 3.5 resolved. "It's only good for causing destruction. At least this time there were no people inside."

"_Interesting,"_ Ricky thought to himself, _"He's never seemed to really care about eliminating someone when ordered to. But he actually seems annoyed by his powers and concerned about killing innocent people. It looks like the obedient little lackey might actually have a soft spot."_

"I think it's time that I stopped simply dodging," Ricky decided. "I want there to be something left when we save the kingdom."

"Oh, so you've actually decided to take this seriously and fight me?" Mr. 3.5 asked.

"Yes," Ricky answered, "And unfortunately for you – since you can only seem to hit me when my back is turned or I'm right in front of you – I can attack you without having to get close." Ricky drew his curved blood red sword and lunged forwards while he slashed it diagonally in front of him, "Red Storm… LIGHTNING STRIKE!" **SLISH! **The speed Ricky was moving and slashed his sword at was enough to cut the air in front of him and send a red-tinted air blade flying at Mr. 3.5. This time it was the Bomb Man that had to dive out of the path of his opponents attack. **SLESSHH! **The red-tinted air blade flew passed him and sliced clear through the solid stone wall of the building and left a diagonal crack going all the way through it.

"So it wasn't just a freak accident back at Rain Dinners," Mr. 3.5 realized, "You really did figure out how to do that air blade attack again."

"I've been training hard since you left," Ricky replied, "The weights your partner gave us were a big help. Now I'll show you what this technique can _really_ do! Red Blade… HURRICANE!" **SLA-SLISH! **Ricky sprinted at Mr. 3.5 and sent a spiral-shaped red-tinted air blade flying at Mr. 3.5.

The Bomb Man only had time to point his shotgun and fire, "BLOOD BULLET!" **BANG! **The wad of blood few straight through the air blade spiral and closed in on Ricky just before the air blade slammed into the Bomb Man and sent him flying backwards into a hard stone wall. **KRACK! **A Mr. 3.5-shaped indent was left in the stone as the Bomb Man went crashing to the ground and landed in heap.

"Hmm… not one of my better ideas," Ricky noted, he only had a split-second to tense his body before the blood bomb struck him. **KA-BOOOOOOOM! **The massive explosion enveloped Ricky and blasted him backwards through the front of another building, **KRASH! **Ricky kept going and crashed through more than half the ground floor and brought the entire building crashing down. **KA-THOOOM!**

Mr. 3.5 rose to his feet and grinned when he saw the wreckage Ricky was buried under. "Eh-hah, I finally got you," the Bomb Man gloated with a low chuckle. "And I've still got one more bullet left. You've proven to be annoyingly resilient though. And I can't afford to fail another mission because I got careless so I'd better act on the side of caution." Mr. 3.5 approached the rubble then pointed his shotgun at it and fired his remaining round of explosive blood, "BLOOD BULLET!" **BANG!** The blood bomb struck the rubble at what was essentially point-blank range and exploded. **KA-BOOOOOOOM!**

When the smoke cleared even the rubble that had once been there was gone. All that remained was a burned red desert cloak.

"Objective complete," Mr. 3.5 stated.

"**Sorry to disappoint you," **Ricky's voice came from behind him. **"But I'm afraid you've failed once again."**

With a mounting feeling of dread the Bomb Man slowly turned around and saw Ricky standing behind him. The one-eyed pirate was left in his usual black cargo pants and a black shirt, his red hair was a mess and a few shades darker from the soot that was covering it and his skin. He looked scorched and ruffled but overall unharmed.

"I-impossible…" Mr. 3.5 stammered.

"You've underestimated me again," Ricky commented. "But perhaps I should tell you what happened in a quick flashback…" Mr. 3.5 was too shocked by the fact that Ricky was still alive to react to his odd statement.

**-Ricky's Escape Flashback-**

Ricky tensed his muscles for his Steel Shield defensive technique just before Mr. 3.5's blood bomb struck him. **KA-BOOOOOOOM! **His body was engulfed in the explosion and he was blasted backwards almost clear through the building behind him. **KRASH-KRASH-KRASH!**

"Ugghh…" Ricky groaned as he landed prone on his back. His hair was a mess and his skin was covered in soot, "That was more powerful than I expected. Even Steel Shield didn't block it all." **Sniff!** "What's burning?" Ricky suddenly realized that his desert cloak had caught on fire from the explosion and that _he _was burning. He hastily removed it and tossed the burning fabric away from him.

**Krek-krek-KRASH! **Ricky heard the floor above him give way and knew he had to get out of there quick or he'd be crushed by the collapsing building.

Ricky looked to his side and saw a window, "Luckily he blasted me almost clear through the building." **KRESH! **Ricky vaulted off the ground and smashed through the window then dropped into a roll and rolled away just as the building came down, **KA-THOOOOOOM!**

**-End Flashback-**

"Then it was simply a matter of sneaking back around behind you," Ricky concluded. "So here I am still alive while you're once again out of bullets."

"Damn you," Mr. 3.5 cursed.

"You don't have what it takes to kill someone like me," Ricky told him. "Even if your bomb had hit me full on and the building came down on top of me, I would've fought through any resulting injuries and come back from it. The same thing would happen with any of my Nakama. We all have something to strive for and an unbreakable will that simply won't allow us to lose to you and your fancy explosions. You were on our ship… I'd hoped you would've opened your mind to what was possible if you dared to dream. Your partner did and she's a lot happier because of it."

"Hmph," Mr. 3.5 grunted, "Foolish dreamers like you only end up disappointed."

"You have no idea what a foolish dreamer like me is really capable of," Ricky replied, "And I almost feel sorry for you. You don't dare to dream because you don't want to risk being disappointed should you fail. But that doesn't work. You might not be disappointed because you never failed at achieving your dream but deep down you're even more disappointed that you didn't even try to accomplish it. You'll never be truly happy if you take that outlook on life. I decided a long time ago that I was going to find the One Piece with my brother or die trying. And whether I accomplish it or not, at least I'll be able to say that I fought for my dream instead of giving up because I know the odds are against me."

Mr. 3.5's anger rose to the boiling point as Ricky casually picked his life apart, the Bomb Man was incensed so without really thinking he reacted the only way he knew how, "BASTARD! EXPLODING FIST!" **SWISH! **The angry Bomb Man swung his fist around at Ricky but the one-eyed pirate leaned back and avoided the attack.

The Bomb Man swayed off balance and Ricky quickly countered and slashed his sword across the agent's wide-opened chest, **SLOSH! **The Bomb Man's blood spilled and he collapsed to the ground.

"Here's something else that you don't know," Ricky continued as he held his sword out to his side and watched the red blade absorb the blood on it. "My sword is called _Akakyuuketsuki_. That means 'Red Vampire'. It drinks blood."

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Mr. 3'5 growled as he fought up to his knees.

"Right now it's filled with _your_ blood," Ricky explained. "Let's see how you like a taste of your own medicine. Red Blade… EXPLOSION!" **SWISH-BOOOOOOM! **Ricky slashed his sword and the explosive blood that was inside of it let loose a high-powered explosion. The explosion triggered Mr. 3.5's full body blast and caused the agent to combust on the spot. **KA-BOOOOOOOM! **The combined blast from the two explosions hurtled Ricky backwards down the road and sent him skidding into the wide-opened south-west plaza.

Mr. 3.5 reformed on his feet, he'd lost his sunglasses in the dual explosion and glared at Ricky. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO DO?" he demanded. "EXPLOSIONS DON'T WORK ON ME, YOU FOOL!"

"I know that," Ricky confessed, "Honestly, I was just trying to see if that would actually work. _You_ may be immune to explosions but there's still more of your blood left in my blade. The next opponent I face won't have that particular advantage."

"I WON'T LET YOU MAKE A MOCKERY OF ME!" Mr. 3.5 snarled the bomb man leaned forward in a sprinter's starting position and pushed himself up onto his toes, "BOMB BOMB BLAST OFF!" **KA-BOOOM! **The bomb man's feet exploded and sent him rocketing down the street towards Ricky. When he got close to Ricky Mr. 3.5 pulled his fist back and swung it at him, "EXPLODING PUNCH!" **SWISH! **Ricky ducked down and managed to avoid Mr. 3.5's fist. But due to not making contact, Mr. 3.5's fist didn't explode. The Bomb Man spun around and while his back was to Ricky rubbed his fist in the blood coming out of the open wound on his chest and then lashed out for another punch, "BLOODY FIST!" Mr. 3.5's blood-soaked fist connected with Ricky's stomach and exploded, **KA-BOOOOOOM!**

The punch and the high-powered explosion caught Ricky off guard and blasted him clear across the plaza. **THUMP! **The pirate landed hard on his side and rolled along the stone street until the fire on his clothes went out. He ended up on his back and let out a series of coughs. **KOFF! KOFF! KOFF! **Dark gray rings of smoke rose out of the pirate's mouth and floated up into the air. Ricky's skin was practically black from all the soot on it and his black shirt was in tatters.

**CHUCK! **Mr. 3.5 wasted no time and quickly popped opened the bullet chamber of his shotgun and dripped his blood into it. Then snapped it closed and opened fire on the prone pirate, "DIE ONE EYE! BLOOD BULLETS!" **BANG! BANG! BANG! **Mr. 3.5 fired all three of his bullets. "I'LL KEEP BLOWING YOU UP UNTIL THERE'S NOTHING LEFT!"

Mr. 3.5 barely saw the flash of yellow that went passed before his bombs exploded, **KA-BOOOOOOOM-BOOOOOOOM-BOOOOOOOM! **An enormous cloud of smoke obscured almost half of the plaza and when it faded it revealed a huge crater that took up a third of the opened south-west plaza. Mr. 3.5 approached the crater and stared down into it. There was no sign of Ricky. But then he looked up.

Mana was floating in the air above the crater with her umbrella raised over her head with one arm and Ricky tucked under the other. "Hey Mr. 5," the airborne blonde greeted her former-partner, "Miss me?" **TMP! **Mana descended and she and Ricky landed lightly on the ground in front of the crater. She closed her umbrella then held onto Ricky for a moment longer to change his weight back to normal before releasing him.

"Not gonna lie," Ricky admitted, "the weight changing thing feels really weird."

"It does take a while to get used to," Mana agreed.

Mr. 3.5 glared at his former partner, "You should've known better to interfere," he warned her. "And I've been promoted. I'm Mr. 3.5 now."

"Oh yeah?" Mana questioned. "Well you're still a jerk."

"Not that I don't appreciate the save… but what are you doing here?" Ricky inquired.

"That's something I was wondering as well," Mr. 3.5 growled.

"Ricky… Ms. All Sunday paid me a visit at the Spider's Café," Mana explained. "She wanted to know about you. She realized that bombs-for-brains over there only had limited information on you so she interrogated me in hopes that I'd tell her something she could use against you. I used my Devil Fruit Powers to counter her Devil Fruit abilities and she didn't get anything out of me. But Ms. Goldenweek didn't have that advantage. I'm sorry Ricky… she told her about your chivalrous nature and unwillingness to hurt women."

Ricky frowned for a moment, "Don't worry about it," he told her. "From what I've seen she's very intelligent. That's something she would've figured out easily enough on her own. Painter-girl must've told her something else about me that she was interested in. I met her before we even reached Little Garden and I knew then that she was dangerous. Now I'll just have to be extra-cautious where she's concerned."

"Enough of this!" Mr. 3.5 snapped. "I'll destroy you along with him, traitor!"

"FIVE THOUSAND KILO SMASH!" **SHU-WHAM! **Mana increased her weight and drove her umbrella into her former partner's chest. The collapsed umbrella was undoubtedly heavy because the Bomb Man was sent flying clear across the plaza and smashed through the front fall of a building. **KRASH!**

"I want to help," Mana told him. "And you have more important things to do with your time than dealing with this closed-minded idiot. Get out of here and I'll beat some sense into him."

"You sure you can handle it?" Ricky asked.

"That guy, no problem," Mana assured him. "Besides, I've got an Ace in the Hole. So don't worry about me, go help the Princess. As I was floating over the city I saw her heading for the palace. The palace takes up most of the north bock so if you head north-east and you should be able to cut her off."

"Right, thanks," Ricky said with a nod of gratitude, "Good luck." Ricky turned around and found his path blocked by a wide crater. He looked back at Mana, "Umm… a little help?"

Mana grabbed by the back of what remained of his shirt and increased her weight. Mana lifted the pirate off of the ground and swung him around her to gain momentum and threw him clear over crater. **WHA-WOOOSH!**

"GOOD LUCK RICKY!" Mana called after him. "HAVE FUN SAVING THE KINGDOM!" As Ricky landed and ran off towards the palace Mana turned back to the building she'd sent Mr. 3.5 crashing through. "I know that wasn't enough to finish you off. Come out now! You rat!""

Mr. 3.5 emerged from the hole he'd made in the building and glared at his turncoat partner. "I've had it with you causing me to fail missions," he growled as he popped opened the bullet chamber of his shotgun and dripped his blood into it. "You've had this coming for a long time."

"Oh please," Mana scoffed. "You've proven that you don't need _my _help to fail miserably at something. Look at the miserable existence you call a life."

As Ricky ran off to find Vivi the two former partners stared down and prepared to face off. The one-eyed pirate's involvement in their lives had brought them to this point. With their two highly destructive Devil Fruit Powers going up against each other instead of working together the battle was bound to leave a lasting impact on the city.

**-x-**

**Partners Clash:**

**-x-**

Smoke and the sounds of battle drifted through Alubarna.

"WAAAHH!" a rebel screamed as a royal soldier stood over him with his sword raised and poised to finish him off.

**SLISH! **Koza ran in and took the soldier down with a slash of his sword. "Are you alright?" he asked the rebel.

"Yeah," the rebel answered as he began to get back up.

Koza ran onward but suddenly collapsed to his knees. Another rebel spotted him and pulled him to cover behind a stone wall. "Koza, are you okay?"

"Fine," Koza assured him.

"Are you sure?" the rebel pressed. "That bullet from Nanohana is still in you."

"None of that matters now!" Koza resolved. "This is a battlefield we're on. We have to stay focused on what's happening. Got that?" The rebel nodded. "I'd like to get to one of their horses. If we can make our way down this street and into the center of town then we'll be at the north block where the royal palace is."

**KA-BOOOM! **A blast blew off a large chunk of the stone wall causing Koza and the rebel to duck down lower.

"What are you planning?" the rebel questioned. "Why go to the palace?"

"To reach the King," Koza answered, "and to demand that he surrender to us."

"But that's insane!" the rebel protested. "The main force of the Royal Army is stationed at the north block and what's more they're led by Chaka and Pell. Think of the danger! And we haven't even managed to gather all of our forces together! Don't you think it would be a better idea to wait until reinforcements arrive here to help?"

"We can't," Koza replied. "It's already too late for that. NOW COME ON!" Koza surged to his feet and vaulted over the wall then charged back into the battle.

"WAIT! KOZA!" the rebel called out as he chased after the leader.

**-x-**

**BOOOM-BOOOM-BOOOM! **The sound of cannon-fire rang through the air as Vivi ran down the road towards the palace.

**KA-BOOOM! **A stray cannonball impacted with the ground in front of her and exploded. The street in front of her was obscured in smoke but still the Princess pressed on. **WHAM! **And ran full speed into a hard body that came running out of an alley and ended up falling to the ground.

"**Oh great, who did I hit?" **a familiar voice grumbled through the clearing smoke. **"Damn smoke makes it impossible to see anything around here."**

"R-Ricky?" Vivi stammered in surprise as she stared up at the pirate once the smoke had cleared.

"Oh, Vivi, there you are," Ricky realized. "I was looking for you." He offered his hand to the Princes to help her up but Vivi stared at it suspiciously. She'd already been in a situation like this when Mr. 2 posed as Usopp. And while she didn't want to think that Sanji had failed to keep the agent from escaping or that Ricky had allowed him to steal his clothes she could afford to be careless now.

"Prove yourself!" she ordered.

Without a word, Ricky pulled off the dark, soot-covered bandage and revealed the x-shaped tattoo on his arm. "It's me," he assured her.

Vivi smiled in relief and this time took his hand when he offered it and allowed him to pull her up to her feet. "What happened to you?" Vivi asked as he took in the one-eyed pirate's appearance. His red hair was messy and darkened by the soot while his skin looked singed, and he had half of a burned black t-shirt hanging off of him.

"I got blown up... multiple times," Ricky answered. "I was fighting Mr. 3.5 when Mana showed up and relieved me. On the positive side, I think she can handle him. But on the negative side, I don't think there will be much left of the south-west plaza when she's done with him."

Vivi flinched at the thought of all the damage that had already been inflicted on her kingdom.

Ricky frowned and continued, "Since there's fighting going on in the city it's obvious that you didn't manage to stop the Rebel Army so I'm here to help you. Crocodile's probably got agents infiltrating both armies so we can't afford to let you run off unprotected."

"One of Crocodile's plants is the reason I wasn't able to stop the Rebel Army," Vivi explained. "The plant fired a cannonball prematurely and because of the explosion Koza charged right passed me. Now I'm heading to the Royal Palace to talk the Acting Captain of the Royal Guard into surrendering."

"Right then," Ricky agreed, "Lead the way."

Vivi nodded and continued running down the street only this time with Ricky running beside her. They eventually spotted a group of royal soldiers stationed behind a pile of sandbags.

One of the soldiers blocked their path and held his weapon warily, "HALT!" the soldier called out. "Are you aligned with the Rebel Army? The only thing north of here in the north block is the Royal Palace. If you aren't a part of this battle, leave at once."

"This guy might be a plant," Ricky remarked, "What kind of idiot doesn't recognize his Kingdom's Princess?"

The soldier's eyes widened in recognition as he stared at the now familiar blue-haired girl, "Princess Vivi?" he questioned causing the other soldiers to stare at the Princess in surprise. She'd been gone for three years and had grown up a bit. Some people would've had a hard time recognizing her.

"Where's my father?" Vivi asked the soldier. "I need him now." When the soldier looked uncomfortable Vivi quickly continued, "Never mind. If I can't see him then take me to Chaka!"

"Who is this shady character?" the soldier inquired as he pointed his weapon at Ricky. "Is he one of the rebels? Is he forcing you to do this?"

"He's with me," Vivi told him, "and he's a friend of mine."

"How do you think she got here?" Ricky questioned. "I brought her here all the way from Whisky Peak on my ship. Now why don't you be a good guard and do what your Princess says?"

"Take me to Chaka," Vivi ordered again. "There's something that he must do."

"RIGHT AWAY!" the soldier agreed and motioned for the two to follow him, "This way!" Ricky and Vivi followed the soldier around the sandbag wall and towards the palace.

**-x-**

"You're a fool Ms. Valentine!" Mr. 3.5 taunted his former partner. "You let those Straw Hats fill your head with ideas that dreams can come true and that miracles are possible. That foolish way of thinking is going to get you killed. And unfortunately for you, it's going to be _me_ who does it!"

"_You're _the fool Mr. 5," Mana retorted. "You don't allow yourself to believe in the power of dreams and that's what makes you weak. That closed-minded outlook on life is gonna get you beaten. And _fortunately _for me, it's going to be _me _who does it!"

"I told you… I got promoted," Mr. 3.5 growled, "I'm Mr. 3.5 now!"

"Well I abandoned my codename along with Baroque Works!" Mana countered. "My name's Mana. And if you're not going to learn it… THEN I'LL MAKE YOU FEAR IT!" The blonde gripped her umbrella and charged at her former partner.

"BLOOD BULLET!" **BANG! **Mr. 3.5 aimed and fired his shotgun at Mana but the blonde used her Kilo Kilo Fruit Power to lower her weight and launched her lighter body clear over the blood bomd and high overhead. **KA-BOOOOOOOM! **The blood bullet exploded and added to the already massive crater that was taking up a third of the south-west plaza. Like she did when they were partners, Mana rode on the shockwave of the explosion and her previous momentum increased and brought her even closer as she flew overhead towards to Mr. 3.5.

"TEN THOUSAND KILO SMASH!" Mana increased her weight to ten thousand kilograms and plummeted down and drove her heavy fist into the stone street. **KA-THOOOM! **Mr. 3.5 had jumped back to avoid the attack but the impact of Mana slamming into the ground shook the stone blocks of the street loose and threw Mr. 3.5 backwards. **Krek-krek-KRASH! **Mr. 3.5 slammed into a building beside the hole he'd already made in it and dropped down onto his knees on the loose stone blocks.

Mr. 3.5 quickly raised his shotgun and fired it off at Mana while she was essentially in point-blank range. "BLOOD BULLET!" **BANG! **But the bomb man could only watch in shocked surprise as his bullet veered passed her at the last second and hit a red symbol that had suddenly appeared on the ground, **KA-BOOOOOOOM!**

"KYAHAHAHAHAHA!" Mana cackled over the explosion. "I hope you didn't think I came here _alone_!" She quickly grabbed him by the collar and yanked him off of the ground and into the air then spun around and drove her fist into his face, "TEN THOUSAND KILO PUNCH!" **WHAM! **Mana's heavy fist sent Mr. 3.5 sailing clear across the plaza and saw him go crashing down on the other side of the massive crater. **THUD!**

Mr. 3.5 groaned and sat up then looked frantically around the plaza but then he spotted her. Sitting on a crate at the end of an alley, with her reddish-brown hair still loose but once again wearing her pink hat and blue and white cloud shirt was Ms. Goldenweek.

"You…" Mr. 3.5 growled.

"Me," the young artist confirmed with a wave of her red-coated paintbrush.

"So it finally comes out," Mr. 3.5 realized as he glared at Ms. Goldenweek, "You've sided with her and _them_ against Baroque Works."

"I don't like being a part of an organization that's responsible for all these people killing each other," Ms. Goldenweek defended herself. "I just want to paint. _My _dream is to be a _real_ artist. But before I can do that, I have to clear my conscience. I felt bad about giving Ms. All Sunday that information about Ricky and for doing so much harm to a country full of people that never did anything to me. I decided to come here with Mana and help take you down before helping the Straw Hat's finish taking down Baroque Works."

**SKISH! **Mana lowered her weight, opened her umbrella, and launched herself overhead. She twirled the open umbrella to remain airborne and sailed over the huge crater towards Mr. 3.5.

Mr. 3.5 aimed his shotgun at his former partner who was stuck in the air and had nowhere to dodge, "BLOOD BULLET!"

"**Bullfight Red!" SWISH! **Ms. Goldenweek quickly painted a red symbol and whisked it away from her and into the bottom of the enormous crater Mana was flying over.

**BANG!** Mr. 3.5 pulled the trigger on his shotgun but his aim changed at the last second and he ended up firing at the red symbol. **KA-BOOOOOOOM! **The blood bomb exploded and made the crater even deeper but at the same time got rid of the red symbol. The shockwave from the explosion blasted Mana even higher up into the air and onto the other side of the crater.

"YOU CAN'T WIN MR. 5!" Mana taunted him. "TEN THOUSAND KILO PRESS!" Mana increased her weight and started coming down on his opponent.

"That fool One Eye was good for one thing," Mr. 3.5 stated, "Because of him I learned how easy it is to avoid your attacks." The bomb man jumped backwards and out of the way of Mana's descent.

**TMP! **But the blonde landed lightly on her feet _and then_ increased her weight to ten thousand kilograms, "TEN THOUSAND KILO TACKLE!" **KER-WHAM! **Mana lunged forward and slammed full force into Mr. 3.5. The bomb man went flying backwards and smashed through the front of a building, went crashing completely through it, and came flying out the back. **KRASH!** The building couldn't handle having someone go crashing through its foundation and came crashing down, **KREK-KREK-KER-RASH!**

"I figured that out myself when I was fighting Ricky," Mana admitted when she spotted Mr. 3.5 lying prone on the other side of the wreckage. "But I also figured out how to counter someone when they counter my attack."

"You learned that from Ricky too," Ms. Goldenweek supplied, "Except you were hypnotized by my paint at the time so while you don't remember the fight you must still subconsciously remember how you fought him."

"I guess I'll have to thank Ricky later," Mana reasoned.

"I WON'T LOSE TO YOU TWO TRAITORS!" Mr. 3.5 roared as he pushed himself back up to his feet. **Chuck! **He popped opened his shotgun and quickly reloaded it. He aimed at Mana and fired, "BLOOD BULLET!" **BANG!**

"**Bullfight red!" SWISH! **Ms. Goldenweek whisked a red symbol onto the ground to Mana's right. The blood bomb veered off course and exploded on it, **KA-BOOOOOOOM!**

"BLOOD BULLET!"Before the first explosion could even die down Mr. 3.5 aimed his gun against and fired. **BANG!** Both of his female opponents were caught off guard by the second shot. It continued unhindered… and exploded on Ms. Goldenweek, **KA-BOOOOOOOM!**

"MS. GOLDENWEEK!" Mana shouted in horror as the young artist and the crate she was sitting on were engulfed in the explosion.

"Now it's just you and me," Mr. 3.5 commented as he pointed his gun at Mana and fired his final bullet. "BLOOD BULLET!" **BANG! **The blonde was caught off guard after seeing Ms. Goldenweek go down and had no time to dodge before the bomb hit her. **KA-BOOOOOOOM!**

"Eh-hah," Mr. 3.5 laughed as he surveyed the explosion his former partner had been engulfed in. He made his way through the remains of the building he'd unwillingly demolished and walked up to the new addition he'd made to the enormous crater that now covered half of the plaza.

The smoke cleared and Mr. 3.5 spotted his former partner on the bottom of the crater. But the bomb man's eyes went wide in shock when she let out a groan and started to get up.

"Im-impossible!" Mr. 3.5 gasped, "You've never been this strong before!"

Mana shakily rose to her feet and looked to be overexerting herself just to stand. Her pale blonde hair now looked gray from the soot, the right sleeve and shoulder of her black and yellow t-shirt had been blown off, and Nami's yellow skirt was now dangerously short.

**Chuck! **Mr. 3.5 frantically popped the bullet chamber of his shotgun opened and attempted to reload. **WHAP! **But Mana reached him before he could finish and grabbed the barrel of the gun and pointed it away from her.

**BOOOM! **Mr. 3.5 went crashing down to the ground with his gun. He tried to pull it back up but it was simply too heavy.

"Your precious gun weighs ten thousand kilograms now… we both know you're not strong enough to lift it," Mana mocked him. **THWHAM! **The blonde lashed out her leg and punted Mr. 3.5 up into the air while he was still bent over trying to pick up his gun.

**SKISH! **Mana lowered her weight and jumped up into the air and flew up over Mr. 3.5's head. "TEN THOUSAND KILO PUNCH!" The blonde lashed her fist down at her former partner.

But Mr. 3.5 acted quickly and rubbed fist in his drying blood and drove it into Mana's, "BLOODY FIST!" **KA-BOOOOOOM! **The two punches connected. Mr. 3.5's fist exploded and blasted Mana up into the air while Mana's heavy fist drove the bomb man down into the ground. **BOOOM! **Mr. 3.5 smashed into the street and laid prone in the indent he'd made in the stone. **THOOOM! **Mana came crashing down next to him and halfway buried him rubble from the crater her heavy body made in the ground.

"Uuggghhh…" Mr. 3.5 let a groan as he looked to the side to see if he'd finally managed to put his former partner down. Only to let out a strangled gasp when he saw that she was already halfway back up to her feet. "How… how are you doing this?"

"Because I'm fighting… for something bigger… than myself..." Mana panted as she pushed herself up to her feet and then staggered towards her prone opponent. "Because… I still want to live my dream… when it's over… And because… I WON'T LOSE TO YOU!" **Whap! **Mana grabbed Mr. 3.5 by the arm and lowered their weight to one kilogram each then launched herself up into the air and dragged Mr. 3.5 along with her. **SKISH! **Mana kept her grip on Mr. 3.5's arm and then increased both of their weights to ten thousand kilograms, "TEN THOUSAND… KILO… SMASH!" **KA-THOOOOOOOOM! **The entire plaza shook from the impact of their combined twenty thousand kilograms slamming into the ground.

The dust cleared and Mana once again struggled back up to her feet while Mr. 3.5 was left lying unconscious on the bottom of the newest addition to the enormous crater. "Kyaha…haha…ha…" Mana laughed weakly, "Gotcha…" The die-hard dreamer Straw Hat mentality that the blonde had taken to heart on board the Going Merry had prevailed over the bomb man's belief that dreams were foolish and pointless.

Mana climbed out of the crater and stumbled towards the alley Ms. Goldenweek had been in. She spotted a paint brush and a pallet on the ground outside the alley that looked like they'd been thrown out of the way before the explosion went off. She continued passed them and spotted the singed form of Ms. Goldenweek lying on the remains of the crate she'd been sitting on. The brim of the young artist's pink hat was frayed and worn, the buttons had been blown off of her cloud shirt, and the shorts she'd been wearing were missing a leg which further revealed the girl's tattered full-length purple and green striped socks.

"MS. GOLDENWEEK!" Mana called down to her as she dropped down to her knees and shook the girl. "MS. GOLDENWEEK! WAKE UP! YOU CAN'T DIE HERE! WE WON! MS. GOLDENWEEK!"

"Ayako…" the girl gasped.

"YOU'RE ALIVE!" Mana cheered. "What was that?"

"Ayako," the girl repeated, "My name… is Ayako."

"Oh, nice to finally meet you!" Mana replied with a cheerful smile. "Now come on. Let's go see if we can find the other Straw Hats. Chopper should be able to fix you right up." Mana lowered Ayako's weight and hefted the girl onto her back then shoot up and staggered out of the alley and over to the girl's paints. Mana smiled as she picked up the pallet and paint brush and handed them back to the girl, "So… a real artist, huh? It seems like that'd be easy for someone with your artistic skills."

"But when your painting hypnotizes people everyone's first thought is usually how it can be used as a weapon," Ayako explained. "I never wanted to use my art to hurt people… I just wanted to paint. But then I met Mr. 3 and he said he'd help me bring my art to its full potential. That was a lie. He and Mr. 0 just wanted to use my skills as a weapon. And I was never strong-willed enough to go against them."

"Well, I've got a plan," Mana told her as she carried the girl around the huge crater. "Once the Straw Hats stop the war and everything settles down, I'm going to take over the Spider's Café. I'll be a Chocolate Lady and people will come from all around the kingdom to enjoy my chocolate treats. You can stay there and paint as much as you want. That way we can both live our dreams."

Ayako smiled, "I'd like that."

"**I had a dream once," **Mr. 3.5's voice came from the bottom of the crater. Mana stopped in her tracks and she and Ayako stared down at him. "As a boy, I wanted to be a firefighter. Nothing glamorous, I just wanted to help people and save lives. Then I found a Devil Fruit. I'd heard stories about how they gave people amazing powers so I ate it hoping it would help me achieve my dream. The damn thing not only tasted horrible and took away my ability to swim… but it's only capable of destruction. If I ever came in contact with fire I'd end up blowing up everyone I was trying to save. My dream died that day. And so did a little piece of me."

"Looks like ya kinda went the other way on that one," Mana remarked. "Instead of saving people you joined an organization run by a madman that's intent on destroying millions of lives. But it's not too late to change. I left you alive for a reason."

"You were on the right track back on Drum Kingdom," Ayako pointed out. "You wanted to save those people by using your powers to blow up that Wapol guy. That proves that you can still use your powers to help people."

"The only reason you failed to achieve your dream is because you gave up on it," Mana told him. "How you live your life from this point on is up to you." With that she carried Ayako off and away from the crater-filled plaza.

The battle in the South-West Block had concluded.

**Winners: Team Mana and Ayako**

**-x-**

How was that? Aside from the scenes with Koza and Vivi, this chapter was all me. For anyone who isn't already aware, Ms. Valentine, Ms. Goldenweek, and Mr. 5's dreams all come from the cover story _Miss. Goldenweek's "Operation: Meet Baroque Works"_. Next chapter, Ricky and Vivi finally make it to the palace while Sanji faces off against Mr. 2 and has to contend with his Okama Kenpo.

'Till Next Time!

Peace!


	52. Chapter 52

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of the characters. I just own Ricky and the other OC's I've written into this alteration of the story.

**Okama Kenpo:**

**-South Block-**

"UN!" Mr. 2 charged at Sanji and swung his arm at him or a knife-hand chop. **SWISH! **But Sanji used his impressive speed and dodged out of the way. "DEUX!" Mr. 2 quickly recovered and swung his leg around at Sanji. **SWISH! **But the cook once again avoided it. Mr. 2 spun around and lashed out his leg again, "UN!" **SWISH! **Sanji side-stepped and lashed out his own leg. **SWISH! **This time Mr. 2 dodged only to come back with another spinning kick, "DEUX!" **SWISH! **But again Sanji dodged the attack. "HAAH!" Fed up of just dodging Sanji and Mr. 2 both lashed out their legs at each other for more powerful kick, **THWHAM!**

Both of the kicks landed. Sanji and Mr. 2 were both left standing on one leg with their opponent's foot in their face. **KRASH! **The two went flying backwards. Sanji slammed into a wall and dropped to the ground while Mr. 2 was smashed THROUGH a wall and ended up on his back. The dust settled and revealed that both fighters were still okay.

"Bastard," Sanji growled as he quickly sat up.

"Hah… that was quite a kick…" Mr. 2 gasped. "You're even stronger than One Eye… that kick was stronger than most of my Okama Kenpo moves…"

"I spent a week wandering through the desert with a thousand kilograms on each of my ankles," Sanji informed him. "Maybe without that training our kicks would've been equal but because of it my kicks are all much faster and much stronger."

"Your skills may be commendable… BUT THEY'RE NOTHING COMPARED TO MY OKAMA KENPO!" Mr. 2 shouted. "OUT OF MY WAY!"

"I already told you," Sanji replied as he stood across the street from him, "if you wanna get by you'll have to defeat me first."

"I hope you realize all your efforts will be in vain!" Mr. 2 told him. "I've practiced these dance moves all my life! I have perfected the graceful art of Okama Kenpo and its unbeatable even by the likes of you! Your techniques may be stronger and faster but they're no match for my grace and form!"

**WHING! **Mr. 2 launched himself up into the air and flew at Sanji. **SWISH! SWISH! **Mr. 2 swung at him but Sanji dodged the first attack as well as the follow up. **SHOOM! **Mr. 2 lashed out for a straight punch but Sanji bent backwards and stared up at Mr. 2's clenched fist as it flew over him. But suddenly Mr. 2's fist unclenched and he lashed downwards at Sanji for a chop. **SWISH! **Sanji quickly ducked down and spun out of the way to avoid the follow up attack.

Mr. 2 spun away from Sanji and raised one of his hairy legs up over his head leaving him standing on the tips of his toes on his other leg. "OKAMA KENPO!" Mr. 2 jumped up and clapped his feet together then landed on his toes and began weaving back and forth in strange stance made it appear to Sanji as if there were two drunk swans imposed over the okama. "DRUNKEN SWAN SOIREE!" Mr. 2 launched himself at Sanji and lashed his leg out at him. **SWISH! **Sanji jumped clear over the Okama and landed behind him. But Mr. 2 followed up with another spinning kick that Sanji also dodged, **SWISH!**

"This dance isn't getting me anywhere," Sanji growled. "It's time to settle this once and for all." Sanji lifted one of his legs until he was holding it straight up in the air and over his head. "COLLIER!" Sanji lashed out his leg and aimed for Mr. 2's long neck, **SWISH! **The agent avoided the kick but Sanji kept going and lashed his leg down at the Okama's shoulder, "ÉPAULE!" **SWISH! **But again Mr. 2 managed to weave out of the way. "CÔTELETTE!" Sanji swung for Mr. 2's ribs. **SWISH! **But again Mr. 2 dodged the kick. "SELLE!" Sanji followed up with a kick aimed for the lower back.

"UN!" Tired of dodging, Mr. 2 lashed out one of his own legs and intercepted Sanji's kick. **THWAK! **The power of Sanji kick caught Mr. 2 off guard and spun the Okama off balance but he recovered and continued spinning so he could lash out for a follow up kick, "DEUX!"

"POITRINE!" At the same time Sanji lashed out his leg for a stabbing kick aimed at Mr. 2's chest. **THWAK! **Their legs collided but Sanji got the better of the exchange and his more powerful kick knocked Mr. 2 off balance and left him opened to Sanji's follow up attack. "GIGOT!" **THWAK! **Sanji finally connected and kicked Mr. 2 in the leg sending the agent stumbling away from him.

This was the combo that had Sanji had used to beat Kuroobi back at Arlong Park. But unlike the Ray Fishman, Mr. 2 had managed to dodge most of the kicks. Now there was only one left. Sanji lashed out and channeled all of his power into the final and most power kick of the combo, "MOUTON SHOOT!"

At the same time, Mr. 2 recovered enough to swing his leg around at Sanji for a powerful kick of his own. "SWAN ARABESQUE!"

**THWHAM! **Their legs collided in mid air and for a fraction of a second both fighters stayed on one leg and stared at each other, surprised at having one of their strongest attacks countered. Then the impact settled in and both men were sent flying. **KRASH! **Sanji smashed through the front of a building. **BOOOM! **Mr. 2 slammed straight through the front wall and then crashing through the room behind it an ended up on his back again.

"My Mouton Shoot… blocked by the clown…" Sanji gasped as he sat up and panted.

"Uggghhhhh…" Mr. 2 groaned as he sat up and massaged his hairy leg where Sanji had kicked him. "This is impossible… My Swan Arabasque… stopped by some stupid insignificant cook… YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!" Mr. 2 got up and stomped back out of the building he'd been knocked through and found that Sanji was already standing on the other side of the street.

"It's time to get serious!" Mr. 2 snapped, "From now on I mean business! Do you hear me?"

"Let's see it then," Sanji challenged him.

"HAH!" Mr. 2 laughed, "You don't know the true extend of my power yet… do you? My most impressive feature is my ability to remember faces. Using that I can construct and display an incredible montage! When you see this you will laugh helplessly until you collapse!" Mr. 2 turned his back to Sanji and raised his arms over his head and began his transformation. "To begin… the World's most ridiculous hair!" **SWISH!** "Then the World's most ridiculous eyes!" **SWISH! **"The most ridiculous nose!" **SWISH! **"And then the World's most ridiculous mouth!" **SWISH! **"GAAA HAHAHAHAHAHA! Now take a good long look! Witness the grand unveiling of… THE CLONE CLONE MONTAGE! GAAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Mr. 2 turned around and revealed his ridiculous face to Sanji.

Sanji's eyes widened slightly at what Mr. 2 had revealed. HIS FACE WAS THE SAME! The only alteration to the man's already ridiculous face was the addition of Usopp's long nose. Apparently, the Okama's own hair, eyes, and mouth were the most ridiculous that he had ever seen. With Usopp's long nose barely beating the Okama's own.

"…" Sanji kept silent while the Okama remained in his ballet pose and slowly grew more and more concerned when his 'funny' face wasn't having any effect.

A moment later, tears were streaming down Mr. 2's face as he stared at himself in the mirror.

"About ninety percent of that was your own face," Sanji commented. "I'LL HELP YOU!" **THWAK! **Sanji lashed out his leg and kicked Mr. 2 in the face and sent him flying across the street. "QUIT PLAYING DRESS-UP YOU UGLY FREAK!"

"DON'T YOU HAVE A HEART?" Mr. 2 demanded. "I'M A BRILLIANT ARTIST!"

"I don't have time to mess around with your childish little tricks anymore," Sanji replied.

"Tricks, huh?" Mr. 2 questioned, "NOT SO FAST! They aren't just tricks! Just wait until you see! Within my art there lies the power of the greatest friendships and truest loves!"

"Right… I see what you're going to do," Sanji calmly realized as Mr. 2 prattled on about his skills, "It isn't going to work. Hopefully you'll turn into that idiot Moss Ball."

**SWISH! **"NOW LET'S SEE YOU HURT ME!" Usopp taunted. **THWAK! **Without a second's hesitation Sanji lashed his leg out and kicked Usopp in the face and sent Mr. 2 sprawling across the street.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU STRAW HATS?" Mr. 2 shrieked as he sat up and glared at Sanji. "YOU… ONE EYE… HOW YOU COULD YOU ATTACK YOUR FRIENDS? CLEARLY YOU PIRATES DON'T VALUE FRIENDSHIP MUCH, DO YOU?"

"You're a real idiot," Sanji retorted. "No matter what you transform your face to look like… you're still only you. I'm not the kind to be fooled by images and facades like that. IT'S THE HEART THAT COUNTS!"

"Aaaahh!" Mr. 2 gasped in shock. "Is that so? That's so… wow!" The crazy Okama was so moved by Sanji's speech that he started crying right there in the middle of the street and in the middle of the battle. "I'm so embarrassed to have been caught up in appearances. I understand! Even if I was to become…" Mr. 2 turned his back to Sanji and touched his face. **SWISH! **Mr. 2 became Nami. "…her, for instance, it wouldn't make any difference to you at all… because images don't matter. You… One Eye… you both realized it while I, who has had these powers for years couldn't figure it out." Without looking back at Sanji who was currently love struck by Nami's beauty and seemed to be ignoring her sudden lack of fashion sense Mr. 2 touched his face and returned to normal. **SWISH! **Mr. 2 looked back over his shoulder at Sanji who was standing in the same position with a stoic expression.

**SWISH! **Mr. 2 became Nami again and the cook's eyes became hearts as he gazed at his love. "MIIIISSS NAAAAAMIIIII!"

**SWISH!** Mr. 2 turned back to himself and Sanji turned back into himself.

**SWISH! **Mr. 2 became Nami and Sanji became a love-struck idiot.

"_Well he's easy to read,"_ Mr. 2 thought to himself. Even though he looked like Nami at the moment, the voice in his head was still his own. **SWISH! **Mr. 2 reverted to himself and Sanji returned to normal and glared at him, _"… really easy to read."_

**SWISH! **Mr. 2 became Nami again and once again Sanji went gaga. "You are such a fool," Nami taunted as a sinister smirk spread across her face.

**-North Block-**

At the Royal Palace, Chaka and the gathered soldiers of the Royal Army were all staring in shock. Not only was Princess Vivi alive and back in Alabasta but wanted them to do something that was simply insane.

"It's Vivi!" one of the soldiers exclaimed, "Princess Vivi has come back!"

With Ricky at her side, Vivi had finally made it to the Royal Palace. "But Princess Vivi that's insane!" Chaka protested after hearing the Princess' outrageous plan. "We can't do something like that! How could you even think it…" Chaka's eyes narrowed as he glared at Ricky, "did this man put you up to it? Is he with Baroque Works?"

"I'm just her bodyguard at the moment," Ricky defended himself. "I brought her here on my ship. I know we're not getting a reward for it but I was kind of expecting a little gratitude for delivering your precious Princess home safely… not all of this hostility."

"But it's insane!" Chaka insisted. "She can't be in her right mind to suggest something like this!"

"What are you afraid would happen if we _did_?" Vivi asked him, "That the Kingdom would simply die? You're wrong. It wouldn't. This palace is not Alabasta." Vivi paused and briefly though of all the people she'd encounter since returning home. Toto, the Bar Bar Sand Pirates, the people of Edo and their fake rebel soldier protectors, Scorpion and his sons, as well as the Rebel Army and the Royal Army that were currently doing battle in that very city. "It is the people who are out there hurting each other. They are the ones that made Alabasta a country in the first place. If there is any chance of stopping this war then we must take it!"

"Who left you in charge anyway?" Ricky wondered, "How could you let everything get to this point? What are you fighting for?"

"To defend Alabasta," the Acting Captain of the Royal Guard stated, "An outsider like you wouldn't understand such matters?"

"I wouldn't?" Ricky inquired. "Well… from my _outsider _perspective. Monarchies rise and fall like clockwork." He looked over at Vivi, "No offense." Then turned back to Chaka, "But the one constant in every Kingdom is its people. Did you bother reading Vivi's letter? The only reason this war is happening is because of Crocodile's manipulations. You shouldn't have let this battle start in the first place! Those rebels are the voice of the people and while they've been misled you've decided that instead of resolving the matter peacefully that it would be more appropriate to kill them off and silence that voice."

"Then what do we do?" Chaka asked in desperation.

"We only need to draw everyone's eyes over here for a few seconds," Vivi explained. "If you can do that then I will take it from there. I can do this! For now… do as I say… DESTROY THIS PALACE!"

"You can't be serious Princess Vivi!" a royal soldier objected. "This palace has stood in the same spot for four thousand years!"

"That just means that the people have been in this Kingdom even longer," Ricky pointed out. "What's more important the lives of the people that make up this country or an old building?"

"The King isn't even here!" another soldier reminded them. "He'd never approve of this!"

But the King's words finally came back to Chaka.

"_Sire, we must take action against the rebels before it's too late!" Chaka pointed out._

_"I SAID NO!" King Cobra snapped as he sat on his throne. "We will not attack them! This is not some little quarrel, if we strike first, they will strike back."_

_"Sire, we are barely clinging to power now as it is," Chaka pointed out._

_"That does not matter," the King replied. "I don't care about my rule at the moment. Ever since the Dance Powder incident, it's been clear that someone's trying to tear apart our country. Are you suggesting that we attack our citizens before we determine who's behind all this? Because that would be the true destruction of our kingdom! A country__is__its people!"_

_Then they had received Vivi's letter about Crocodile's manipulations. "It doesn't matter if the Rebel Army destroys this palace completely," the King had said. "It is only a building. I've told you before, a country is its people. Even if our Royal Army does fall in the end, if we could just defeat Crocodile this country can still be reborn as long as its people are safe and whole! If we battle the Rebel Army instead, then that will all change, in that situation Crocodile's the victor, understand?"_

"Princess Vivi…" Chaka gasped before he knelt down and bowed to the Princess. "I will do as you say. Men, we must destroy the palace!"

**-x-**

**Sanji's Weakness:**

**-x-**

"Grrr…" Sanji growled as he charged at Mr. 2.

**SWISH! **Mr. 2 became Nami and Sanji's eyes became hearts as he stopped in his tracks.

"Oh, how cute!" Sanji exclaimed.

**THWAK! **Nami kicked Sanji in the face and knocked him on his back then planted her foot on the prone cook's chest. "Hehehehe!" the orange-haired girl laughed. "You're just what they mean when they say 'he's nothing but talk'! I bet you don't have enough strength left to get up."

"_Don't think for a second that I'm just gonna lie down and give up,"_ Sanji growled. _"You may look like Nami on the outside but you're still the same idiot on the inside."_

"YOU BASTARD!" Sanji snarled as he pushed himself up to his feet. "I'LL SHOW YOU!"

"AAAAAH!" Nami screamed.

Sanji went to lash out his leg but when he saw the look of fear on Nami's face he stopped and his eyes became hearts again. "MIIIISSSS NAAAAAMIIII!"

"HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!" Nami laughed hysterically at Sanji's helplessness.

"_I can't do it," Sanji complained to himself. "She's too cute."_

"Oh no," Nami sighed, "this desert air is so stifling. It just makes me wanna rip my clothes off!" Nami's hands went to her swan-adorned blouse and began to pull it opened.

"I'LL HELP!" Sanji offered with a big perverted grin.

"OKAMA CHOP!" **SWAK! **Nami lashed out and chopped Sanji in his bulging heart-shaped eye.

"AAAAAH! MY EYE!" Sanji groaned as he dropped to his knees and held his eye.

**SKISH! **Nami turned back into Mr. 2 and the Okama leapt up into the air while Sanji was still reeling and holding his eyes. "KICK POINTE!" **WHOMP! **Mr. 2 came down and drove both of his feet into Sanji's face and smashed him through the wall behind him. **KRASH!**

"GAAAAAAAA HAHAHAHAHA!" Mr. 2 laughed as he did a pirouette. "Nothing but talk are ya?"

**BOOM! **Sanji pushed himself onto his hands and lashed his legs around and smashed the wall around him and then swung himself back up to his feet. "I'll show you talk!" Sanji snapped. "NOBODY MESSES WITH ME!"

Sanji shot towards Mr. 2 but the Okama grabbed the blue mascara that was under his eyes and peeled it right off his face then threw it at Sanji, "MASCARA BOOMERANG!" **SWISH! **Sanji dodged the flying blue make up and charged straight at Mr. 2 then raised his leg up overhead and prepared to bring it down on his opponent. "AAAH!" Mr. 2 gasped before he quickly turned back into Nami. **SWISH! **"Please! Don't kick me!"

"GAH! OH NO!" Sanji exclaimed. Even if he knew it was just a man posing as Nami his chivalrous nature made it impossible for him to hit her. **SLISH! SLOSH! **The blue mascara came back and slashed into Sanji from behind while his guard was down and then continued onward and flew back onto Mr. 2's face.

**SWISH! **Mr. 2 became Nami. "Well, duty calls and I've got a Princess to kill," the orange haired girl announced. "I really hate to rush things but I'm gonna have to finish you off now." Sanji slowly pushed himself up to his feet. "You're all talk! At least One Eye had some credibility and backed up what he said to me! You're can't even fight back!"

"DON'T YOU DARE COMPARE HIM TO ME!" Sanji snapped.

"Oooh? Did I touch a nerve?" Nami teased him. "What's his name? Ricky! He's smarter than you! Better than you! What's there to compare? It's no contest!"

"Miss. Nami! Don't say that!" Sanji exclaimed. He _knew_ it was Mr. 2 but at the moment it looked and sounded like Nami was saying those painful things.

"Why would I want _you_?" Nami continued. "When I could have _him_?"

Sanji flinched at the emotional blow, "Nami… my love…"

**SWISH! **Suddenly Mr. 2 was back and was already spinning around for a kick, "SWAN ARABASQUE!" **THWHAM! **This time he connected and Sanji was smashed clear through a building.** KRASH! **"GAAAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! This is almost _too_ easy now!"

"That… bastard…" Sanji cursed as he laid on his back on the other side of the building he'd been knocked through. "How dare he play with my emotions! He thinks he'll get away with it… I WON'T LET HIM MAKE A MOCKERY OF MY LOVE!" Sanji staggered back up to his feet then kicked off and disappeared in a blur. "SAUTÉ!" **ZZZZZOOOOM!**

"GAAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Mr. 2 laughed. He was completely caught off guard when Sanji sped right up to hi.

"RECEPTION!" **THWAK! **Sanji lashed out his leg and hooked it around Mr. 2 before he had a change to transform again and sent him crashing into a wall. **WHAM! **"I'm not gonna go down that easy, you son of a bitch!"

"Hmph," Mr. 2 grunted as he got back up. "So you're one of those fools that refuse to give up even when they're clearly beaten. You're no match for me anymore. I know your weakness!"

**SWISH! **Nami was back. "You're pathetic," she taunted Sanji. "Why would I ever love you? You're nothing compared to Ricky."

Each insult was like a dagger to Sanji's heart. Backed into a corner physically and emotionally the cook acted out in desperation. "Sauté!" **Zzooom! **He charge Nami at an incredible speed and lashed his leg out. **SWISH! **Sanji's subconscious vow to never hit a woman kept him from following through with his kick. But he didn't need to hit her. The cook was moving at such an incredible speed that when he swung his leg it split the air and sent a concentrated gust straight into Nami's chest. **WOOOSH!**

"AAAH!" Nami yelped as she was blown backwards and knocked onto her back.

Sanji stared down at her in shock as she turned back into Mr. 2.

"Hah, serves you right," Sanji taunted.

**-North Block-**

"Wait a minute!" a soldier outside the palace protested. "Are you saying we're supposed to blow up the Royal Palace?"

"I know it sounds crazy," another soldier admitted, "but that's the order that just came down from command."

The soldier turned and ran off to deliver the order, "WE'VE BEEN ORDERED TO BLOW UP THE PALACE!"

"This doesn't make sense," some of the other soldiers grumbled, "That palace is four thousand years old!"

**-x-**

"Nothing I can say can express my sorrow over this," Chaka lamented as he, Vivi, and Ricky stood at a balcony and watched the Rebel and Royal Armies fighting in the main plaza.

"It's alright, I know," Vivi reassured him. "You really had no choice when it comes right down to it. It was your duty to intercept the Rebel Army. In spite of what happened to Igaram you've done well by managing to keep the rebellion in check for the last two years. But I wasn't wrong…" Vivi glanced over at Ricky. "I've met some true friends who are going to save Alabasta." Vivi smiled as she thought of the other Straw hats who were all risking their lives to defend her Kingdom.

"Hi…" Ricky greeted the Acting Captain with an awkward wave.

"If you're saving this Kingdom what are you doing here?" Chaka asked.

"Keeping my eye out for Crocodile or any Baroque Works Agents," Ricky answered. "He knows Vivi is still alive and that she's the one person who can stop the Rebel Army. It isn't likely that he's going to sit back and watch his plans fail so I'm here to make sure my friend stays alive."

"Princess Vivi," Chaka addressed the Princess, "In the two years we haven't seen each other you've grown into a beautiful young woman. Once this war is behind us all, I'd like very much to hold a banquet to honor your pirate friends."

Vivi thought for a second and remembered a conversation she'd had about food. _"Okay, then give me food," Luffy told her before they reached Rain Base.__**Pow!**__Luffy punched a fist into his open hand. "After I beat up Crocodile, give me food, I'll eat till I explode."_

"A banquet for pirates?" Ricky questioned skeptically, "Seems a bit unusual."

Vivi smiled at him, "Then think of it as a friend thanking her other friends for helping her."

"I can do that," Ricky agreed.

**KREK! **A large pair of double doors opened and two soldiers came running out.

"Lord Chaka!" one soldier called out.

"Report," Chaka ordered.

"Is it really true that they're gonna blow up the Royal Palace?" the soldier asked. "The soldiers are getting explosives ready."

"Surely this must be a mistake!" the other soldier spoke up.

"There's no mistake, gentlemen," Vivi assured them. "That order was given by me."

"AH! Princess Vivi!" the soldiers gasped.

"Use every ounce of explosives you can lay your hands on," Vivi ordered. "The only way to stop this senseless fighting and to save the lives of the people of Alabasta is to blow up the Royal Palace."

**-South-East Gate-**

"HANG IN THERE USOPP!" Chopper shouted to Usopp, who was now wrapped in a full-body cast. "T'IS ONLY A FLESH WOUND! NOTHING SERIOUS! It's just a shattered femur! Not a problem at all! It's true that you busted your nose and your huburi and both your clavicles…" **SLIK! **Chopper stuck a giant syringe into Usopp's chest and injected a pink serum into his Nakama. "You only lost a little more blood than if fatal for a person your size! And your blood pressure is slightly better than a zombie's! BUT OTHERWISE YOU'RE IN REALLY GREAT SHAPE!"

"Right now I feel fantastic…" Usopp sighed with a weary smile on his face. "I see a beautiful field of flowers…"

"WAH!" Chopper shrieked in alarm. "YOU DON'T SEE HEAVEN DO YOU? CAN YOU SEE HEAVEN?"

"Ahaha…" Usopp laughed weakly, "No matter how great a pirate you may be… in the end no one can escape death's cold embrace…"

"NO! DON'T DIE USOPP!" Chopper cried. "KEEP FIGHTING! DON'T GIVE UP!"

"Au revoir, Chopper!" Usopp called out. "I'll trust you to handle the Ricky-Nami Pool in my place. Become a good doctor."

"NOOOO! USOPP NOOOOO!" Chopper shouted. "YOU CAN'T DIE!"

"**Usopp!"** a familiar voice called out from overhead.

"They're here," Usopp said, "The angels are here to take me away."

"WHAT?" Chopper shrieked as he looked up overhead but instead of spotting angels Usopp had mentioned he saw Mana floating down towards them with Ayako on her back.

**Shooo… Tmp! **Mana and Ayako floated down out of the sky and landed next to Chopper. "Angels?" Mana repeated as she closed her umbrella and glanced down at Usopp, "Well aren't you a flatterer."

"What happened to you guys?" Chopper asked as he took in their disheveled appearance.

"We took over for Ricky in fighting my former partner," Mana answered. "He blew us both up with his super blood bombs. But I think we'll be okay."

"Mana kicked his butt," Ayako informed the reindeer as she got off of the blonde's back. "I helped a little but she was the one who beat him." Ayako knelt down beside Usopp, "Usopp… what happened? Are you okay?"

"Ms… Goldenweek… is that you?" Usopp asked as he weakly held out his hand.

"It's me," Ayako confirmed, "But I'm done with Baroque Works so you can all me Ayako now."

"Aya…ko…" Usopp gasped, "You should've seen us… we were fighting that mole-woman... and the brute batter and his freaky dog-cannon… They kept popping out of holes and hitting bombs at us… we got blown up a bunch… but we didn't give up. We kept fighting. I came up with one of my usual the brilliant plans and blew them up with their own bombs. But those freaks survived it! All hope seemed lost! But I'm Captain Usopp! I never quit! I kept fighting knowing that I had to set an example for Chopper! I got smashed with a four-ton bat but I pulled through! AND I BEAT 'EM! Chopper helped too… BUT YOU SHOULD'VE SEEN ME! BOOM! FATTY SMACKED HIS OWN PARTNER WITH HIS BAT! WHAM! I KNOCKED HIM AND HIS DOG OUT WITH ONE SHOT FROM A SUPER HAMMER SLINGSHOT! THEY WERE NO MATCH FOR CAPTAIN USOPP!"

Chopper and Mana watched with increasing annoyance as Usopp got more and more worked up as his story progressed. By the end he was shouting at the top of his lungs and was using frantic hand motions that were only slightly hampered by his bandaged arms.

"Wow!" Ayako cheered, "That's incredible Captain Usopp!"

"I think he's gonna pull through," Mana noted to Chopper who was now glaring at his Nakama.

"USOPP! YOU JERK!" Chopper yelled. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE GONNA DIE!" Chopper pulled a roll that was coated in frosting out of his backpack. "I stole the last sticky bun from you so I could eat it myself! I was gonna give it to you! YOU JERK!"

**WHUMP! **Usopp lunged off of the ground and tackled Chopper and wrenched the sticky bun from the reindeer's hooves. "Ahahahaha! MY BUN!" Usopp cackled.

"Kyahahahaha!" Mana laughed, "Good to see that you two are okay!"

**-South Block-**

Mr. 2 pushed himself up to his feet, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" he demanded.

"Dunno," Sanji admitted. "But it looks like I just found a way to hit you without actually having to make contact."

**SWISH! **Sanji darted towards Mr. 2 and swung his leg in front of him. But he only created a gust of wind that blew the Okama back a couple of steps.

"GAAA HAHAHAHA" Mr. 2 cackled. "I KNEW IT WAS JUST A FLUKE!"

_"Damn it, I wasn't moving fast enough," _Sanji realized.

"THERE GOES YOUR LAST CHANCE!" Mr. 2 shouted. "NO I'LL FINISH YOU OFF FOR GOOD!" **SWISH! **He became a she and Nami was once again in front of Sanji. **WHING! **Nami began spinning around on one leg and closed in on Sanji. "HOLD STILL LOVER BOY! I'LL MAKE THIS QUICK!" Sanji was starting to get dizzy as he watched Nami spin around over a hundred times times. **SWISH! **Somewhere in between three hundred and four hundred rotations Nami touched her face with her left hand and turned back into Mr. 2. "OKAMA KENPO MEMOIR OF A SUMMER DAY!"

Sanji stared at the spinning Okaam and grinned, "I see your weakness," he announced. "There's a flaw in your attack. JOUE BASTE!" **THWAK! **Sanji lashed out his leg and connected with the face of the spinning Okama and once again sent him crashing into a wall. **WHAM!**

"Sure enough, I was right," Sanji bragged.

**-x-**

**2:**

**-x-**

"YOU SEE A WEAKNESS?" Mr. 2 demanded as he got back up and glared at Sanji. "WHAT WEAKNESS? MY OKAMA KENPO HAS NO WEAKNESS!"

"Oh yeah?" Sanji countered, "How about the fact that you can't use your precious Okama Kenpo while you're assuming Nami's form."

"GAH!" Mr. 2 gaped in shock.

"It's true I can't bring myself to directly attack you while you look like Nami," Sanji admitted. "And I don't have the time to figure out how to do that air kick again. But it's pretty clear that you have to return to your normal self before _you _can attack _me_. And it happens whenever I see you touch your cheek with your left hand."

"Gaa hahahahaha!" Mr. 2 let out a forced laughed. "Eh? What was that? I can't hear you!"

"Hey, I'm right aren't I?" Sanji realized. The Okama pretending not to hear him was all the proof he needed.

"WELL SO WHAT IF YOU ARE?" Mr. 2 snapped. "You're right! It's only with this magnificent God-like physique that I patiently developed by putting in day after day of brutal lessons that I am able to perform my Okama Kenpo. BUT SO WHAT? You're still pretty black and blue!" Mr. 2 pulled the swans off of his shoulders and attached them to the toes of his ballet slippers. "Now take a look at Prima Okama Kenpo! I'll say this much about it then you're dead!" Mr. 2 spread his legs apart and posed so the curved necks of the two swan heads on his feet were clearly displayed. "The one on your left is the Pen and the one your right is the Cob!"

"Who cares?" Sanji retorted. Did the gender of the swans on his shoes really matter?

"GAAAA HAHAHAHA!" Mr. 2 laughed. "Whether you see through it or not doesn't matter. Now… prepare to die! Behold the power of my Okama Kenpo… BOMBARDIER!" Mr. 2 launched himself at Sanji and lashed out his Pen leg with a flurry of fast kicks. But they were just for show, Sanji's eyes widened when he saw the real kick coming right for him. **WHOOM!** The cook dove out of the way and the beak of the swan on Mr. 2's leg was driven straight into the stone wall Sanji had been standing in front of.

"_WHAT? HE PUNCHED A HOLE IN THE WALL!" _Sanji exclaimed in his mind as he stared at Mr. 2's embedded foot.

"GAAAAA HAHAHAHAHAA!" Mr. 2 laughed. "You dodged it. Smart thinking! At the end of their bent necks are steel beaks." Mr. 2 pulled his swan out of the wall and Sanji stared in surprise at the beak-shaped hole that had been left behind.

"_He didn't even crack the stone around the hole!" _Sanji thought to himself.

"True power when compressed and focused into a single point of contact will not destroy anything needlessly!" Mr. 2 bragged. "It might be best if you were to think of one of my kicks like the shot of a high powered rifle! Of course in this case the bullets are of a higher caliber! I'M GOING TO PERFORATE YOU!" With his strange threat declared Mr. 2 lashed his powerful swan-adorned leg out at Sanji. **SWISH! **"UN!" The cook managed to dodge but Mr. 2 quickly followed up with another kick. "DEUX!"

COLLIER!" **THWAK! **Sanji intercepted Mr. 2's second kick with one of his own.

"YOU CAN'T WIN!" Mr. 2 flicked the tip of his toes and drove the beak of his Pen swan into Sanji's arm. **WHOOM! **

Sanji went flying down the street and crashed down to the ground. **THUD! **_"Shit," _Sanji cursed. _"His reach is longer than mine."_

"GAAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Mr. 2 laughed. "LOOKS LIKE THE FIGHT IS OVER! I'M FLYING LIKE A SWAN! OKAMA KENPO MEMIORS OF A WINTER SKY!" **SHOOM! **Mr. 2 leapt up into the air and did a series of flips in midair to build momentum and power.

"_The longer his reach is the longer it takes for him to recover," _Sanji thought to himself. _"If I can avoid his kick I'll have that much more time to attack!"_

"SAY GOODBYE!" Mr. 2 taunted as he dove and lashed his leg out at Sanji.

**SKISH! **Sanji jumped over Mr. 2 causing the Okama to go flying under him. From this position Mr. 2 was wide opened to an attack.

**SWISH! **Mr. 2 acted quickly and turned into Nami. "HEHEHEHE!" she laughed. "And just what do you think you're going to do now, lover boy?"

"Hey! Something's stuck to your left cheek!" Sanji pointed out.

"Huh? Really?" Nami questioned. She reached up and touched her face with her left hand. **SWISH! **Mr. 2's eyes widened as he realized he'd been tricked into transforming back into himself.

"BAS CÔTE!" **KA-THWAK! **Sanji drove his leg down into Mr. 2's face. The Okama crashed into the ground and tumbled away.

"Grrrr…" Mr. 2 growled as he pushed himself back up. He was bleeding from a gash that Sanji's foot at left on his forehead.

"LONGÉ!" Sanji appeared behind Mr. 2 and swung his foot into his back. **THWAK! **As Mr. 2 staggered back Sanji lashed his leg out for a straight sidekick and to the collar."TENDRON!" **THWHAM! **

"Grrr…" Mr. 2 growled as he withstood the impact and righted himself.

"FLANCHET!" Sanji lashed his foot out at Mr. 2's stomach.

"UN!" Mr. 2 countered with a nearly identical kick aimed at the stomach. **THWAK! **Sanji's kick fell short and wasn't able to reach its intended target but Mr. 2's longer reach allowed him to drive the beak of his swan shoe into Sanji's stomach. **WHOOM! **"DEUX!" **WOOSH! **Mr. 2 followed up with another kick aimed at Sanji's face but the cook managed to avoid it.

"QUASI!" Sanji flipped into a handstand and swung his legs around at Mr. 2. "QUEUE!"

"WHY YOU!" Mr. 2 countered as he flipped onto his hands and countered with spinning kicks of his own. **SHWHAP! WHAP!**

"CUISEAU!" **WHAM! **Sanji kept spinning on his hands and drove his leg into Mr. 2's.

"WHOA!" Mr. 2 gasped as Sanji's upside down leg connected with his and knocked him off balance in his handstand.

"JARRET!" **THWAK! **Sanji connected with Mr. 2's shin and sent the Okama crashing down to the ground and skidding away. **THUD! **Sanji came out of the exchange unharmed and flipped onto his knees.

"Ughhh…" Sanji groaned as he slowly got back up, he'd taken a lot of damage early on in the fight but was managing to fight through it.

"Graaahh…" Mr. 2 gasped as he staggered back up. His legs were shaking. Sanji had gotten the better of him in multiple exchanges but he was still managing to hang in there.

Both men stood across the street from each other. They both knew that they didn't have much left. It was time to end the fight with one last attack.

**SKISH! **The two fighters leapt up into the air and flew at each other.

"VEAU SHOOT!" Sanji flew at Mr. 2 and swept his leg forward looking to land a powerful kick to the chest.

"BOMBARDIER ARABESQUE!" Mr. 2 flew at Sanji and lashed his leg out in front of him.

**THA-WHAK! **Both kicks connected.

**TMP! TMP! **The two men landed on their feet and faced away from each other. The adrenaline rush the two fighters were in the middle of due to the hard battle kept them both from immediately feeling the pain of their opponent's kick. A wind blew by as they stood in place and hoped to withstand what their opponent had done to them.

"UUAAHHH!" Sanji groaned. Blood flew out of his mouth. His legs shook and gave out causing him to drop to his knees.

But it was once again Mr. 2 who came out worse from the exchange. "GAAAAAAAHHH!" Mr. 2 shrieked as the pain and focused impact of Sanji's powerful kick set in on his stomach and blasted him back into the second story of the building behind him. **WHAM! THUD! **The Okama dropped to the ground and the necks of his two swans went limp.

It was only when his rival had dropped to the ground that Sanji let himself fall. **THUD!**

**-x-**

When the dust from the battle finally settled, Sanji slowly got back up to his feet and casually lit up a cigarette.

"I… gib up…" Mr. 2 groaned from where he was lying on the ground.

Sanji stared down at the man in surprise, "You've gotta be kidding! You're still alive?"

"Uuugggghhh…" Mr. 2 gasped.

"What's the matter?" Sanji questioned. "All you have to do is turn into Nami again and I won't be able to finish you off."

"Nonsense…" Mr. 2 replied, "I can't move in the shape I'm in… There's no sense in trying to… avoid the outcome of this… I congratulate you… Now kill me."

"…" Sanji stared silently down at his defeated opponent.

"You may as well," Mr. 2 continued. "Baroque Works will do it anyway. Don't just stand there. Get it over with. Come on… finish me."

Instead of doing as Mr. 2 requested Sanji offered his hand to his opponent. "It was a good fight," Sanji told him. "And beyond that… we don't need any more words, do we?"

Mr. 2 blinked in surprise then took Sanji's hand and shook it.

"_This is without question the deep respect that arises between rivals," _Mr. 2 thought to himself. At times actions speak louder than words. The passion, effort, and determination both men had put into the fight spoke volumes. They had both learned a great deal about each other from the hard fight. _"But I won't cry…" _Despite this, tears were now streaming down the Okama's face further smearing his makeup.

**THWAK! **While Mr. 2 was busy crying to himself Sanji drove his foot down into Mr. 2's head.

"Oh, I'm taking back our sharpshooter's goggles," Sanji informed his opponent as he walked away with Usopp's goggles now in his possession.

"Uuuggghhhh…" Mr. 2 groaned, Sanji had gotten in the final blow but hadn't finished him off as was expected. "Looks like he finished me after all…"

"Hmph," Sanji grunted as he walked away and casually adjusted his tie. "Looks like I cracked a couple of my bones again."

The battle on the South Block had concluded.

**Winner: Sanji**

The prize? A dubious friendship.

**-Royal Palace-**

"EVERYTHING IS READY AS YOU ORDERED, PRINCESS!" one of the royal soldiers reported. They'd placed piles of dynamite all around the palace. It was enough to blow the entire thing up.

"EVERYTHING IS SET HERE TOO!" another soldier called out. The soldiers were all standing a number of fuses that led to the dynamite and held lit torches.

"This palace has been a part of Alabasta's history for four thousand years," Vivi commented to Chaka and Ricky as they stood in the courtyard in front of the palace. Vivi briefly thought about the place where she'd grown up. But she'd always have those memories. Right now there were more important things to take care of."It's been a great source of pride to me. But if we destroy the Royal Palace the people will have to stop fighting with each other and pay attention. I'll finally be able to tell everyone the truth about this horrible conspiracy in my own words."

The soldiers all nervously held their unlit fuses and their lit torches and waited for the Princess' final order.

"Alright! LIGHT YOUR FUSES!" Vivi ordered.

The soldiers nervously began to comply. **SHHWWOOOO! **A gust of sand blew passed and extinguished all of the torches before they had a chance to lit the fuses.

"He's here," Ricky growled, he stepped protectively in front of Vivi.

**WOOOOOOSSSHHH! **The sand picked up and the soldiers were blown up into the sky over the palace.

"What… is this?" Chaka asked in alarm.

"Crocodile," Ricky stated as he scanned the grounds for the source of the sudden sand storm.

**WHUMP! **The soldiers slammed down to the ground and were knocked out.

Vivi made to run to the closest downed soldier but Ricky grabbed her arm and held her back. His eye was fixed on the top of the palace.

"**We can't have this,"** an unwelcome cold gravelly voice spoke out. **SWWOOO **The sand swirled together and Crocodile was left standing on the top of the palace looking down at Ricky, Vivi, and Chaka. "That was rather treacherous on your part Ms. Wednesday. After all my dear, this is about to be my new home."

"NO! I'LL NEVER LET YOU!" Vivi shouted.

"Hey, who's that he's got with him?" Ricky inquired. "I've only got one eye here, limited depth perception."

Vivi and Chaka stared up at the top of the palace in shock. Standing on the roof along with Crocodile was Ms. All Sunday but what shocked them was the unconscious form of King Nefertari Cobra that was tucked under the Warlord's arm.

"FATHER!" Vivi screamed.

"Ooh... so he's taken the King hostage," Ricky realized.

"This is lovely... to live in a palace like this," Crocodile remarked, "Kuahahahaha! It's a nice place to look down on the filth and rabble below."

"Where… where is Luffy?" Vivi demanded.

"Who? Oh, you mean Straw Hat?" Crocodile asked. "That miserable young rookie… my dear, he's dead."

"Now that's just a lie," Ricky spoke up, "You don't have what it takes to kill Luffy."

"One Eye," Crocodile snarled.

"You can say you killed anyone you want," Ricky said, "but until you offer proof as evidence you can't honestly expect anyone to believe you. Unlike you, I have proof that Luffy's still alive." Ricky fished into his pocket and pulled out Luffy's burned Vivre Card. "I trust you know what this is? It's Luffy's. And since its still intact instead of completely burned that means he's still alive."

"That's obviously a fake!" Crocodile objected. "I stabbed my hook through his worthless little body and left his bloody corpse out in the middle of desert as food for the birds."

"A First Mate's duty is to take command for the Captain when he's not present," Ricky stated. "Since Luffy's not here right now. _I'll _have to kick your ass in his place. He can take over and finish the job when he finally gets here. Let's hope he gets here while there's still something left."

"You cocky brat," Crocodile growled. "I'll make you pay for what you pulled back at Rain Dinners. I'll destroy you and send you on to meet your worthless Captain."

"Bring it," Ricky challenged him as his signature sly grin spread across his face.

**-x-**

Sorry that took a while. I hosted a party last night and the preparation cut into my writing time. I'm hoping to have the next chapter out sooner. Next chapter, the second round of the fight Ricky between and Crocodile begins and Nami breaks in her Clima-Tact.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	53. Chapter 53

**Another Nakama II:**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of the characters. I just own Ricky and the other OC's I've written into this alteration of the story.

**Clima-Tact:**

**-West Block-**

"Damn it," Zoro cursed to himself as he stood in a street across from Mr. 1 and looked around him for any signs of Nami. The girl had run off with Ms. Double Finger chasing her and he hadn't seen her since. "Where the heck did she go? I said I'd look after her. If she gets killed it's gonna end up being on my conscience."

**-Flashback-**

"Okay here's the plan," Ricky announced to the others shortly before they made their final approach on Alubarna. "We're going to split up into groups of two. We'll charge in and lure the Officer Agents away from the gate which will leave Vivi free to stop the Rebel Army as they approach from the south."

"I CALL RICKY!" Nami, Usopp, and Chopper all shouted before they launched themselves at the First Mate and glomped him.

"Ugghhh…" Ricky groaned in annoyance as the three hung off of him. "Usopp, you're with me. Chopper, you're with Sanji, and Nami, you'll go with Zoro."

"Hey, why does Moss Ball get to go with Miss. Nami?" Sanji protested.

"Because if you or I went with her we'd probably do something stupid to defend her," Ricky answered. "The same thing would happen with me and Chopper. I figure, if Zoro goes with Nami he can look after her without being emotionally invested in it."

"Fine," Sanji folded his arms across his chest and conceded the point.

Ricky turned to Zoro, "You _will _look after her right?" he asked. "This is gonna be dangerous. Don't let her get killed."

"I'll look after her," Zoro agreed.

"Thank you," Ricky replied, "Now… Eyelash, you stay here. If you go with us you'll get killed. Vivi hang back and intercept the rebels once we've done our part. The rest of you, let's get going. We've got a job to do." And so they rode off on their ducks, split into their assigned groups, and lured the Officer Agents into the city.

Sanji, Chopper, Usopp, Mana, and Ayako had already finished their battles. Aside from Ricky and Vivi who were dealing with Crocodile and Ms. All Sunday at the Royal Palace, the only ones left fighting for their lives were Zoro and Nami.

**-End Flashback-**

"Where'd she run off to?" Zoro grumbled. "All she had to do was stay quiet and hide while I took care of the fighting. But _nooo_! That idiot had to run her mouth and provoke them!"

"I can't help but notice that you seem distracted," Mr. 1 dead-panned. "You're the 'Pirate Hunter' Roronoa Zoro. It would be a pity to kill someone with your reputation because he wasn't paying attention."

"I'll fight you in a minute!" Zoro snapped. "I'm under orders to look after her."

"Perhaps… you should be more concerned about yourself?" Mr. 1 suggested as he held out his right arm. The bottoms of his long fingers took on a shiny metallic appearance.

"_Great,"_ Zoro muttered to himself, "Now on top of worrying about Nami, I have to worry about what kind of a freakish Devil Fruit Power this guy has."

Speaking of Nami, the thief suddenly came running out of an alley and leaned back against the wall. "Lost her," Nami sighed as she took a couple of deep breaths to recover from her run.

"Not quite," Mr. 1 replied as he glanced up above the girl.

Nami looked up and saw Ms. Double Finger standing above her. But the thief's eyes widened at the fact that the woman was standing SIDEWAYS on the building and had somehow gotten her feet to stick to it.

"You gave a good chase for someone so weak," Ms. Double Finger commented. "But you're no match for an assassin of my caliber." **TMP! **Ms. Double Finger jumped off of the roof and landed in front of Nami effectively trapping her against the building she'd been leaning against. The agent reached out and grabbed Nami's collar with one hand and pointed the fingers of her other hand at the girl's face. "Say goodbye, girl."

"Goodbye," Nami said. **SWISH! **In a flash she dropped down and threw her white cloak off of her and onto the agent. Nami was left in her dancer girl outfit and frantically put her Clima-Tact together in a 'Y-shape' as Ms. Double Finger attempted to recover from her unexpected tactic. "THUNDER TEMPO!" **BANG! WHOMP! **The boxing glove shot out and socked the cloak-covered Ms. Double Finger in the face and sent her flying across the street.

Nami breathed a sigh of relief then turned and ran towards Zoro.

"I've had enough of this," Mr. 1 growled. **SKISH! **The agent leapt up into the air and launched himself at Nami.

"AAAAHH!" Nami screamed as she put on another burst of speed and sprinted towards the column that was separating her and Zoro.

"Damn that girl!" Ms. Double Finger snarled as she finally threw Nami's cloak off of her. Her face was bright red at the embarrassment of being humiliated twice by that girl's boxing glove. She searched for her target only to see her partner descending on the girl about to finish her off. "MR. 1, DON'T! SHE'S MINE!"

Mr. 1 came down and lashed his arm down at Nami, **WHUMP! **Zoro suddenly tacked Nami to the ground and intercepted Mr. 1's attack with the blade of his sword. **KLANG! **

**KROOOOM! **Nami looked up in time to see the stone column she had been running towards split into four tall segments and go crashing to the ground, **KRASH!**

"THAT STONE COLUMN JUST SPLIT!" Nami shrieked.

"It didn't split," Zoro corrected her as he glared over at Mr. 1. "It was _sliced_. Only a swordsman could've done something like that."

"That's right," Mr. 1 replied as he licked his finger.

Zoro lashed out with _Wado Ichimonji_, the swing wasn't nearly as fast as it could have been and Mr. 1 easily blocked it with his forearm. **KLANG! **A long steel blade was growing out of the bottom of Mr. 1's arm.

"You cut it didn't you," Zoro realized as he stared at the blade coming out of the bottom of Mr. 1's arm, "with those arms of yours." Mr. 1 pushed Zoro's sword away with his blade arm and remained silent. "You've got an unusual body, don't you?"

"You noticed," Mr. 1 remarked as he took a pose and revealed the arm-length blade that was growing out of his other arm as well. "I ate the **Dice Dice Fruit **now I can make a blade out of any part of my body." Mr. 1 glared at Zoro as Ms. Double Finger came up behind him. "Roronoa Zoro… you're the swordsman who cut down a hundred men at Whisky Peak."

"He's also the pirate who turned down the invitation to join Baroque Works some years ago at East Blue," Ms. Double Finger chimed in. "And cut down our Mr. 7 at the time."

"Heh heh," Zoro chuckled, "That's a story that takes me back. That little misunderstanding was your Mr. 7's fault for not accepting the terms I offered." Zoro casually rested his sword back against his shoulder. "As I remember it, I made a very generous proposition. I said 'Sure I'll join. As long as you make me your boss'."

"Heehee," Ms. Double Finger laughed lightly. "You're quite a comedian aren't you?"

"Instead of meeting my terms," Zoro continued, "he rather rudely took a slash at me so naturally I put him in his place." Zoro grinned at the two remaining Officer Agents. "Now would you like to invite me too? Cause right now, you guys look so ridiculous I wouldn't even accept the job!"

"Grrrr…" Mr. 1growled in irritation at the cocky swordsman's comments then let out a roar and lashed out at him with both of his long bladed arms. "RRAAAAH!" **KLA-KLANG! **Zoro drew _Kitetsu III _and used his two swords to block Mr. 1's attack.

"You think you can make a fool out of me?" Mr. 1 asked as he and Zoro stood in a deadlock with their respective blades locked together, "Some swordsman from an upstart pirate crew?"

"Maybe I am," Zoro retorted. "But what do you think you guys are? You're puppets with no will of your own being manipulated by Crocodile into building his fake Utopia. Or maybe you're just little tin soldiers?" **SHHING! **Mr. 1 slashed his arms but Zoro jumped back out of the way and once again taunted his opponent. "All shine and no steel."

"Ms… Double Finger…" Mr. 1 called out to his partner.

"I know, I know," Ms. Double Finger replied. "You want to eliminate him, don't you? Remember, we already decided you could have him while I take care of the weak little girl."

"Ah!" Zoro gasped in alarm. "NAMI BE CAREFfffff…" Zoro trailed off when he realized that Nami had already run off during his back-and-forth with the two agents. "Okay… she's gone…"

Mr. 1 let out a guttural growl as he got in a fighting stance with his bladed arms at the ready. "Like I said before," he told Zoro. "No swordsman can defeat me."

**-Royal Palace-**

"So… are you gonna come down here or do I have to come up there?" Ricky inquired as he stared up at Crocodile. He, Vivi, and Chaka were standing in the courtyard outside the main palace. The sounds of combat could be heard through the palace gate behind them. The doors led down a flight of steps to Alubarna square where the Rebel Army and the Royal Army were fighting. Crocodile and Ms. All Sunday stood on top of the palace looking down at the previous three while Nefertari Cobra was tucked under Crocodile's arm. "It makes no difference to me."

"You'll want to choose your next move carefully," Crocodile advised as he held up King Cobra like a royal meat shield. "If you make the slightest mistake I might slip and kill the King."

"FATHER!" Vivi exclaimed.

"Now Ms. Wednesday, tell your annoying friend to stand down," Crocodile ordered, "Or I'll decide I have no further use for your father."

Vivi was shaking as she turned to Ricky, "Ricky…"

"Don't worry," Ricky reassured her. His eye narrowed as he stared up at Crocodile and the King. "He's not gonna hurt him. If he was going to kill him he would've done it already. For some reason Sandy needs your father alive."

"Fufufu," Ms. All Sunday let out a light laugh, "He's onto us."

"Right… I take it you're not gonna come down," Ricky reasoned. "Then I'll just have to bring the fight to you." Ricky reached up and pulled off the remains of his burned black shirt which left him in only his eye patch, pants, and boots.

"That was quite the interesting display," Ms. All Sunday remarked as she surveyed the now shirtess pirate from her perch on the palace roof, "But was there a point to it?"

"A male anime character's power level raises significantly whenever he takes his shirt off," Ricky answered.

"What?" Crocodile, Ms. All Sunday, and Chaka all chorused. Vivi sweat-dropped while Ms. All Sunday tilted her head to the side and studied Ricky in a bird-like manner.

"I'm sorry, he does that," Vivi apologized.

"Princess… is this really who you're counting on to protect you?" Chaka felt compelled to ask.

"Out of all my pirate friends he's one of the least quirky," Vivi informed him. "He says things like that often but quickly changes the subject. The others usually just go along with the subject change but his older brother hits him for some reason. I've learned to just ignore it or end up confusing myself."

"Insane or not… you're too dangerous to be allowed to live," Crocodile decided. "You're right. I need Nefertari Cobra alive. But I have no qualms with killing _you three_ first." Crocodile carelessly tossed the King to the side so Ms. All Sunday could catch him with the aid of an extra pair of arms then the Warlord held his arms out to his sides. "I think it's quite fitting that the Royal Family dies along with their Kingdom. SABLES!" **Shhhwwwooo! **Sand swirled around and started gathering in Crocodile's opened hands. Crocodile joined his hands together and formed a min-sandstorm. **SSSHHHWWWOOOOO!**

"Oh no, you don't!" Ricky growled. "Captain-guy, guard Vivi." **SKISH! **Ricky dashed forward and started running up the double doors that led into the palace. **SKISH! **He jumped off of the door onto the doorframe then bounced off of it to a higher point on the other side of the frame. **SKISH! SKISH! **Another two jumps brought Ricky to the top of the double doors where he quickly grabbed the top of the frame and launched himself up into the air and over the top of the palace, **WHING! **Ricky drew _Akakyuuketsuki _and raised it over his head and prepared to bring it down on Crocodile.

"You just never learn," Crocodile taunted as he stared up at the shirtless pirate and turned his body into sand so he joined the sandstorm he was creating. "No matter what you do you can't hurt me. I've perfected my Devil Fruit Powers to the point where they active on mere instinct. I'll never be caught off guard enough for you to hurt me with your silly little sword."

"Oh yeah?" Ricky countered, "Try this… Red Blade… EXPLOSION!" The highly combustible blood that was still inside of Ricky's sword exploded. **KA-BOOOOOOM! **The unexpected explosion caught Crocodile off guard and blasted him backwards and reduced his body into a cloud of sand when it impacted with the golden turret that topped the palace behind him. "Looks like_ that_ caught you off guard."

"What did you just do?" Ms. All Sunday asked curiously.

"I ran into Mr. 3.5 on the way here," Ricky explained. "He seemed quite intent on 'eliminating me' and said he was specifically ordered to or something. During our fight he revealed that his blood is highly explosive. My sword absorbs blood. I sliced him with my sword, it absorbed his blood, and now it explodes."

"I see," Ms. All Sunday commented.

Ricky glanced down at Vivi and Chaka and the grassy courtyard on the ground below them, "Uhh… how were you two planning on getting down from here?" he inquired.

"There's a staircase over there that leads down to the front doors," Ms. All Sunday answered. "As amusing as it was to watch you climb all the way up here… it's much easier to simply take the stairs."

**SHHWWOO! **Crocodile's upper-body reformed while his legs remained a cloud of sand. "OOOONEEE EEEYEEEE!" the Warlord roared before he flew at Ricky and slashed at him with his right hand. "CRESCENT CUTLASS!" **THWAK! **Ricky intercepted Crocodile's arm with the Sea Stone bottom of his boot.

"You left all the Sea Stone from that cell in a room that was going to be destroyed," Ricky reminded him. "I figured if you didn't want it anymore then I'd make use of it." **WHAP! **The Warlord's eyes widened in surprise as the Sea Stone nullified his Devil Fruit Powers and allowed Ricky to grab onto his collar.** WOOSH!** Ricky spun around and threw the Warlord off the roof of the palace then launched himself off after him. "Red Storm… AVALANCHE!" **SLISH! **A red-tinted air blade flew off of Ricky's sword and sliced the Warlord in half. Ricky dropped through the halves as they disintegrated into sand and landed on the ground in a crouch. **TMP!**

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Crocodile snarled as he reformed in the air, all of his composure and sophistication were gone, now he was just seemed like a furious pirate. "DESERT SPARDA!" **SHOOOSSHH!** His arm became a blade of sand and he slashed it downward and drove it into the grass plaza below him.

"Heads up!" Ricky called out to Chaka and Vivi as he jumped out of the way. Chaka grabbed Vivi and leapt to the side as Crocodile split the sand straight up to the outer palace walls. The sand died down and Ricky glanced down at the split in the ground and couldn't even see a bottom. "That could've been messy."

**-West Block-**

Nami had once again evaded her pursuer and was currently sitting against a stone wall in the abandoned market district in the middle of Alubarna's West Block. She was glancing around the street for any signs of Ms. Double Finger and heard the distant sound of the two armies fighting.

"_I guess her plan must've failed," _Nami thought to herself. _"She wasn't able to stop the Rebel Army at the entrance. I wonder if Vivi and the others are alright… They're all fighting and putting their lives on the line. And here I am running and hiding after getting in a couple of cheap shots."_

"I can't move properly in this damn dress," Nami complained as she eyed the bottom of her dancer girl outfit. **Rrrrriiiiip! **She made a tear near the front of the skirt that went up to the top of her legs and would allow her to move them more freely. Nami looked down at her neck and saw the sapphire rain drop necklace that Ricky had given her. "And I definitely don't want this getting damaged." She carefully removed the necklace and placed it in a pocket she had personally sewn into the inside of her dancer dress.

"I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be," she resolved as she surveyed the changes she'd made to her outfit. "How'd I get myself into this mess? Now there's a trained assassin after me!"

**-Clima-Tact Flashback-**

Nami and Ricky dragged Usopp into the anchor room and shut the door behind him.

"Damn it!" the terrified sniper snapped, "Can't the rest of us have a little fun gambling without one of you two stealing it all! It's just a simple pool! Can't you let us have _that_?"

"We figured that's what all of you were up to," Nami told him.

"And we've decided to let you have your little pool," Ricky informed him.

Usopp's eyes widened in surprise, "Really?" he asked, mostly Nami.

"His idea," Nami stated.

"We dragged you in here for a different reason," Ricky explained.

"I need you to build me a weapon," Nami requested.

"Build you a weapon?" Usopp repeated. "And what're you gonna do with it? Hide behind it?"

"Touché," Nami said, "okay, I'm not a warrior… just really cute with a great figure."

"Huh?" Usopp questioned.

Nami sighed and looked over at Ricky, "Could you give me a minute?" she asked.

Ricky nodded and promptly left the room.

Once the door was shut Nami turned back to Usopp, "I at least want to be strong enough not to endanger the others," Nami confessed, "especially this time… for Vivi. Usopp… I know you understand how I feel. We're not like the others. They're all as strong as monsters. In a fight they can rely on their own power to defeat almost any enemy. But us… we're just a couple of ordinary humans with no special abilities. When a battle starts… you and I are just in the way. We're a burden to the others. We can't even protect ourselves. If we're gonna fight beside them we need weapons, really powerful ones. Or else…" Nami trailed off.

"Isn't that the reason you're always inventing new weapons?" Nami continued, "To be able to hold your own in a battle with them without shame? Am I right? It's the same for me. To help Vivi… I wanna fight with my own two hands. Will you help me or not?"

"We don't have much time till we reach Alabasta," Usopp pointed out.

Nami looked down, "You're right," she admitted. "I guess you can't turn me into a warrior overnight. Sorry for being so unreasonable." Nami turned to leave the room but Usopp called back to her.

"Unreasonable, maybe," Usopp said, "but it's not impossible." Nami's eyes widened while Usopp grinned. "Were you suggesting there's something the Mighty Captain Usopp can't do?"

Nami's face lit up as she turned back to him, "You'll do it?" she exclaimed. "Thank you Usopp!"

"Just leave it to Usopp and the Usopp Factory!" the sniper bragged. "Now... as to the matter of cost…"

"The _Financial Manager _will take care of that," she replied. Nami pulled the door opened. "Ricky! Your turn!"

Ricky entered the room, "This is something important so I'll cover any costs," he automatically assured the sniper. "But I have something else I was hoping you'd be able to do for me."

"What is it?" Usopp inquired. "I'm gonna be pressed just making Nami's thing."

"Mine's a lot easier," Ricky reassured him, "I need you to make _these_…" Ricky pulled his tin of Explosion Balls out of his pocket. "Work for _this_…" Ricky pulled out Mr. 5's revolver and tossed it and the tin to the sniper. "I stocked up on the supplies to make more Explosion Balls back in Loguetown. You'll find everything you need in the storage room."

"Right, that'll be no problem," Usopp told him.

Ricky nodded and he and Nami left the anchor room and found Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Chopper, Vivi, Mana, Ms. Goldenweek, and Mr. 5 all watching the door with different degrees of nervousness.

"WAAAAAAHH!" Luffy screamed. "HE'S NOT COMING OUT! THEY KILLED HIM!"

"THEY KILLED IHM?" Chopper shrieked. "USOPP NOOOO!"

"Poor Usopp…" Ms. Goldenweek pouted, "I told you having that pool was a bad idea."

While the younger three carried on the others noticed the looks of annoyance on Ricky and Nami's face.

"We didn't kill him," Nami stated. A large tick mark took up the majority of the back of her head.

"We're allowing you to have your pool," Ricky announced, "We just gave your bookie a job."

"YEAH! USOPP'S STILL ALIVE!" Luffy, Chopper, and Ms. Goldenweek cheered.

"What kind of people do you think we are?" Ricky accused them. "Killing our Nakama for money… do you really think so little of me?"

"You, not really," Zoro admitted then he pointed to Nami, "_Her_… I wouldn't put it passed."

**-End Flashback-**

"_Some warrior I turned out to be,"_ Nami thought to herself as she continued leaning back against the wall. _"After that embarrassing training with Ollie… I'm ready aren't I? Usopp kept his promise…" _Nami drew the three blue segments of her Clima-Tact.

"Okay, I'll fight," Nami decided, oblivious to the fact that she was no longer alone. "If it's just that one woman I should be able to—" **SHUNK! **A spear suddenly shot through the stone wall and pierced Nami's right shoulder. It was only that fact that the girl had flinched at the sound of something coming through the wall behind her that kept the spear from going completely through her shoulder rather than just the edge.

"Aahhh!" Nami cried out in pain as she dropped to the ground and held her bleeding shoulder. "I… I'm bleeding…" she looked up and saw the round hole that the spear had made in the wall.

**SHUNK! SHUNK! **At a blinding speed the spear shot through the wall and created another hole above the first one and then a third hole above that. **SHUNK! SHUNK! SHUNK! SHUNK! **Nami held her shoulder and stared in surprise as the spear kept punching holes in the wall and eventually left it in the shape of arch. **KREK! KROOSH! **The segment of the stone that had been surrounded by holes came crashing to the ground and revealed Ms. Double Finger standing in the doorway she'd just made for herself.

The woman walked out of the house with an exaggerated sway of her hips and advanced on Nami, "Give it up girl," Ms. Double Finger said. "It's useless."

"_Ms. Double Finger," _Nami thought to herself as she stared at the woman from where she was kneeling on the ground. _"What was that spear-like weapon she used? What was it Mana said about her?"_

"_No one's ever seen__Mr. 1 __and __Ms. Double Finger__before but I hear rumors that they both have deadly Devil Fruit Powers," the blonde agent informed the Straw Hats before they reached Alabasta._

"I know what you're thinking," Ms. Double Finger stated. **SSHHIINK! **A ring of six spikes grew out of the cuff of Ms. Double Finger's short coat. Each of them was as long as the woman's forearm and incredibly sharp. "I ate the **Spike Spike Fruit**. It granted me the power to release spikes from anywhere on my body."

"_Spikes that can pierce right through a stone wall," _Nami added to herself. _"Is this it? Am I gonna die here?"_

_"RICKY!" Nami exclaimed as Ricky staggered away from the remains of Arlong Park and walked over to her. Nami stared at the bright red eye, then glanced down at the burns that were all over his body, then settled on the bite mark on his shoulder and his blood covered arm. Ricky sheathed his sword and lifted his good arm and then pulled it back, his eye patch slipped up and off of Nami's head and end floated over to him. It slipped over his head and then once again covered his red eye._

_Nami instantly saw a change. Ricky's eye was watering as she saw a pain-filled grimace on his face. "You're welcome," Ricky said simply. __**FWUMP! **__Then he collapsed and would've fallen on the ground if Nami hadn't caught him._

"He's_ been through a lot worse than this," _Nami thought to herself as she looked down at her wound and the blood that was going down her arm. _"And _he's_ never given up. That's what I need to do. I can't give up just because of a little blood. I have to fight… for Vivi."_

"Don't tell me you're actually going to try and fight me," Ms. Double Finger taunted her.

"I'm not just going to fight you!" Nami exclaimed. "I'm gonna _win_!" **KA-CHAK! **Nami stuck the three blue segments of her Clima-Tact together and created a long bo-staff. "Stay away, or feel the force of my CLIMA-TACT!"

"Clima-what?" Ms. Double Finger questioned.

**-x-**

**She Who Controls the Weather:**

**-North Block-**

"Don't look so smug," Ricky warned Crocodile as he eyed the seemingly bottomless canyon that Crocodile had left in the ground. "You're not the only one who can do that." **SKISH! **Ricky leapt up into the air and swung his sword downward at Crocodile. The Warlord jumped backwards fearing another explosion. "Red Blade… FISSURE!" **SHOOOM! **Ricky red blade slashed the ground in front of Crocodile and caused it to split. The Warlord was surprised to see a variation of his own attack used against him and ended up tumbling down into the hole.

**SSSHHHWWWOOO! **Crocodile quickly reemerged as a cloud of sand then his head reformed. "That technique is useless if your opponent can float out," Crocodile taunted.

**Slik! **Ricky cut himself with his sword and put it away. "Then I guess I'll just have to beat you down so you can't get back up," he reasoned.

**BOOOOM! **Everyone's attention was drawn to the outer doors by the sound of someone trying to break them opened.

"TRY AGAIN! SAVE THE PRINCESS!" one of the Royal Soldiers shouted as he and battalion of other soldiers stood at the top of the steps that led up to the palace and attempted to break the outer doors down. "DESTROY THE GATE!"

High overhead on the top of the palace with King Cobra still tucked under her arm Ms. All Sunday spotted the soldiers trying to break through the outer door. "DIECISÉIS FLEUR!"

The soldiers stared in surprise as sixteen arms suddenly sprouted out of the double doors of the gate. One soldier stepped towards the door and gripped his spear tightly. **Whap! **One arm grabbed him by the collar and yanked him into the door, **WHAM! **While the soldier was disoriented two other arms wrenched his spear from his grip, **SWAK! **The arms used the sper to knock the soldier's legs out from under him and sent him tumbling backwards. All of this took place in the period of three seconds. The soldiers crowding the steps behind him couldn't get out of the way in time and their falling comrade slammed into them. **WHUMP! **The soldiers went tumbling down the stairs and none of the other soldiers could get out of the way so they ended up getting caught in the ever-growing cluster of falling soldiers. **WHOOOM!** In less than a minute an entire battalion of battered soldiers was left lying on the ground at the base of the stairs.

"Maybe now we can have a little peace and quiet," Ms. All Sunday commented.

"Right… where was I?" Ricky wondered.

"Oonee Eeyee…" Crocodile growled.

"Oh, right, fighting you," Ricky realized. "Speed Step!" **ZZZOOOM! **In an instant Ricky was in front of Crocodile in mid-spin. "Machete… BACK KICK!" **THWAK! **Ricky drove the Sea Stone bottom of his boot into Crocodile's stomach. The high speed he'd just come out of added momentum to the kick and sent the Warlord flying into the front of the palace. **WHAM! **Ricky didn't waste a second and rushed at Crocodile while he was still groggy and jumped up into the air. "Flying… ARROW KICK!" **KROOSHH! **Ricky slammed both of his feet into Crocodile's chest and smashed him into the thick stone wall behind him. **Tmp! **Ricky landed on his feet and allowed Crocodile to stagger out of the indent he'd made in the wall. Ricky jumped up and lashed his leg downward at Crocodile, "Jumping… AX KICK!" At the last second Ricky tilted his foot so instead of connecting with his heel he drove the Sea Stone bottom into the back of Crocodile's neck. **THWHAM! **Crocodile was driven down into the ground and Ricky wasted no time in driving the bottom of his Sea Stone boot into the Warlord's back. **WHUMP!**

**SHWOOM!** Two arms sprouted out of the wall, another two arms sprouted out of the hands of the first two arms, and a third pair of arms sprouted out of the second pair of arms. **WHUMP! **The dual chains of arms appeared in a split second and shoved Ricky off of Crocodile.

**KREEEK!** **"That's enough." **The double doors to the palace opened to reveal Ms. All Sunday with King Cobra still tucked under her arm.

"Damn, I almost had him," Ricky complained as he pushed himself up.

"Precisely," Ms. All Sunday replied. "I need him so I can't allow you to kill him."

"Ricky! I'll deal with her!" Vivi called out as she ran out from behind Chaka and drew the jeweled chains she used as a weapon. "Don't let Crocodile recover!"

"NO! VIVI! DON'T!" Ricky shouted.

"PEACOCK STRING SLA—"

"Dos Fleur… Clutch!" **Shwoom! **Two arms sprouted out of the ground and tripped the Princess. **FWUMP! **The arms disappeared in a shower of flower petals while another two arms appeared on Vivi shoulders. "Dos Fleur… Strangle!" **WHUP! **The two arms grabbed the Princess's throat and began choking her.

"Shit, saw that coming," Ricky cursed. Mana had warned him this might happen. He had attempted to keep the Princess protected while he dealt with Crocodile but Vivi had been drawn out and played right into Ms. All Sunday's multiple hands.

"PRINCESS!" Chaka yelled as he started to draw his sword.

"If you want me to break her neck, please continue," Ms. All Sunday encouraged him. Then she locked eyes with Ricky. "You know how this goes. Stand down, and the Princess lives."

"RICKY! DO…MMMPHHH!" Ms. All Sunday's arms move from clutching Vivi's throat to covering her mouth. The added benefit was that Ms. All Sunday could still break the Princess' neck from that position.

"Alright, you got me," Ricky conceded as he hung his head and dropped his arms to his side. "Don't hurt her."

"Princess, thank you for providing me with something to restrain him with," Ms. All Sunday commented as she picked up Vivi's abandoned weapons and tossed them at Ricky.

**Shwoom! **Arms grew out of Ricky's body and in a matter of seconds his arms were bound behind his back with one jeweled chain while the other was tightly wrapped around his legs. **WHING! **Two chains of six arms grew out of the ground in front of him and pushed him backwards. With his legs bound together and his arms tied behind his back Ricky couldn't keep his balance and fell to the ground. **FWUMP!**

"About time you did something," Crocodile growled as he pulled himself up off of the ground and glared at his Vice President.

Ms. All Sunday glared back at him. "You seemed content to handle him yourself," she replied. "Now why don't we get back to the reason we're here?"

"Right," Crocodile said with a grin as he eyed the prone form of King Nefertari Cobra.

**-x-**

"DOUBLE STINGER!" Ms. Double Finger's arms turned into spikes and she lunged at Nami and jabbed her spike arms at the girl in an attempt to turn her into a pincushion.

"AAAAAHHH!" Nami screamed and dove out of the way causing Ms. Double Finger to drive her spikes into the wall. **CHAK! CHAK! CHAK! **Nami skidded away from the assassin and pushed herself up to her knees.

"What a stubborn girl," Ms. Double Finger remarked as she pulled her spike-arms out of the wall and turned to face Nami. "For your sake, I hope you know how to use that little toy of yours. That boxing glove trick isn't going to work anymore."

"I'm just getting started!" Nami assured her. "I took the time to learn how the weapon works before we even got to Crocodile in Rain Base. I've got plenty more tricks up my sleeve."

**-Clima-Tact Training Flashback-**

"Okay, try another one," Ollie prompted as she eyed the ClimaTact warily and crossed her arms over her chest half expecting it to punch her again.

"Then let's try this one," Nami decided. She put two of the segments together and stuck the third one into the side of one of the other pipes to make the ClimaTact look like a rifle. Nami held onto the third pipe and pointed the end of the first pipe at Ollie, "CLOUDY TEMPO!" **POOF!**

Ollie's eyes widened as a bouquet of flowers shot out of the end of the Clima-Tact.

"F-flowers?" Nami stammered.

"Unless your opponent is allergic I don't see how this attack would be helpful," Ollie remarked.

"WHAT THE HELL KIND OF WEAPON IS THIS?" Nami demanded. "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO USE IT IN A FIGHT?"

"Punch her in the tit and run for it," Ollie suggested.

"You just said that'd only piss them off!" Nami reminded her.

"Well… at least you're figuring out all the weird attacks now," Ollie reasoned. "Can you imagine how embarrassing it'd be if you had to learn how to use your weapon in an actual battle? There's no way your opponent would take you seriously after shooting a bouquet of flowers."

"Then how am I supposed to use this piece of junk?" Nami growled.

"Let me see the instructions," Ollie requested. Nami handed them over and the archer scanned the list for anything that looked useful. "Oh, look at this! Right at the bottom…" Ollie handed the instructions back to Nami and so she could read what was written at the bottom.

'_**That's it, next time you're at a party and things are slow just use these little tricks I've written up and things'll really start to jump. People will love 'em.'**_

"IT'S JUST A LIST OF PARTY TRICKS?" Nami shrieked. "Ricky had better not have paid him! Because I'm gonna kill him and then take the money back! I'm trying to fight, not put on a magic show!"

"You didn't read it all," Ollie told her. "There's more."

"Huh?" Nami questioned and she continued reading.

'_**Oh, by the way, I jotted down a few configurations for Battle Mode on the back.'**_

"Battle Mode?" Nami repeated.

Ollie smiled, "You ready to see what that thing can _really _do?"

**-End Flashback-**

"Why don't you be a good girl and stay where you are?" Ms. Double Finger suggested. **Shhhoom! **Her fingers grew longer and sharper and turned into spikes. "I'll even forgive your little cheap shots and try to make your death painless."

"Don't underestimate me!" Nami warned her. "I spent eight years a thief. And during that time I survived all types of crisis… all by myself." **SWISH! **Nami swung the ClimaTact around behind her back and struck a pose, "Don't treat me like some ordinary girl."

"Oh, kitty found her claws," Ms. Double Finger taunted. "Fine then, show me what you've got."

"You got it!" Nami agreed. She thought back to when she'd read the actual Battle Mode instructions.

'_**The Battle Configurations of the ClimaTact: First, understand the characteristics of the three section. Each one can shoot off air bubbles either by shaking or blowing.' **_

'_**The first is the Heat Pole that creates hot air.'**_

"HEAT BALL!" **WHUFF! **Nami blew into the end of one of the segments and a red air bubble flew towards Ms. Double Finger.

"What's this?" Ms. Double Finger questioned as the red bubble floated in front of her. She was still casually standing in the same place as before. "It's warm." It felt like a warm ray of sunlight.

'_**Next, the Cool Pole shoots cool air.'**_

"COOL BALL!" **WHUFF! **Nami blew into another segment and sent a light blue air bubble flying towards her opponent.

"Ah, how pleasant," Ms. Double Finger sighed it just felt like a cool breeze.

'_**The last, the Electric Pole produces electricity.'**_

"THUNDER BALL!" **WHUFF! **Nami blew into the third segment and sent a cackling yellow bubble of electricity at Ms. Double Finger.

"Oh my, that tingles," Ms. Double Finger remarked as he prodded the yellow bubble.

'_**Of course these techniques aren't quite finished yet, so if you use 'em at parties you need to be careful.'**_

"Is that it?" Ms. Double Finger inquired looking disappointed. "All that talk and your big trick is a bunch of colored bubbles?"

"_Perfect," _Nami thought to herself. _"Her guard's down. She's got no clue what's coming next."_

Nami rearranged the ClimaTact so the Cool Pole and the Thunder Pole were stuck together and had the Heat Pole going through the middle of the Cool Pole. "CYCLONE TEMPO!" **WHING! **Nami swung the ClimaTact and the crossed Heat Pole and Cool Pole went flying off.

**SWISH! **Ms. Double Finger leaned to the side and the spinning cross that the two poles had formed whirled right passed her.

"Looks like you just disarmed yourself," Ms. Double Finger observed.

"WAAAAH!" Nami turned around ran.

**Shhoom! **Spikes grew out of the bottom of each of Ms. Double Finger's feet and pushed the woman up off of the ground like a pair of pointed stilts. "SEWING STINGER!" The two spikes crisscrossed like a sewing needle as Ms. Double Finger chased after Nami with her signature exaggerated sway of her hips. **SWSH! SWSH! SWSH! **

**WHUMP! **Nami tripped and dropped to the ground.

"You just made your last mistake!" Ms. Double Finger stated as she closed in on Nami and raised her foot up above the prone girl. "STINGER STOMP!" **SHEEN! **Spikes grew out of Ms. Double Finger's foot and stuck out at all different angles. "Goodbye girl!"

**WHOOOM! **A blue cross came flying back and smashed into Ms. Double Finger's back. The woman was knocked off balance but was then blasted into a stack of wooden crates by a strong gust of wind generated by the poles. **FWOOSH! KRASH!**

Nami caught the two wayward poles and heard the hissing of a faint wind blowing out of the holes in the end. "The Heat Ball and the Cool Ball join together and when they stop spinning the bubbles hit each other creating an air flow," she said out loud, "Hehehehehe! I still remember how Usopp explained that attack in the instructions."

'_**Cyclone Tempo is like an ordinary boomerang so if you take it outside after the party to play with you'll have to watch out.'**_

"No wonder the instructions were basically useless," Nami muttered. "That idiot had no idea what he was making." Nami frowned as she remembered something. "Actually… he did have _one _good attack listed there." Nami reached into her outfit in search of the instructions that she now always kept on her person and started reading through them. "Where was it?"

"**I'm going to kill you now." **Nami looked up and saw Ms. Double Finger standing upside down on the bottom side of the stone arch that was connecting the two buildings she was in between. She'd gotten up there while Nami was talking to herself and searching her instructions.

"How is she doing that?" Nami wondered. "And why?"

**Krek! **Ms. Double Finger pulled one of her feet off of the stone and drew out the spikes that she was using to root herself in place then pushed off of the arch and dropped downward. In mid air Ms. Double Finger curled up into a ball and grew spikes from all over her body making her into a human spike-ball. "HEDGEHOG STINGER!" **KA-SHUNK!** Nami managed to jump out of the way as Ms. Double Finger slammed into the ground.

"Too close," Nami yelped as she backed away over to a stack of boxes.

**WHIR! WHIR! **Ms. Double Finger remained in her spike-ball form and spun around until she spotted Nami standing against the wall hoping to stay out of the way. **WHHHRRRRR! **Ms. Double Finger rolled towards Nami and crossed the distance between them in a split-second. **SWISH! **But then the human spike-ball went RIGHT THROUGH her target and ended up smashing through the stone wall behind her. **KROOOM!**

Inside the building, a dizzy Ms. Double Finger retracted her spikes and uncurled herself. She sat up and stared out of the hole she'd made in the wall.

"What was that?" the agent questioned. "I went right through her."

"**You went through my decoy,"** Nami informed her as she came into view with her ClimaTact slung over her shoulder and a noticeable strut in her step. "I changed the air density using a Cool Ball." **Swish! **Nami swung her ClimaTact and a blue bubbles came out of the end. **Swish! **Nami swung her staff passed the bubble causing it to spread out and increase the density of the air as she'd just described. "Then the sunlight refracted my image." The sun shined through the cool, dense air from overhead and an identical copy of Nami appeared next to her.

"A m-mirage!" Ms. Double Finger stammered as she stared at Nami and her clone in shock.

Nami smiled as she remembered what Usopp had written at the very bottom of the Battle Mode instructions.

'_**We can't win with power. If we're gonna survive. We've gotta use our brains. That's how **_**WE**_** fight.'**_

"This is the perfect weapon for me," Nami commented while her mirage mimicked her perfectly. "I'll be the first to admit that I'm not much of a fighter. I'm a Navigator. But using this ClimaTact… I can control the weather!" **SWISH! **Nami swung her ClimaTact through her doppelganger causing it to disperse then gripped her staff in a fighting stance. "Okay, Spiky, why don't you just give up?"

**-Royal Palace -**

"NO FATHER!" Vivi screamed.

Crocodile had driven large nails through Cobra's elbows and had him pinned against the front of the palace. Royal blood was spilling in a puddle on the ground as the King's blood ran down his arms and dripped off of his hands.

"Let the King go now Crocodile!" Chaka ordered, "At once!"

"After all the trouble I went through to immobilize him like this?" Crocodile questioned. "You really think I'm just gonna turn around and let him go. Use your head. Its not gonna happen." Crocodile casually lit up a cigar then turned to Ricky who was bound on the ground at Ms. All Sunday's feet. "As for you One Eye, I've decided to hold off on killing you for now. I'm going to let you watch as I kill the people you failed to protect right in front of you."

"How generous of you," Ricky commented. "Fair note of warning: every second that I'm left alive is another second for me to escape."

"Do you really think you can escape your current situation?" Ms. All Sunday asked him.

Ricky looked up at her with a sly grin on his face, "Watch me."

"I intend to," she assured him.

"**Vivi… I'm sorry…" **Cobra suddenly apologized. "If failed you and the nation. I didn't use the chance you risked your life for."

"Oh father," Vivi cried seeing the state her father and her country were in.

Crocodile grinned at what would've been a touching reunion between father and daughter, "Come now… this is the best you can do after years apart?" he taunted. "Anyway, Ms. Wednesday…"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Vivi screamed at him.

"Let me tell you a little something," Crocodile told her, "I have no intention of keeping you or your father alive. As I said before, when a kingdom dies out it only seems natural that it's Royal Family should die out as well. Don't you agree?"

"But first," Crocodile continued as he walked up to Cobra, "Before I take the throne… there's something I need to ask the current King. If you have a moment, that is. In fact, this has been my entire goal from the very beginning. Cobra… **where is the Pluton?**"

"The what?" Ricky asked while the King's eyes went wide in horror.

"How can… you know that name?" King Cobra asked in shock.

Ricky looked up at Ms. All Sunday, "Looks like we can add another twist to this takeover plan of yours," he commented.

**-x-**

**Tornado Warning:**

**-West Block-**

"WAAAAAAHHH!" Nami screamed as she ran through the streets of the West Block with Ms. Double Finger chasing after her. The agent had recovered from smashing herself through the wall and was now looking to end the fight before Nami could use another one of her tricks.

"DOUBLE STINGER!" Ms. Double Finger's arms became long spikes and she lashed them out at the girl as she chased after her. **SWISH! SWISH!**

"_Right… I've got Heat Balls and Cool Balls," _Nami thought to herself as she tried to come up with another plan of attack. _"All I need to do is take advantage of their characteristics and combine them."_

Nami ran around a corner and knocked over a pair of barrels so they fell behind her. **KRASH! **Ms. Double Finger swung her spike-arms and smashed right through them and didn't slow for a second. **KRESH! **But the smashed barrels obscured the agent's view and allowed Nami to dive over a low wall and duck behind it.

Nami pulled out the instructions to the ClimaTact and read the final attack that Usopp had written into it.

'_**Tornado Tempo: this is the centerpiece of the whole weapon. As long as your enemy is human they won't be able to stand after being struck by it. But! It's a last resort and you only get one shot. If you miss… it's over.'**_

"If I miss... it's over…" Nami repeated.

"**Pay attention!" **Ms. Double Finger called out as she stuck her arm around the wall. Nami bolted to her feet but quickly found herself trapped. **SHA-SHUNK! **Ms. Double Finger's arm-spikes were driven into the wall around the top of Nami's head while her breasts had become spikes that were now embedded in the wall next to Nami's neck. "That little gadget of yours is interesting, but it's not a weapon. Here's some advice, sweetie, if you can't use it to attack then it's nothing more than a toy. The day that thing can be called a weapon is the day you can finally hurt someone with it. Now…" **Shooom! **Ms. Double Finger's mouth and nose grew to become a long spike. The assassin lunged forward to finish Nami off.

**SWISH!** The thief acted quickly and dropped down to the ground causing Ms. Double Finger to drive her mouth-spike through the stone wall. **CHUNK! **

Nami stood up and ran off again while Ms. Double Finger retracted all five of her spikes and looked after Nami, "Stop running," she complained.

"IF I DON'T DO SOMETHING QUICK I'M GONNA GET SKEWERED!" Nami shouted to herself. "THE ONLY CHANCE I'VE GOT IS THAT TORNADO TEMPO THING!"

**WHUP! **Nami suddenly tripped and one of the poles went flying and ended up getting caught by Ms. Double Finger.

"HEY! GIVE THAT BACK!" Nami ordered.

Ms. Double Finger casually blue into the pole and produced a Thunder Ball out of the end. "Did you seriously believe that you could kill me with this toy?" Ms. Double Finger asked as she casually touched her finger to the cackling yellow bubble. "Oh please, a sweater can produce more electricity than this little thing."

"Well we won't know unless I try so give it back to me!" Nami snapped. She swung her now shortened staff around at her side and lunged at Ms. Double Finger. **SWAK! **Nami smacked the Electric Pole out of Ms. Double Finger's hands then dashed back and quickly caught it.

"_Come on… think!" _Nami urged herself. _"I have to distract her somehow so she can't dodge the Tornado Tempo… what do I have to work with? There are three different kinds of air bubbles, the extremely dry desert air of this country but that's all. If only there was just a little more moisture in the air. Wait… moisture…" _Nami looked down at her weapon, _"This thing has a rain technique."_

"RAAIIN TEEEMPOOOO!" Nami shouted. She pulled the ClimaTact apart and held one of the poles in each of her hands and balanced the third on the top of her head. **SPLISSHH! **Water shot out of the two ends of the pole on her head and the far end of the poles in her hands and flew up overhead like a fountain.

Ms. Double Finger sweat-dropped, "Water tricks?" she questioned.

"ROTATING SPRINKLER!" Nami stood on one leg and did a pirouette, this time without Mr. 2 wearing her body. **SPLISH! SPLISH! SPLISH! **As she spun around the water continued to spray up into the air over her head.

"Desperate," Ms. Double Finger remarked.

"NO, I'M NOT!" Nami yelled at her as she stopped water-show. "I'VE GOT A PLAN! YOU'LL SEE!"

"I don't think so," Ms. Double Finger replied. "I've had enough of your tricks." **SHINK! **Ms. Double Finger's wavy blue hair became ridged and pointed making her head look like a big blue spike-ball. "Time to end this!" Ms. Double Finger bent forward and charged at Nami with her pointed hair leading the charge. "SEA URCHIN STINGER!"

Nami brought the Cool Pole to her mouth and blew into it. **BLUP! BLUP! BLUP! BLUP! ** A cluster of light-blue bubbles flew out of the pole and floated in between Nami and her charging opponent.

"WHY DON'T YOU BE A GOOD LITTLE GIRL FOR ME, AND DIE!" Ms. Double Finger shouted as she launched herself at Nami. **FWIP! **Nami dove out of the way and Ms. Double Finger went crashing spiky-hair first through a stone wall. **BOOOM!**

Nami got up and looked back over her shoulder at the giant round hole Ms. Double Finger had made in the stone wall. "If that had been me instead of the wall… oh man!"

Ms. Double Finger came out of the round hole once again walking with an exaggerated sway of her hips. "Since you showed me something interesting earlier, it's only fair that I return the favor," the agent announced. **Shink! **Ms. Double Finger's fingers all became spikes but Nami wasn't paying attention.

"Now's my chance," she realized as she quickly blew into the Heat Pole. **BLUP! BLUP! BLUP! BLUP! **A curtain of red bubbles floated up into the air and disappeared into the sky overhead.

**Shunk!** Ms. Double Finger sank her pointed fingers into her own shoulder then stabbed the spiked fingers on her other hand into her opposite shoulder. **Shunk! **The veins in Ms. Double Finger's arms pulse as her arms started _growing_.

"_Hot air rises while absorbing moisture," _Nami thought to herself as she stared up at the red bubbles she was blowing up into the air. _"When it combines with cold air that's descending it rapidly cools and becomes frozen."_

Nami once again brought the Cool Pole to her mouth and blew more light-blue Cool Balls up into the air with the Heat Balls. **PLIP! PLIP! PLIP! PLIP!**

"SPIKE SPIKE DOPING!" **RIP! RIP! **The sleeves of Ms. Double Finger's short coat tore as her arms crew in size and became bulky and muscular **PUMP! **All the muscles traveled down her arms and caused her forearms to swell up to three times their normal size. **SHINK! **Rows of spikes grew out of Ms. Double Finger's bulky forearms making her look like she had a pair of flesh-colored maces for the lower half of her arms. Ms. Double Finger drew back her mace arm and charged, "I TOLD YOU YOUR LIFE WAS OVER, DIDN'T I? STINGER FLAIL!"

"WAAAAAH!" Nami shrieked as she swerved to the side and avoided the swing of Ms. Double Finger's big spike-covered forearm. **WHAAM! **The assassin continued her swing and used her bulky mace-like foreaarm to pulverize the column Nami had been standing in front of. "AAAAAAH!" Nami yelped in alarm as the roof that the column had been supporting came crashing down on her.

**-Royal Palace-**

"_What is he talking about?" _Vivi wondered. _"Pluton? I don't have a clue."_

"So wait," Ricky cut in, "First you deceive your minions telling them about your plan to create some Utopia. And to your more trusted minions you tell them that your plan is to take over Alabasta. But only you and your Vice President know that your true motivation is… _Pluton_?" Ricky looked up at Ms. All Sunday, "Are you sure he's telling _you_ the truth?"

"He had to," Ms. All Sunday replied. "He needs my skills to find it."

"And what the heck is it?" Ricky asked.

"According to legend it can completely obliterate an island with just one shot," Crocodile stated. "An ancient weapon whose power rivals that of a God. It's somewhere in this country… but you already knew that…didn't you your Highness?"

"_Now I get what Smokey was so worried about," _Ricky thought to himself as he looked from Crocodile to Nico Robin. _"With these two high-profile criminals working together they were bound to be after something huge. He's looking for some kind of super-weapon. This isn't just about the takeover of Alabasta. He's looking to take over THE ENTIRE WORLD!"_

"An ancient weapon?" Vivi questioned. "Alabasta has such a thing? And father knew about it?"

"Perhaps it is a secret passed down with the throne," Chaka suggested.

"Acquiring Pluton has always been my goal," Crocodile stated. "With it, this peaceful country will become a military power to be reckoned with under my rule."

"Your rule?" Chaka repeated. "You're not this country's monarch!"

"Oh, but I soon will be," Crocodile assured him. "And once I'm on the throne it will be easy to take all the pirates in this area under my umbrella. With such influence eventually I'll gain more power than even the World Government itself. No one will dare cross me."

"Well, there's the evil speech," Ricky stated, he looked up at Ms. All Sunday, "Would you mind untying me so I can half-heartedly applaud?"

"If I untied you you'd be even more annoying," Ms. All Sunday stated.

"Got me there," Ricky admitted.

"The World Government would never all you to wield that much power!" King Cobra said.

"You're right, they wouldn't," Crocodile agreed, "So where is the Pluton? Tell me?"

"I don't know where you heard that name Crocodile!" the King growled, "But I don't have the slightest idea as to where it could be found. I'm not even certain it ever existed. Let alone if it's hidden in this country! It could be a myth for all I know!"

"What you say probably isn't a complete lie," Crocodile commented. "I have considered that possibility for a while now… that Pluton may have never existed. There are those who believe it is just a fable. But I believe that it's real."

"Who would've thought we'd have something in common," Ricky stated. "Both of us searching for something that others claim might not even exist. I have the sudden urge to take a shower."

Crocodile glanced back at the gate that led out to the courtyard then smirked at the King and Princess, "If my timing's correct the rebel army should break through the defenses and reach that square in approximately twenty minutes where they'll clash with the Royal Forces. And then, in just half an hour… at four thirty…" Everyone with depth perception looked over at the tall clocktower that stood in the middle of the city and saw that it was nearly four o clock. "**Their battle will be interrupted by a bomb I've ordered to be fired into the square.**"

"Aah!" Cobra, Vivi, and Chaka all gasped in alarm.

"You're sick," Ricky remarked. "You'd really kill that many people?"

"PLEASE DON'T! I'M BEGGING YOU!" the King shouted.

"Oh, and it's no ordinary bomb," Crocodile continued. "But one so powerful it will destroy everything within three miles!"

"BUT IF YOU DO THAT EVERYONE…" Vivi shrieked but trailed off at the thought.

"That's right," Crocodile agreed. "No one from either the Royal Army or the Rebel Army will survive. They'll be wiped out and the battle will be over." The King flinched at the thought of so many of his people being killed while Crocodile continued taunting the Princess. "Aren't you happy? You should be. After all, you're the one who wanted them to stop so badly. Since I'll be ruling from this palace there's no need to blow it up to end their fight. It's easier to just blow both armies up instead. This land's worth more than they are."

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALLOUS TOWARDS THEM?" Vivi demanded, she tried to charge Crocodile but Chaka held her back. "WHAT DID THESE PEOPLE EVER DO TO YOU TO DESERVE THIS? THEY HAVE LIVES! AND FAMILIES!"

"Who cares," Crocodile coldly replied.

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO KILL THEM CROCODILE!" Vivi shouted.

"Perhaps I'll change my mind," Crocodile suggested, "…if the King answers another question." Crocodile approached the King. "There's a Poneglyph in this country your majesty. Where is it?"

"Pone-what?" Ricky asked.

"An ancient block that's been written on in a long dead language," Ms. All Sunday supplied. "I'm the only one who can read that language."

Ricky thought back to the strange stone table he, Luffy, Zoro, and Chopper had stumbled upon when they were going through the desert. He'd left the money there so he could find it again.

"I see," Ricky commented, "So your skills go beyond sprouting body parts and acting as a glorified secretary."

"If you promise to spare them, I'll tell you where it is," King Cobra agreed. "I'll… even... show you."

"Father?" Vivi gasped.

"Kuahahahahaha!" Crocodile laughed, "Just what I'd expect from a King. You're a wise man."

"ENOUGH!" Chaka shouted as he finally drew his sword. "I CANNOT TAKE ANOTEHR SECOND OF THIS!"

"'Bout time he decided to do something," Ricky muttered, "I was wondering how long he was just gonna stand there like an idiot."

**-West Block-**

As the dusk from the crashing roof settled, the spikes growing out of Ms. Double Finger's forearms retracted back into her arms and the bulk of her forearm spread out to her upper-arm leaving Ms. Double Finger with arms that looked incredibly muscular instead of bulky.

**FWUMP!** The assassin spotted Nami trying to sneak away but the thief's leg gave out and she fell to the ground. She managed to avoid most of the crashing roof but had injured her leg in the process.

"At least you've proven that you're a first-class expert at _something_," Ms. Double Finger taunted as she walked over to her prone target, "Even if it is running away."

Nami pushed herself up onto one knee and looked up overhead, _"What happened to the air bubbles?" _she wondered. She grinned when she spotted a small puffy white cloud floating up near the rooftops above Ms. Double Finger's head. "Ah! A CLOUD! It's small… but it formed!"

"Just what are you babbling about?" Ms. Double Finger asked.

"It's still not large enough though," Nami realized. "I have to make it bigger." Nami pushed herself back up to her feet and held the Cool Pole and the Heat Pole and began twirling them in her hands. "COOL BALL! HEAT BALL!" **BLUP! BLUP! BLUP! BLUP! BLUP! BLUP! **The spinning poles sent a stream of red and blue bubbles flying passed Ms. Double Finger and joined the cloud. Nami backed away from Ms. Double Finger as she continued spinning the Heat Pole and Cool Pole and watched as the small cloud slowly grew in size from the addition of the added bubbles.

"TIME TO DIE!" Ms. Double Finger shouted. "STRINGER FLAIL!" Once again, her fore-arms became bulky and covered with spikes as she lashed out at Nami.

**Clak!** Nami quickly stuck her three poles together and blocked Ms. Double Finger's mace-liked with her pole. **WHAM!** Ms. Double Finger had much more power behind her swing and knocked Nami onto her back. **Thud!**

"Tell me… are you prepared to die?" Ms. Double Finger asked as she held her club-like arms at the ready.

"Are you?" Nami retorted with a sly grin she lovingly stole from Ricky. **SWISH! **Nami swung the Electric Pole and sent a cackling yellow Thunder Ball passed Ms. Double Finger.

"Still defiant?" Ms. Double Finger questioned.

The Thunder Ball joined with the cloud. And the large puffy white cloud suddenly turned black and cackled with the trapped static electricity. **Krackle! Krackle! **Ms. Double Finger looked up with her mace-like arm still raised overhead and saw an ominous black thunder cloud floating over her head.

"THUNDERBOLT TEMPO!" **FLASH!** The electricity that had been growing steadily strong in the cloud flashed out as a bolt of lightning and was immediately followed by a crack of thunder. **THOOM! **True to its nature, the lightning struck the tallest thing in the immediate area… Ms. Double Finger. **BA-ZZZZZZTTTT!**

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Ms. Double Finger screamed out in pain as she was struck by the powerful bolt of lightning. It was over quick, but was never-the-less incredibly painful. When the lightning died down Ms. Double Finger's blue hair was standing on end in spikes that had nothing to do with her Devil Fruit Power.

Ms. Double Finger remained standing, she was still conscious. Her body was shaking and she was no doubt in an incredible amount of pain but she also appeared to be incredibly angry.

"YOU'RE DEAD MEAT!" Ms. Double Finger snarled at Nami who was on the ground in front of her. **Shooom! **She clenched her fist and spikes grew all out of her hand making it mini-spike-ball as she swung it at Nami.** SHUNK! **The spikes passed through Nami… only for her to flicker and vanish into thin air. Another mirage.

"Today's forecast calls for stable weather with stable humidity and mild winds," Nami reported as she walked across the street behind Ms. Double Finger with her ClimaTact slung over her shoulder. "However, a high pressure system will be moving in sometime during the afternoon. This could create some strange weather in one particular area. So people in the vicinity need to watch out for mirages." Ms. Double Finger glared over her shoulder at Nami as she continued her 'weather report', "And more importantly… for tornadoes!"

Nami pulled one pole off of her staff and stuck the staff that was now made out of the other two poles into the hole on its side making it look like a long blue 'T'. Nami pointed the ClimaTact at Ms. Double Finger. Usopp instructions once again flashed in her mind.

'_**Tornado Tempo: this is the centerpiece of the whole weapon. As long as your enemy is human they won't be able to stand after being struck by it. But! It's a last resort and you only get one shot. If you miss… it's over.'**_

"_If I miss, it's over," _Nami thought to herself then called out to Ms. Double Finger. "A tornado watch has been issued!" _"I'll make it work. I have to. Vivi's been there for all of us. So I'll be there for her." _Nami pointed her ClimaTact at Ms. Double Finger, "Sometimes it produces clouds! Other times it makes rain fall! It can even produce wind! But there's one more special technique of the ClimaTact! And I'm going to unleash it for Vivi's sake!"

Nami stepped forward only to let out a strangled gasp of pain as she put her weight on her injured leg.

"Something the matter?" Ms. Double Finger taunted. "Oh dear, it looks like that left leg of your is pretty injured. So much so that I doubt you can run away." **SHINK! **Ms. Double Finger's hair became ridged and pointed and her head once again looked like a big blue spike-ball. "SEA URCHIN STINGER!" Ms. Double Finger charged at Nami with her head lowered. **KLANK!** Nami blocked her with her ClimaTact but when Ms. Double Finger kept coming Nami raised her injured left leg to help her keep the woman at bay. **SHUNK! **One of the spikes in Ms. Double Finger's hair pierced straight through Nami's foot.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Nami let out a loud wail of pain. She was now on one leg as she attempted to keep the spikes from piercing _the rest_ of her body. With the increased leverage from having her foot on Ms. Double Finger's head Nami finally managed to keep the woman at bay. Nami's wail became a groan as she tried to ignore the pain going through her foot, "Uuggghhh… this… is nothing! It doesn't hurt at all. Do you have any idea what kind of pain _she's _been going through? Compared to Vivi… uggghhh… it doesn't matter if I lose a foot… or a leg or two… or even an arm! I DON'T CARE!"

Nami pushed Ms. Double Finger backwards and pulled her foot off of the spike. She gingerly stood on both feet and pointed her ClimaTact at her surprised opponent at point-blank range.

"TAKE THIS!" Nami shouted. "TORNAAADOOO TEEEMPOOO!" The two holes in the side of the 'T' pole flashed and fired. **BA-BOOOM!**

**Peep! Peep! Peep! **Both Nami and Ms. Double Finger stared in shock as a pair of mechanical birds on springs shot out of the weapon.

"AAH!" Nami gasped. Her best attack was a dud!

"Hee hee…" Ms. Double Finger chuckled. **WHING!** She failed to notice that the birds had each wound their spring around one of her limbs, the first around her right arm and the other around her right thigh. **Peep! Peep! Peep!**

What the two _did_ notice what when the sideways pole of the ClimaTact started spinning. **FWUP! FWUP! FWUP! FWUP! **The spinning pole twisted the two springs tightly together and left Ms. Double Finger hopelessly tangled.

"What… what… what…" Nami stammered in shock.

**WHRRL! WHRRL! WHRRL! **The springs now started _untangled_ and Ms. Double Finger found herself spinning in the air along with Nami's weapon. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?" she screamed. **BOOOOM! **The front two poles exploded off of the remaining one and blasted Nami backwards while Ms. Double Finger was sent spinning through the solid stone wall behind her. **KER-RASH-BOOOM!**

Nami sat up and stared at the Ms. Double Finger-shaped hole that had been left in the stone wall. The woman's body was practically sideways as she had been smashed through it mid-spin. Nami got up and stared through the hole and saw another hole this time with Ms. Double Finger upside down on the other side of the room.

In the street behind it, Ms. Double Finger was flat on her back with the spring still wrapped around her… and was finally unconscious.

Nami's eyes widened in surprise as she dropped down and sat against the first wall her opponent had been sent through.

"It worked," she said to herself. "Usopp… Vivi… Ollie… Ricky… I did it!"

The battle in the West Block backstreets had concluded.

**Winner: Nami**

**-x-**

Nami had her training with Ollie to learn how the ClimaTact worked beforehand so she had a vague idea of how to use it before the battle started but a lot of it remained spur-of-the-moment stuff where she was basically thinking on her feet. And hopefully the beginning of the second round of Ricky versus Crocodile lived up to everyone's expectations. But it's not over by a long shot. This one's going to be long and drawn out.

But now the clock is counting down with thirty minutes until Crocodile's bomb explodes and wipes out everyone in the square. The only Officer Agent fight left is Zoro versus Mr. 1 where the Straw Hats' resident swordsman will have to find a way to surpass his limit and cut steel.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	54. Chapter 54

**Another Nakama II:**

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or any of the characters. I just own Ricky and the other OC's I've written into this alteration of the story.

**1:**

**-South-East Gate-**

"Ugghhh…" Usopp groaned. "These wounds are nothing… just point me in the direction of the battle… nothing can stop Usopp Brave Warrior of the Sea!"

Usopp was still in his full-body cast and had one of his heavily bandaged arms thrown over Mana's shoulders as the blonde carried/helped him along.

"Yay Usopp!" Ayako cheered as she rode side-saddle on the back of Chopper who was in his Walk Point form.

"I'll keep fighting even if my arm gets ripped off or my nose gets broken!" Usopp bragged.

"You probably shouldn't be talking much," Mana reprimanded him, "from the looks of you I'd hard pressed to find a bone that _isn't _broken."

"She's right," Chopper agreed then clarified, "about the talking, not the broken bones thing. If you keep talking so much you're gonna cause internal bleeding."

"I'll shut up then," Usopp decided.

"**MIIIISSS MAAAAANAAAA! MIIIISSS GOOOLDEEEENWEEEEEK!" **the four looked up ahead and saw Sanji dancing towards them with hearts in his eyes.

"Sanji!" the other four all cheered.

**FWUMP! **Usopp fell to the side as Sanji ran over and hugged Mana.

"Gaah! Usopp!" Chopper and Ayako shrieked as they scrambled to help the fallen sniper and maneuvered him into a position so he was sitting cross-legged on the ground.

"Kyahahaha," Mana giggled, "It's good to see you're okay."

"Of course I am, my dear," Sanji assured her, "I had to teach an annoying Okama a lesson but it was no trouble at all. I'm just glad to see that _you're _okay."

"Oh, so that means you managed to beat Mr. 2?" Usopp asked.

"Oh, so you guys are still alive too," Sanji commented seemingly just noticing his two Nakama. "Better believe I beat him." Sanji reached into his pocket and pulled out the goggles he'd gotten from Mr. 2 and tossed them to Usopp, "Here."

"My… my goggles!" Usopp exclaimed. "You got 'em back for me from that creep! Thank you Sanji! You're the best!" **KREK! **Usopp put the goggles back on his head only for one of the lenses to pop off and shatter. "HEY! THEY'RE BROKEN! IN THAT CASE I TAKE BACK EVERYTHING I SAID! THANKS FOR NOTHING YA JERK! They were the latest models too! I dueled one of the most famous bounty hunters in the East Blue to get these!"

"Really?" Chopper and Ayako asked.

"You bet!" Usopp replied, "Just ask Ricky and Nami, they were there too! It was Daddy 'the Father' a former Marine Ensign turned Bounty Hunter that was known for always wielding thirty pistols! Ya see, it all started when I spotted these goggles in a shop at Loguetown…"

Sanji tuned out Usopp's story and turned to Mana, "What are you ladies doing in the middle of a battle?" he inquired.

"We came to help," Mana answered. "Chopper and Usopp managed to beat Mr. 4 and Ms. Merry Christmas and Ayako and I took over for Ricky and beat my former partner. I sent Ricky onto the palace so I think he's with Princess Vivi now."

"Good to know he's good for something," Sanji commented, "he's can pick fights with Baroque Works Agents but he seems to have a problem _finishing_ them."

"I can agree to that," Mana admitted, "He fought all four of us on Little Garden. But Luffy finished off Mr. 3, Zoro took down Mr. 5, Nami beat me, and Ricky had Tim knock out Ayako."

"But at least he'll be able to keep Miss. Vivi safe," Sanji reasoned. "Oooh, I hope Miss. Nami is alright! She just has that stupid moss ball to look after her!"

Mana looked passed Sanji and spotted a cloud of sand further away in the desert, "Hey? What's that?" she questioned causing the others to look in the same direction she was.

Sanji squinted and managed to make out a large number of men riding towards them on horse and camels, "That must be the reinforcement for the Rebel Army," Sanji realized.

"You mean there's more of them?" Chopper asked.

"Looks like it," Sanji observed. "I guess Vivi wasn't able to stop the fighting in time."

"Ugghh… this is just great," Usopp complained.

"I think she and Ricky are trying to stop the Royal Army now," Mana reasoned. "That's probably why she was heading for the palace."

"Let's hurry to the palace," Sanji decided. "Maybe there's still a way we can help Miss. Vivi."

"Right," Chopper agreed he shifted back into his Walk Point form and Ayako once again sat side-saddle on his back.

"Oooh Sanji," Mana called to the cook, "Usopp's awfully heavy. Do you think you could carry him for me?"

"OF COURSE!" Sanji agreed. He scooped the practically mummified sniper up off of the ground and threw his bandages arm over his shoulder then dashed off towards the gate with Chopper and Mana running behind him.

**-West Block-**

**SLISH! **"RAAH!" Zoro roared as he slashed his sword at Mr. 1 but the Agent used his Dice Dice Devil Fruit Powers to turn the bottom of his forearm into a long blade. **KLANG! **The steel blade on Mr. 1's forearm as enough to block the strike from Zoro's steel sword.

"HAAA!" Mr. 1 snarled as he made a blade on the front of the top of his leg and lashed his bladed knee out at Zoro. **KLANK! **Zoro blocked the steel blade on the man's knee with his sword. "RAAAAH!" Mr. 1 turned the front of the bottom portion of his leg into a blade and swung the rest of his leg out at Zoro for a vicious bladed-kick. **SWISH!** Zoro jumped back and avoided the attack. "Grrr…" Mr. 1 growled and turned the bottoms of his fingers into blades and swung his hand around at Zoro. **SWISH! **But again Zoro weaved back and dodged it.

"RAAAH!" Zoro charged back in and swung both of the swords he was wielding in his hands at Mr. 1. **KA-KLANK!** But Mr. 1 turned the front of his leg and the bottom of his forearm into blades and blocked both swords.

"UGGH!" Mr. 1 grunted, he held both of Zoro's swords at bay and at the same time turned the fingers of his free arm into blades and lashed out at Zoro. **SWISH! **Zoro jumped backwards and avoided his attacks then sheathed his two swords.

"Ya know, that face of yours… it sort of looks familiar," Zoro commented. "And if I'm not mistaken, you used to be one of the most infamous Bounty Hunters in the West Blue… didn't you? Not to mention an assassin as well? So what happened to you? You went from top of the heap to one of Crocodile's dogs. Did ya do it just so you could get some nice scraps by licking his hand like a good lap dog?"

"Shut up…" Mr. 1 growled, he remained silent through most of Zoro's goading but it was beginning to get to him.

Zoro pulled out his dark green bandana and tied it on the top of his head. "Here, let me show you the difference of pride between…" Zoro paused to draw _Wado Ichimonji _and put the handle in his mouth then drew his other two swords andgripped them in his hands, "…your swords and mine." Zoro crossed his arms in front of him and pointed his swords _Yubashiri _and _Kitetsu III _at Mr. 1. "Three Sword Style: BULL NEEDLES!"

Mr. 1 spread his legs apart in a wide stance then flexed his arms and punched his fists together. **POW! **"Spider… Defense…" Mr. 1 closed his eyes and waited for Zoro to charge him.

"RAAAH!" Zoro roared as he charged Mr. 1 with his two swords pointed towards him like the horns of a charging bull. **KLANG! KLANG! KLANG! KLANG! KLANG! KLANG! **Zoro jabbed the ends of his swords out at Mr. 1 with enough strength to pierce flesh. But Mr. 1's steel-like skin didn't yield to Zoro's blades. Zoro ended his attack by running passed Mr. 1 and slashing him with all three of his swords, **KA-KLANK!**

Zoro turned and looked back at Mr. 1 who still standing in place in his Spider Defense position without a single scratch on him.

"Hmph," Zoro grunted, "So basically your body is as hard as steel. Unless I can cut steel I can't defeat you."

"That would be correct," Mr.1 replied as he stood there with his back still turned on Zoro. "Smashing and cutting attacks won't work on me." The assassin finally turned around and found Zoro standing there with his arms folded.

"Well that bites, doesn't it?" the swordsman commented. "I'm not capable of cutting steel yet so I guess there's only one thing left to do."

"Hmph, and what's that, swordsman?" Mr. 1 asked.

"I'm gonna learn how to cut it here and now," Zoro announced. He grabbed his black and white tiger print desert cloak and threw it off leaving him in his white t-shirt, dark green pants, and his signature sash.

"Really?" Mr. 1 questioned.

"I've been waiting for a challenge just like this one," Zoro stated. "I've been telling myself for a while now that it's time to take my skills to the next level." Zoro grinned as he drew his two swords _Yubashiri _and _Kitetsu III _and got in a two-sword stance, "When I defeat you Mr. 1… I'll be the swordsman strong enough to cut through anything… including steel." Zoro crossed his swords in front of him and prepared for battle.

"Hehh," Mr. 1 scoffed, "When you defeat me? That's rich. I hate to shatter your delusions _pirate_ but I feel it's only fair to warn you that ever since I gained Dice Dice Devil Fruit Powers I've never been scratched by those who call themselves swordsmen. You'll soon see. No enemy can defeat me."

"Oooh, I'm really scared," Zoro taunted. "Save those stories for your grandkids if you live that long, _pal_. Anyway, I don't know how many swordsman you've defeated but you've never fought me before. So you'd better watch what you say big guy cause you're about to eat those words."

"The only thing sharp about you is your tongue," Mr. 1 stated before he lashed his arms out to the side and charged at Zoro.

"Alright, fine," Zoro replied to his charging opponent, "I warned you…"

"RAAAAH!" Mr. 1 raised his leg high overheads and turned the bottom of it into a long blade. **KLANG! **Zoro leaned forward and blocked his leg with both of his swords.

"You won't last that long," Mr. 1 growled as the two stood in a deadlock. Despite only being on one leg the agent was managing to keep Zoro at bay.

"Look whose talking," Zoro retorted. "UUGGH!" **SLISH! **Zoro grunted and used his swords to wrench Mr. 1's leg to the side and throw him off balance. **WOOOSH! **But the agent recovered and spun around all in one fluid motion.

"SPAR CLAW!" once again the bottoms of Mr. 1's fingers became razor sharp claws as he swung his bladed hand at Zoro. **KLANG! Skuuussshhh… **Zoro went skidding backwards as he blocked Mr. 1's hand with one of his swords. The agent turned the fingers on his other hand into blades and lashed that one out at Zoro as well. **KLANK! **Zoro crossed his other sword with his first one and blocked Mr. 1's other hand. **Skkuuussshhhh… **Zoro was pushed back by the combined power from Mr. 1's two hands pressing into him but he quickly tilted his swords to the side and made Mr. 1's blades slide off then jumped back and put more space in between them.

**WOOSH! **Mr. 1 created a blade on the front of his leg and lashed it out at Zoro but the swordsman bent backwards and avoided it. Zoro did a quick backflip to put more distance in between them but Mr. 1 quickly lashed at him with a bladed hand. **SKISH! **Zoro didn't even pause after his flip and jumped backwards to dodge Mr. 1's hand. **WOOOSH! **Mr. 1 charged Zoro and lashed his bladed hands out at Zoro again only for the swordsman to block them. **KA-KLANK!**

**KLANG! KLANG! KLANK! KLANG! KLANG! **Zoro and Mr. 1 fought their way down the street exchanging strikes with their swords and bladed hands respectively.** SWISH! **Zoro dodge a swipe from Mr. 1's hand then lashed out his leg and kicked his opponent in the stomach. **THWAK! **Zoro quickly followed up and slashed his steel-bodied opponent with his sword. **KLANK! **Mr. 1 was sent skidding backwards but spread his legs and managed to stop.

Zoro finally drew _Wado Ichimonji _and put it in his mouth then launched himself at Mr. 1 for one of his signature attacks, "DEMON… SLICE!" **KRANG! **Mr. 1 was knocked off balance and started falling backwards as Zoro slashed him with his three swords. But Zoro wasn't done yet. **SKISH! **He launched himself up into the air and flew over his falling opponent and dove down at him, "TIGER… TRAP!" **KA-KLANG! **Zoro once again slashed the agent with all three of his sword and drove him down into the ground. **KRASH!**

**TMP! **Zoro landed in a crouch outside of the dust cloud Mr. 1's large body had made when it smashed into the ground. The swordsman sheathed his three swords and glanced over his shoulder for any signs of his opponent.

A large figured could be seen through the dust and when the cloud finally cleared Mr. 1 was revealed… COMPLETELY UNHARMED!

"I told you," Mr. 1 reminded Zoro. "No swordsman can defeat me."

"Well I've gotta admit," Zoro confessed, "I'm surprised you don't have even a single bruise. This is the first time this has ever happened. No opponent of mine was standing after an attack like that."

"As true as that may be," Mr. 1 replied, "You've never fought against me before. So who's eating their words now?"

"Heh heh," Zoro chuckled, "Well then, if I can't cut you with my steel… maybe I can do it with something else."

**-x-**

**Cutting Steel:**

**-x-**

"Something else?" Mr. 1 repeated.

**SWIP! **Mr. 1 lunged at Zoro with a blade on the top of his foot. The swordsman dodged to the side and ducked down looking to attach the agent while his guard was open. But the bottom of Mr. 1's leg turned into a blade and he lashed it down at Zoro, **KLANG!**

"Oh right," Zoro realized as he held Mr. 1's leg at bay with his sword. "This guy's entire body is a blade. So his blades don't have a front or a back!"

"Hmph," Mr. 1 grunted. "There's nothing you possess that will be strong enough to cut my steel."

Zoro grinned as he addressed his opponent, "Strong enough… maybe not. But I bet I've got something _fast enough_ that _is_."

**-Desert Training Flashback-**

Ricky, Zoro, and Sanji stood together in the desert on their way to Rain Base attempting to get some training in.

"We've been wearing these weights since we got to this desert," Zoro stated as he held out one of his arms and displayed the one thousand kilogram band that was on it. "But we still haven't been able to cut the air when we take 'em off."

"The best we got was a strong gust when we fought those desert bandits," Sanji reminded them.

"I've been thinking about that," Ricky admitted. "I believe the reason it isn't working properly is because we're not moving fast enough."

"We're _still_ not fast enough?" Zoro questioned as he held up his weighed arms. "Then why the heck are we wearing these things?"

"That wasn't what he said moss head," Sanji corrected him, "He said we weren't _moving_ fast enough. Shut up and let him finish explaining."

Zoro glared at Sanji then looked over at Ricky, "Well?" he prompted.

"The first time I managed to create an air blade was when I was flying with Bob," Ricky explained. "I was already flying through the air at a fast speed when I slashed my sword. I think it was the added speed from how fast I was already moving that helped me create the air blade."

"So you're saying that we have to be at a high speed when we try the attack," Zoro realized.

"I think so," Ricky agreed then he turned to Sanji. "It's clear that we're not gonna be cutting the air with our feet any time soon. But since you've been wearing those weights on your ankles all this time I think I should at least be able to teach you my Speed Step technique. Just be warned that it may take a while to get used to."

"Don't worry about me," Sanji reassured him. "I can handle it."

"Okay," Ricky replied. "I'll get you started on moving at a high speed so that you can eventually use that momentum to cut the air with your feet. But one step at time for now." Ricky turned back to Zoro. "Once I've finished with him, you and I will try doing a flying slash attack and see if that works. If it does, we'll use that until we can swing our swords fast enough that we can cut the air without having to move at a high speed."

"I'll get started while you help him," Zoro decided. "Pervy cook needs all the help he can get."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sanji demanded. "You wanna start something moss ball?"

"Girls, girls, you're both pretty," Ricky cut in. "Can we _please _focus on the matter at hand?"

**-End Training Flashback-**

Zoro sheathed _Yubashiri_ and _Kitetsu III _and drew _Wado Ichimonji _and held the sword out at his side while Mr. 1 calmly eyed him from down the street.

"Let's see if this works," Zoro resolved. He ran at Mr. 1 who stood there with his arms folded across his chest completely confident that Zoro couldn't hurt him. **SLISH! **While still running at a high speed Zoro slashed his sword and a thin blade of air flew off of the blade and slammed into Mr. 1's chest.

As the blade washed off of his chest, Mr. 1 took a step backwards but was left completely unharmed. His arms were still folded across his chest and he was staring at Zoro with annoyance.

"That's it?" Mr. 1 asked. "That was your big attack? I find myself… disappointed."

"Then I'll have to try something more powerful," Zoro decided.

"Haven't you realized yet that anything you do is pointless?" Mr. 1 asked. "You don't have the power to cut steel so you can't beat me."

"Sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, thought," Zoro recited, "these six roots ground us by way of good, evil, and peace."

"What're you talking about?" Mr. 1 questioned, clearly confused at the swordsman's sudden change of topic.

"And of course, each of these can either be pure or inpure," Zoro continued. "These are the thirty-six earthly desires." Zoro raised his sword and held it sideways above his head. "I have the barrel of a cannon aimed directly at your head. You're just a human blade. In both distance and power my weapon is superior."

"What cannon?" Mr. 1 asked as he charged at Zoro. "I just see your one sword."

"Then let me open your eyes!" Zoro exclaimed as he lunged toward his opponent. **SKISH! **While moving at a high-speed towards his opponent Zoro slashed his sword, "One Sword Style: THIRTY-SIX CALIBER PHOENIX!" Zoro swung his sword around in a circle and sent a circular blade of air spiraling at Mr. 1. **SLASH! BOOOOM! **The air slammed into Mr. 1 head-on and he was smashed through a column as if he'd been blasted by a cannon.

Zoro grinned when the dust settled and he saw the Mr. 1-shaped hole going through the column. "Heh heh," he chuckled, "Looks like I managed to figure that one out just fine."

"**I'll admit, no one's ever done **_**that**_** to me before,"** Mr. 1's voice broke out as he stepped around the column and glared at Zoro. The large man was still unharmed. "You're skilled. But not skilled enough to beat me."

"_Damn,"_ Zoro cursed to himself. _"Even that didn't work. Hmm… what if I put more power behind it? If one sword wasn't enough, I'll use two." _Zoro sheathed _Wado Ichimonji _and drew his other two swords _Kitetsu III _and _Yubashiri_.

"Then let's try this," Zoro decided as he held his swords over his head and turned them sideways. "Two Sword Style:" Zoro lunged at Mr.1 and swung his swords around in a circle. "…SEVENTY-TWO CALIBER PHOENIX!" **SLA-SLISH! **The two circular air blades slammed into Mr. 1 and once again sent him flying backwards. **KA-THOOM! **This time the agent's hard body completely demolished the column and brought the arch that it was supporting crashing down in between them.

A dust cloud rose in between the two and temporarily hid them both from view but when it cleared Zoro saw Mr. 1 getting back up to his feet.

"Still pointless," Mr. 1 stated.

"Oh yeah?" Zoro countered, "Then what's that?" Mr. 1 looked down at where Zoro was point his sword and spotted a dark purple mark with the kanji tattoo on his chest. The purple mark was dented inward. "Looks like my cannon bruised you so much for not making a single scratch."

Mr. 1's eyes narrowed and he glared at Zoro, "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" he snarled. **SWISH! **He lunged at Zoro and lashed out at him with a bladed leg but Zoro dodged to the side. **Whap! **Mr. 1 flipped onto his hands and slashed his leg around at Zoro in a Sanji-like maneuver. **WOOOSH! **Zoro dove out of the way and went rolling over to the base of a building.

Mr. 1 turned the insides of his hands and fingers into blades and placed his hands together wrist-to-wrist then rushed at Zoro, "SPARKLING DAISY!" **SKREKSREKK! **Mr. 1 lashed out with both hands and sliced and slashed at the same time. **KLANG! **Zoro crossed his blades up over his head and blocked Mr. 1's blades from slicing him.

**KRAK! **Up above him the three story building split into pieces. The clean diagonal cuts that the blades on Mr. 1's hands had made the severed segments look like the petals of a daisy.

"_This is crazy!" _Zoro exclaimed to himself. The building began crumbling behind him while he struggled to keep Mr. 1's hands at bay.

"Goodbye!" Mr. 1 growled. **WHAM! **Mr. 1 shoved Zoro backwards and sent him crashing through the front of the crumbling building. **THOOOM! **All three stories came crashing down on Zoro while Mr. 1 was left standing in the street with only a single bruise on his chest to show for his efforts.

Mr. 1 surveyed the wreckage but all he saw of the swordsman was a bloody arm sticking out form in between two of the large chunks of what remained of the building.

"_When it comes to training… I've done more than anyone else," _Zoro thought to himself. _"I've also been pushed to the brink in plenty of bad situations. But I always succeeded."_

Zoro remembered his bold claim from earlier. _"When I defeat you Mr. 1… I'll be the swordsman strong enough to cut through anything… including steel."_

Mr. 1 had replied:_ "I've never been scratched by those who call themselves swordsmen."_

Zoro _had_ scratched him. But it hadn't been enough to cut steel or draw blood.

"_But what is it… that I lack… to beat this guy?"_ Zoro wondered.

**-Childhood Flashback-**

"Sensei! Sensei!" Zoro called out when he was still training at the dojo with Kuina's father. This had happened shortly after Kuina's death and Zoro had her former sword _Wado Ichimonji _strapped to his back. "Is it true that there are swordsman in this world who can cut anything? Even steel? Well is it?"

"Yes, it certainly is," the black haired bespectacled man replied. He then brought Zoro outside for an important lesson.

"Now pay attention," Koshiro instructed as he held out a single sheet of paper, "I want you to watch this paper very carefully Zoro."

Koshiro tossed the paper up into the air and Zoro watched as it gracefully floated on the air.

"HAAA!" Koshiro shouted as he drew his sword and slashed it at the paper. **WHAP! **But the sharp blade didn't even cut the leaf of paper and only knocked it slightly off course.

Zoro sweat-dropped, "Sensei, you didn't even cut it."

Koshiro led Zoro back to the dojo and they both sat down outside of it. "Listen Zoro," Koshiro instructed, "This is an important lesson for you to learn. There are swordsmen out there who are capable of cutting nothing. However, these same swordsman can cut anything… that includes steel using the same sword."

"…" Zoro just stared at the man the man next to him not quite getting it.

"The strongest swordsmen in the world are able to protect that which they wish to protect but also cut that which they wish to cut," Koshiro explained, "swordplay that always harms whatever it touches… well Zoro… that isn't real swordsmanship. Do you understand?"

"…" Zoro was silent as he thought about what his sensei had just told him. He looked up at the man and eventually decided, "Sensei! I'm going to be a swordsman who can cut anything!"

"Zoro, were you listening at all to what I was saying?" Koshiro asked.

**-End Flashback-**

**Krek… krek… **Mr. 1's unibrow raised in mild surprise as rubble in front of him started moving and Zoro lifted a large chunk of the building off of him.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Mr. 1 taunted Zoro. "Hurry up and attack me again. You'll never win."

"Uggh…" Zoro grunted as he strained with the load he was holding. Blood was trickling down the side of his face and was running down his arms as he stood in front of Mr. 1. "Trust me pal. There's nothing I'd rather do more right now than that but my hands are a little full at the moment." Zoro hands were currently full holding up a diagonally sliced portion of the building that originally made up one-sixth of the three story stone building.

Despite his heavy load, Zoro grinned at Mr. 1, "And it wasn't a threat," he told him. "It was a promise. I'm gonna cut steel and you're gonna die."

"I highly doubt it," Mr. 1 replied.

"UGGGHH!" Zoro groaned, "Shame you won't be alive to see it!" Zoro chucked the chunk of building at Mr. 1. **WHING! **

Mr. 1 remained in place, uncaring that Zoro had just thrown one-sixth of a heavy stone building at him. "Large or small, I'll cut everything into pieces!" he announced. Mr. 1 crossed his arms and prepared to attack the oncoming chunk of building.

At the same time, Zoro gripped the handle of _Wado Ichimonji _and stared down at the sword. _"A sword that cuts nothing… what did that mean?" _Zoro wondered. _"Think!"_

**-x-**

**Rhythm All Things Have:**

**-x-**

"_Swordplay that cuts nothing… cut nothing _but _cut steel…" _Zoro thought to himself. _"It doesn't make any sense at all! Thrust and thrust! That's the secret of powerful swordplay!"_

"ATOMIC SPAR!" Mr. 1 turned his finger into blades slashed his crossed arms downwards. **SLA-SLISH! **The huge chunk of building was slide down into a bunch of much smaller man-sized squares.

"YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN CUT!" Zoro shouted. **SKISH! **He leapt out of the rubble and charged through the split building and slashed any stone that got in his way. **SLISH! SLISH! TMP! **Zoro landed on his feet and lashed out at Mr. 1 with all three of his swords.

**KLANG! KLANG! KLANG! **Mr. 1 made blades on the bottoms of his long arms and defended himself from Zoro's attack.** KA-KLANG! **Zoro broke through Mr. 1's guard and slashed his chest with two of his swords sending the agent flying backwards.

**Skuusssshhh… **Mr. 1 landed on his feet and skidded backwards but Zoro didn't waste a second and charged at him and slashed all three of his swords. Mr. 1 turned the front of his leg into a blade and swung it up to meet Zoro's three blades **KA-KLANG! **Zoro slid his swords up Mr. 1's sleek bladed leg and slashed his wide-opened torso, **KLANK! **Again, Mr. 1 was sent flying backwards but he flipped over and sprang off of the ground with one hand and landed safely on his feet. **SKISH! TMP!**

"Grrrr…" Mr. 1 growled but he suddenly found the sword in Zoro's mouth pointed at his neck, the right arm bent upwards with the sword up over Mr. 1's head while parellel with the first, and his left arm crossed over his other arm and bent downwards while the sword was level with his waist and was parallel with the first two. "CRAB… GRAB!" **KA-LANK! **Zoro slashed his three swords and Mr. 1 was sent flying up into the air.

"_A one-sword cannon didn't do anything," _Zoro thought to himself, _"a two-sword cannon bruised him. Now I'll try three!"_

Zoro held his two swords sideways up over his head and pointed the one in his mouth in the same direction, "THREE SWORD STYLE..." Zoro lunged towards his airborne opponent and slashed all three of his swords in a circular motion, "ONE HUNDRED EIGHT CALIBER PHOENIX!" Zoro sent three circular blades of air flying at Mr. 1. **SLA-SLA-SLISH! **The agent was blasted backwards and smashed through the front of the building. **BOOOM! **The high speed he was moving at and all the damage he did to it caused the building to come crashing down on top of him, **KA-THOOOM!**

"Huff… huff… huff…" Zoro panted and stood in the middle of the street with sweat and blood dripping down his face. "Did it work?"

"**No." SLISH! **A large chunk of rubble split in half and Mr. 1rose to his feet in the middle of it. The purple bruise on his chest had grown and so had the dent Zoro had made. But Mr. 1's steel remained solid and uncut. "You can blast me backwards all you like. But with my body being as hard as it is you'll never be able to land a decisive blow. The only way for you to beat me is to cut steel. But as you've hopefully finally realized, that's impossible."

"You're really starting to piss me off," Zoro growled.

"The feeling's mutual," Mr. 1 replied. "Perhaps we'd be evenly matched if I were a pathetic swordsman but I'm not. My weapons are far nastier that mere swords. Take this one for example…" **SHINK! **Four round blades that ran from the bottom of his elbow to the top of his wrist grew out of his arms. "SPIRAL HOLLOW!" **VREEEEE! **The ground blades started spinning around his arms while his fist remained unmoving. Mr. 1's spinning bladed arms now resembled a pair of long drills.

"What are you?" Zoro asked, "an excavator?" The drills on Mr. 1's arm looked like the ones excavators used.

"An assassin actually," Mr. 1 corrected him. **FWASH! **Zoro charged forward and his three swords collided with the spinning drills on Mr. 1's forearms. Sparks flew off as the high speed steel drills scraped against the steel of Zoro's swords.

"_Sparks!"_ Zoro exclaimed as he looked up along the blade in his mouth and saw them coming off of their dueling blades. _"Just how fast are those blades spinning?" _**VRREEEEEE! KLANG! **Mr. 1 overpowered Zoro and threw his arms apart leaving the Straw Hat swordsman wide opened as Mr. 1 brought his arms back. _"OH NO!"_

"I could never be an excavator," Mr. 1 told him, "I make too much of a mess."

"Shit!" Zoro cursed.

**SHLUK! **Mr. 1 brought his arms together and the blades spinning around his arm drilled into the swordsman's opened chest. **SPLURT! **Blood squirted out as Zoro's shin was shredded and he was sent flying backwards.

**SKUSSSSHHH! **Zoro skidded backwards and dropped to one knee. The front of his shirt was stained red from his blood. Zoro looked up in time to see Mr. 1 come rushing at him for another attack.

**VREEEEEEE! SHU-SLUK! **Mr. 1 drove his drills into Zoro's already wounded chest and inflicted even more damage on the swordsman. Zoro's blood flew one way and he flew another.

"There's only one thing left for you after defeat," Mr. 1 stated. His drills retracted and he made blades out of his fingers, "Death! SPAR CLAW!" **SLISH! **Mr. 1 slashed his long arms at Zoro and raked his new blades across Zoro's chest spilling even more of the swordsman's blood.

Zoro's swords went flying and he smashed into the bottom of a column.** WHAM! **A red stain was left on the column as Zoro went crashing to the ground. **THUD!**

"…" Mr. 1 stared silently as Zoro laid face-down in a puddle of his own blood at the base of the column. The assassin casually licked some of Zoro's blood off of his hands then slowly approached his prone opponent.

"Uggghhhh…" Zoro groaned as he tilted his head to the side to keep from drowning in his own blood. 'Hawk Eye' Mihawk passed through his vision and that was enough to keep him from giving in to his extensive injuries.

"I'm surprised you're still alive," Mr. 1 admitted as he stood over Zoro.

"_I will not… show my back to him…" _Zoro vowed to himself as he forced his weary and wounded body up off of the ground. Scars on the back were a swordsman's shame. They showed cowardice and weakness.

"What are you going to fight with, your hands?" Mr. 1 asked as he watched Zoro slump back-first against the bottom of the column. Zoro's white shirt and green slash had been died red from all the blood.

"Uggh… Even if I tried to explain it to you…" Zoro groaned, "you wouldn't understand because you're not a swordsman."

"Hmph," Mr. 1 grunted, "Don't bother. I'm not that interested."

"Ugghh… uggghhh…" Zoro gasped.

Mr. 1 raised his arms and once again made his fingers into blades. "SPAR BREAK!" **SHRAK! **Mr. 1 swung his arms passed each other and slashed Zoro and the pillar he was leaning against with the blades on his fingers. **SPULT! SLISH! **Even more of Zoro's blood sprayed out while the base of the pillar he was leaning against was sliced into thin horizontal strips.

"UUGGGHHH!" Zoro groaned in pain as more wounds were added to his already large collection of injuries.

**KREK-KREK-KREK! **Due to the base of it being sliced to ribbons the rest of the pillar and the arch it was supporting started to crack. Mr. 1 turned away from his opponent and the cracking column and walked away.

"Die in peace," Mr. 1 called back to Zoro.

**KRASH! **The arch gave way and the column crumbled.

Zoro wearily stared up at the huge cylindrical segments of column that were falling towards him._ "I've had… bad luck… with stones today…" _the swordsman thought to himself. **THOOOOM! **

Mr. 1 walked away from another defeated opponent. The assassin idly cracked his neck and brushed his fingers against the large bruise Zoro had managed to make on his chest. That was a first, and for that Mr. 1 gave Zoro an ounce of his respect. But the swordsman couldn't cut steel and he couldn't cut him.

"_YOU GUYS GO ON AHEAD!" Luffy called out to them as they raced away on the moving crab while he stayed behind to faceCrocodile. "DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME! MAKE SURE YOU DELIVER VIVI HOME SAFE AND SOUND!"_

"_Everyone remember the plan … this is it!" Ricky called out to the rest of them as they raced towards Alubarna on the back of their spot-billed ducks. They were supposed to split up into three teams of two, lure two agents into the city after them, and defeat them. "See you when it's over!"_

As Mr. 1 continued walking away, Zoro stood amongst the rubble from the fallen arch and pillar. _"I wonder… if the rest of 'em… are okay…" _the swordsman thought to himself.

Mr. 1 sensed that something was up and spared a glance over his shoulder only to see Zoro standing in the middle of the rubble. The swordsman was soaked in blood and was _still _bleeding but he was standing and was standing in the one place where the chunks of stone hadn't fallen.

Mr. 1 stared at Zoro in shock, "That's impossible!" the assassin gasped. "I cut him so many times! Did he dodge all those falling stones?"

"_Is that what I did?" _Zoro asked himself. _"Dodge them? No. I was just able to… sense the place where no stones would fall." _Zoro glanced at the rubble around him. _"My swords…" _Zoro spotted a large chunk of stone nearby._ "One of them's underneath that stone. I feel it."_

Mr. 1 was still in shock as he watched Zoro struggle to move a large chunk of stone. Normally it would be no problem for the super strong swordsman but his current state had taken a major toll on his strength. "What is he doing?"the assassin wondered.

**BOOOM! **Zoro tipped the stone over to the side and picked up _Wado Ichimonji_.

"_I've experience this feeling before," _Zoro thought to himself as he held his sword out in front of him. He thought back to his duel with Mihawk where he'd been stabbed in the chest with his knife then slashed with the World's Greatest Swordsman's legendary black blade._"Everything goes quiet around me." _He thought of the following duel with Hachi. His wounds from Mihawk were acting up and the octopus fishman was showing no mercy. But he saw Mihawk's face in his mind and didn't allow himself to lose. _"So quiet… I can hear my heart beat so clearly. Is this… is this what it feels like when you're close to death?"_

Zoro thought back to seconds ago and how he'd managed to escape getting crushed. _"It was almost like… like those falling stones gave me a hint. As if they were living things. No. It wasn't a hint. It was much clearer than that. It was like… rhythm. Could it be? Trees have their own rhythm. So does soil. Is that what it is?"_

"_This is an important lesson for you to learn," Koshiro had told him. "There are swordsmen out there who are capable of cutting nothing…"_

"_Does cutting nothing mean hearing the rhythm around you?" _Zoro wondered. _"If so, is that how one can cut steel?"_

"What the hell did you do?" Mr. 1 demanded. "After a vicious attack like that! And all the blood you've lost! There's no way you can still be alive!"

Zoro took a couple of labored breaths and looked over at his opponent, he didn't hear the words the assassin was saying but he _did _hear something else. _"I hear it," _Zoro realized. _"His steel… it has a rhythm. Just like everything else around me."_

Zoro raised his sword and slashed at a leafy branch of a palm tree that was next to him. **SLISH! **Zoro sword slipped passed the leaves without making a single mark. Zoro hadn't wanted to cut the tree and he hadn't.

Zoro turned and looked over at a large chunk of stone next to him. **SLISH! **He sliced the stone with his sword and it split in half with one clean cut. Zoro wanted to cut the stone and he had.

"_The strongest swordsmen in the world are able to protect that which they wish to protect but also cut that which they wish to cut," Koshiro had explained._

"Hmmph, alright, fine," Mr. 1 resolved, "When I'm done you're gonna wish you stayed down."

"_Only one question remains,"_ Zoro decided. _"Do I really have the ability to cut steel?" _Zoro pointed his blade at Mr. 1. _"Well, there's only one way to find out."_

"You failed with three swords," Mr. 1 reminded him. "Can you defend yourself with only one?"

"I won't… defend," Zoro replied.

"So you're prepared…" Mr. 1 said, "TO DIE!" **SHHIINK! **Blades came out of the bottom of Mr. 1's feet and acted like a pair of ice skates as he rushed at Zoro and turned his fingers into blades. "ATOMIC SPURT!"

Zoro sheathed his sword and held it up in front of him, "One Sword Style… LION STRIKE!" Zoro drew his sword and lunged at his charging opponent.

**SLISH!**

Zoro stood behind Mr. 1 with his back to him. **KLIK! **Zoro sheathed his sword. **SPLURT! **Blood splashed out of a large wound on Mr. 1's chest.

"AAAHH!" Mr. 1 let out a strangled cry as he dropped to his knees.

"Thanks to you… I've finally reached the next level," Zoro addressed Mr. 1.

"_I don't know how…"_ Mr. 1 thought to himself as he knelt in the street with blood streaming out of his mouth and the wound on his chest. _"But he learned how to do it… just like he said he would."_

"Ugghhh…" Zoro groaned as he dropped to his knees but fought to remain conscious.

"Now that you've cut steel," Mr. 1 called out to Zoro, "What's next for you? Diamonds?"

"No," Zoro replied, "That'd be a waste."

"Hah hah," Mr. 1 let out a weak chuckle causing blood to fly out of his mouth. "Good luck." **FWUMP! **The assassin collapsed to the ground and finally lost consciousness.

Zoro removed his bandana and bowed his head.

The battle on the West Block main street had concluded.

**Winner: Zoro**

**-x-**

There it is, Zoro's battle with Mr. 1. The part where Zoro learns to cut steel is incredibly important to his character so I had to keep his new air blade technique from doing any real damage and kept the steel-cutting mostly the same.

Next chapter, the battles between the Straw Hats and the Officer Agents have concluded but the battle against Crocodile at the palace rages on until Koza arrives and the leaders meet.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	55. Chapter 55

**Another Nakama II:**

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or any of the characters. I just own Ricky and the other OC's I've written into this alteration of the story.

**A/N:** **Sorry about the lack of update last week. It was my first week back in school and I was attempting to get used to my new schedule for the semester. To make up for it, I've crammed two episodes into this chapter to make it one super-long action-filled update.**

**Also, someone asked me the other day how Ricky can run if the bottoms of his boots are made of steel. A person can't run like Ricky can if they're flat-footed so I decided to address the issue here in case anyone else was wondering (or are curious now that I've actually mentioned it). The bottoms of Ricky's boots are curved with the front portion bent upward. When he runs, Ricky rolls his foot forward onto his toes in the front part so he can push off properly. When he kicks, Ricky usually hits his opponent with the flat portion of the boot and that's the part where Usopp added the Sea Stone bars. It may sound uncomfortable to have your feet in bent metal-bottomed boots but Ricky's had years to get used to it.**

**This story is all about the details of One Piece so I figured it'd be a good idea to clarify the details about Ricky. Now that that's out of the way… ON WITH THE STORY!**

**Leaders Meet:**

**-Royal Palace-**

"MOVE IT! GET OUT OF THE WAY! STAND ASIDE!" someone shouted outside of the Royal Palace. Four people charged up the palace steps towards the double doors that still had Ms. All Sunday's sixteen arms coming out of them. "RAAAAH!" One of the men raised his sword and slashed the nearest arm.** SLISH!**

**-x-**

Passed the gate, inside the courtyard outside of the palace, Ms. All Sunday recoiled and held her arm in pain.

Ricky was still sitting shirtless at her feet with his arms bound behind him and his legs tied together with the chain from Vivi's Peacock Slashers. He had managed to maneuver himself so he was sitting with his legs out in front of him while his hands held him up from behind. He noticed when the woman standing over him flinched and looked over at the outer doors just as they flew opened. **WHAM!** Four men charged into the courtyard.

"LORD CHAKA! PLEASE WAIT!" one of the new arrivals shouted.

"Huh? Who're they?" Crocodile wondered.

"The Guardians…" Chaka said as he recognized the men.

"The Kicking Claw Clan!" Vivi exclaimed.

"The what?" Ricky dead-panned, he and Ms. All Sunday shared a confused look before turning back to the new arrivals.

The four men were wearing the uniform of the Royal Army as well as dark hooded capes with white decorative ears on the sides of their hoods. Each of them was armed with a different weapon and wore dark face paint.

The first man was a large muscular man with a pronounced chin that was coated in a short layer of stubble. His weapon was a huge sword that was as big as he was and looked like a huge butcher knife. A single dark line of face paint ran down from the brim of his hood, went between his eyebrows, down his nose and stopped at the end.

The second man was pale-skinned and hunchbacked and his eyes were hidden by his light brown hair. A dark line of face paint went down the middle of his nose and stopped at the end. He was wielding two large bladed spears, one in each hand.

The third man was tall and thin with a pointed chin. He had a line of dark face paint going down his nose, as well as around his eyes, and along his jaw. He was wielding a double-edged sword with a golden hilt.

The fourth man was bulky and kind of fat. He had a line of dark face paint going down his large nose and dark circles around his eyes as well as two thick lines under his eyes. His weapon was an ax with a dark blade and a shaft that had holes in it and made it look like a flute.

These four men were the elite Royal Guards known as the Kicking Claw Clan. They served under Chaka and were the Guardians of Alabasta.

"Don't attack men!" King Cobra pleaded with the four warriors. He still had nails going through his elbows effectively crucifying him against the front of the palace. "You'll only be throwing your lives away!"

"Hmph…" the thin guard with the sword grunted.

**-x-**

"THEY BROKE THE DOOR DOWN!" one of the Royal Army soldiers shouted from down in the square.

"A daring move," another soldier commented.

"PLEASE! SAVE HIS MAJESTY AND PRINCESS VIVI!" Knowing that the Kicking Claw Clan were the elite of their army and that the rest of them would only be a distraction if they went in after them, the rest of the Royal Army remained outside in the square.

**-x-**

"Your majesty," the large muscular man with the big butcher knife sword addressed the King. "Defending you to the death is not only our mission it is the highest honor and privilege. Therefore we can not simply avoid him."

"He is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea," the thin man with the double edged sword said. "The only way to beat him is to fight dirty."

"WE FOUR ARE AS ONE!" the four elite guards chorused.

"We fight for your honor," the fat guard with the ax announced.

"And to set things right," the hunchbacked one with the two spears added.

"It seems that you have quite the reputation," Crocodile commented. "Therefore, I will spare your lives. Leave now and go home."

"We can't do that," the ax-wielder replied as the four of them readied their weapons.

"There is another reason we will not withdraw," the hunchback admitted.

"Reason?" Crocodile repeated.

"If the rumors are true," the thin one said to Crocodile as vain popped out of his cheek, "and you really are the ringleader, the architect of this whole rebellion… GRRRAAAH!" The warrior trailed off when he let out a loud roar and clenched his fists. His arms bulged but also showed a line of dark purple bruises running down them from shoulder to wrist.

"Those bruises…" Chaka gasped. The other three clenched their weapons and their arms bulged and showed the same line of dark bruises on their arms. "What have you men done?"

"Uggghhh…" the fat ax-wielder groaned in pain.

"Shall I?" Ms. All Sunday offered as she took a step forward.

"You needn't waste your time on these cretins," Crocodile told her.

"They didn't…" Cobra whispered as he stared at the bruises in horror. The four warriors were growing more muscular but all of them appeared to be in an incredible amount of pain.

"Chaka what's happening to their bodies?" Vivi asked in alarm.

"I fear… to temporarily increase their power… they dark the legendary Hero Water," Chaka explained. "It grants incredible superhuman strength… but then… kills the host."

"OH NO!" Vivi exclaimed.

"Dead men walking," Ricky muttered.

"At least they won't die thirsty," Nico Robin commented out loud. "Hopefully the water that's killing them tasted good."

Ricky's eye narrowed as he craned his neck to look up at the woman, "You're kind of morbid aren't you?" he asked. She simply shrugged in response.

"Kuahahaha!" Crocodile chuckled as he stared at the doomed warriors. "You bulked up to challenge me? I'm flattered. But what good is victory is you're not around to enjoy it?"

"Chaka please…" the muscular man with the butcher knife sword called out. He was even more muscular than before but now had veins bulging all over his body. "Forgive us for doing this without consulting you… but we had to take drastic measures to end this country's suffering." They'd all seen the damage that Crocodile's manipulations had done to their country and were all desperate enough to drink a fatal elixir if it meant ridding themselves of the menace.

"Those idiots…" Chaka growled in a low whisper, "How could they?"

"WE HAVE TO MAKE HIM REALIZE…" the ax-wielder shouted, "THE FURY OF THIS COUNTRY!"

"RRAAAAAHHH!" the four warriors charged Crocodile and slashed him with their respective weapons. **SWOOSSSHH! **Crocodile became a cloud of sand and floated away from the warriors then reappeared casually sitting on the top of the palace.

"Kuahahaha," Crocodile laughed. "That wasn't the smartest decision. A person should value is life above all else. But it's too late for regrets, yes? KUAHAHAHAHA! And if you're all going to die anyway I don't have to bother killing you myself, right?"

"You don't even have the decency to fight?" Chaka snarled. The men were willing to die to face Crocodile but the bastard had just floated away so they'd die from the Hero Water without him having to get his hand dirty.

"You sound surprised," Ricky remarked. "It sounds just like something a dirt-bag like him would do. You four! If you value your lives announce your names!"

"What good would that do?" Nico Robin asked, genuinely curious.

"Nameless lackeys, no matter what side they're on, die with little trouble," Ricky answered. "But once a character is named it's near impossible to kill them unless they die in a martyr fashion."

"What?" Nico Robin questioned. She hadn't understood a word of that. And she could understand dead languages.

"OI! Call out your names!" Ricky insisted.

The four guardians stared at each other and then at the bound pirate in confusion.

"Just do what he says!" Vivi called out. "It might not make any sense but I trust him!"

"Very well," said the thin man with the double-edged sword. "I am Arrow."

"And I am Brahm," the hunchbacked one with the spears added, "We're not afraid to die to protect our country."

"I am Barrel," the fat man with the ax announced, "Crocodile, your scheme ends here!"

And I am Hyota," the large muscular one with the butcher knife sword concluded, "We won't let you harm our country and further!"

The four shouted as one, "TOGETHER WE ARE THE GUARDIANS OF ALABASTA! WE ARE THE KICKING CLAW CLAN!"

The guards were shaking and the bruises lining their arms were getting darker. But they didn't fall. In their simple reintroduction they had been motivated to keep fighting against the Hero Water that was slowly killing them.

"Worthless," Crocodile muttered as stared down at the guardians.

"What did that accomplish?" Ms. All Sunday asked.

"Now that they're named they're official minor characters," Ricky stated. "Even minor characters are difficult to kill off in an anime. If they hadn't said their names they'd be dead already. But now they've established themselves and motivated themselves enough to fight against the water."

Nico Robin blinked. She hadn't understood the first half of Ricky's explanation but the second made some sense. "So… mind over matter?" she questioned. "With just a few words you worked them up enough to fight against that water that would have otherwise killed them already."

"That's about right," Ricky agreed as he dropped onto his back. "Sorry about this…"

"About what?" Ms. All Sunday inquired as she stared down at him.

**Whip! **Ricky in a split-second used his bound hands to push himself off the ground as he swung his bound legs around and swept Ms. All Sunday's legs out from under her. **THWAK! THUD!** Ms. All Sunday fell to the ground while Ricky pushed off of the ground with his hands and launched himself up into the air. **TMP! **Ricky landed and managed to maneuver his legs so he landed with one boot on Ms. All Sunday's stomach. "That," Ricky answered. The Sea Stone bar on his boot rendered her helpless as he turned to Chaka and let out a whistle. **TWEEEEEEEE!**

"Hey Captain," Ricky called out, "Gimme a hand here?"

Chaka didn't have to be a genius to remember that Ricky had managed to land several hits on Crocodile and that his assistance would be undoubtedly helpful. **SWISH! **Black fur grew out of his body as he rushed at Ricky at an impressive speed. **SLASH!** He drew his sword and slashed the wire binding Ricky. **TINK-TINK-TINK!** The severed wire from Vivi's Peacock Slashers dropped to the ground.

"Thanks for WHOA!" Ricky turned to face Chaka and saw a man-beast standing behind him. He stood on two legs and still wore his tunic and cape but every bit of his exposed skin was covered in short black fur. His nose had grown into a snout with a wet dog nose on the end. And his ears were long and pointed and stood up above his head. Chaka, like Pell, was a Zoan Type Devil Fruit User.

"I ate the Dog Dog Fruit Model: Jackel," Chaka said to explain his human-jackal hybrid form.

"Interesting," Nico Robin commented from down on the ground as she glanced over at the enormous statue of a jackal that stood beside the door. On the other side was an equally large statue of a falcon. "The other one had Falcon Zoan Devil Fruit Powers. What are the odds that this Kingdom somehow managed to get those exact Devil Fruit?"

"Devil Fruit are weird like that," Ricky replied.

**SKISH! **A split-second later, Ricky and Chaka were both standing in front of the groaning Kicking Claw Clan. All six of them glared up at the Warlord on the roof.

"You guys hanging in there?" Ricky asked the four warriors behind him without taking his eye off of Crocodile.

"We won't give in to the Hero Water until we've made him pay!" Hyota vowed.

"You guys stay down here," Ricky instructed, "Me and the puppy'll bring him down."

"Puppy?" Chaka repeated.

"Hey, why're you in charge?" Barrel questioned.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I hadn't realized that any of you had experience dealing with Seven Warlords," Ricky sarcastically apologized. "I, however, have been dealing with those guys all my life and have met four of the current seven. But if any of you can top that, I'll happily defer to your judgment in this situation."

"_Four_?" Chaka repeated while the Kicking Claw Clan goggled in shock.

Ricky flashed him a sly grin, "Did you think I was just a simple pirate?" he teased.

"Just who are you?" asked Nico Robin, vocalizing the thoughts of everyone else. She'd gotten back up while no one was watching her.

"'One Eye' Ricky Treasure Hunter Extraordinaire," Ricky reintroduced himself. "Now, if we're all on the same page, let's take that dirt-bag down."

"Yes sir!" Chaka and the four guardians chorused. Ricky now found himself in command of the Acting Captain of the Guard and his Jackal Zoan Powers as well as his four elite warriors that were powered up by the Hero Water.

**-West Block-**

"Uggghhh…" Zoro groaned to himself as he laid on the ground near the remains of his battle with Mr. 1. The defeated assassin was unconscious but Zoro hadn't let himself pass out despite all the blood he'd lost during the fight.

"Damn it," Zoro cursed to himself as he managed to sit up. "Lost too much blood… Guess I should be thankful the cuts aren't that deep… But it does… hurt like… hell… uggghhh…" With that last groan Zoro fell to the ground again.

"I wonder how the others are doing," the swordsman asked out loud. "I wanna know what's going on… those idiots had better not be dead…"

"_I CALL RICKY!" Nami, Usopp, and Chopper had all shouted before they launched themselves at Ricky and glomped him._

"_You will look after her right?" Ricky had asked Zoro once he'd sorted out the pairs. "This is gonna be dangerous. Don't let her get killed."_

"_I'll look after her," Zoro had agreed._

"_Thank you," Ricky replied with a genuine look of gratitude._

"Did Nami get away?" Zoro wondered.

**-x-**

"Huff," Nami sighed when she finally removed the wind-up birds and the wires from the unconscious form of Ms. Double Finger, "They finally came off. Calling it a powerful one-shot attack is a bit of an understatement."

Nami looked out of the alley she was standing in and saw the rebels and royal soldiers fighting out on the main streets.

"The fighting's come far," Nami commented. "They're just around the corner. I guess the situation's changed. Anyway, I'd better get to the palace." Ignoring the pain in her foot, Nami ran off.

**-South-East Block-**

"Usopp… are you crying?" Sanji asked as he carried the heavily bandaged sniper through the street. Mana was running along beside him and Ayako was riding Chopper behind them.

"Who's crying?" Usopp questioned as he fought to wipe away his tears. "I'm not crying, _you're _crying! Whoever smelt it dealt it, ya dealter!"

"What's the matter Usopp?" Ayako inquired.

"That old hag… she said… she said that Luffy was dead!" Usopp cried.

"Luffy can't be dead, can he?" Chopper questioned sounding uncertain.

"Kyahaha," Mana laughed, "You guys don't actually believe that do you?"

"Of course not!" Usopp quickly protested. "Luffy's alive! What do you think we are? Stupid?"

"THAT'S RIGHT!" Chopper exclaimed. "I DON'T BELIEVE IT EITHER! LUFFY IS ALIVE!"

"If anything, our idiot Captain probably got lost or stopped to eat," Sanji reasoned.

"That does sound like something he'd do," Mana agreed.

"Let's hurry onto the palace," Sanji decided. "Ricky has his Vivre Card. He'll be able to show us that Luffy's perfectly fine."

"Do you think the others are too?" Ayako chimed in.

"I hope so," Sanji replied as he thought of the last time they'd spoken to Nami, Vivi, and the other two.

**-Flashback -**

"Thank you… everyone…" Vivi had said to them as they were putting on their white cloaks.

"You're welcome," Zoro replied, "But it's too early to thank us."

"He's right," Nami agreed. "Besides, if ya really wanna thank _pirates_ ya have to let us see some goods."

"Nami!" Usopp complained, "What is it you're trying to leach out of this country anyway?"

"After everything we've been through together you're still going to charge her?" Ricky asked. "Vivi's our friend, and we help our friends free of charge."

"Obviously," Nami retorted. "But you've got all that money that you got from Crocodile's casino stashed away somewhere. I figure there's enough there for us to leave with _something_. I know you like giving away almost all the money you get from our enemies but you do have a crew of pirates to support Mr. Financial Manager."

"Oi, lovebirds!" Zoro interrupted causing Ricky and Nami to flush and look away from each other, "Argue over money when we've won. We've got a job to finish first."

"There's one thing you've gotta remember," Sanji told Vivi. "After a battle these guys put down a ton of food."

"Okay," Vivi agreed with a fond smile. The Straw Hat's mounted their ducks and raced off.

"Everyone remember the plan," Ricky instructed the others.

"Don't screw this up!" Zoro added.

"SEE YA AT THE PALACE!" Sanji called back to the Princess.

**-End Flashback-**

The Straw Hats had all finished their battles and were now heading for the palace. Or at least… _most of them_ were.

"Oh," Nami said when she spotted Zoro lying on the ground in the middle of a street. "There you are. This is no time to be resting, we've gotta get to the palace."

"Uggghh… whose resting?" Zoro groaned as he attempted to get up.

**-Royal Palace-**

**SKISH!** Ricky and Chaka in his human-jackal hybrid form raced up the front walls of the palace towards Crocodile.

"Flying… ARROW KICK!" Ricky flew feet-first towards Crocodile but the Warlord dodged to the side and the pirate flew passed him.

"HOWLING FANG!" **SLISH!** Jackal-Chaka drew his sword and slashed through him at an impressive speed but Crocodile's body turned to sand and all Chaka's attack did was take a chunk of sand out of the Warlord's chest.

"Pointless," Crocodile muttered as he turned around to face his opponents while the hole in his body filled itself with sand.

"JAVELIN KICK!" As soon as Crocodile turned to face them Ricky drove the bottom of his boot into his chin. **CHUNK! **Crocodile was knocked backwards off of the roof of the palace and fell down towards the Kicking Claw Clan. "He's all yours guys!"

"RAAAAAAH!" the four guardians roared and slashed Crocodile with their respective weapons. **SWOOSH! **Crocodile was reduced to a pile of sand. **SHHWWOOO! **But the sand swirled around and Crocodile reformed and stood with a bored expression in the middle of the four warriors.

"Damn," Ricky cursed, "He doesn't even have to be conscious for his Logia powers to kick in. He turns to sand on pure instinct."

"What now?" Chaka asked.

"I'll give them an opening to use that enhanced strength of theirs," Ricky told him. **SKISH! **Ricky jumped off of the roof and drew his sword. "Red Storm… AVALANCHE!" **SWISH! **Ricky slashed his red blade downward and a red air blade off of it and cleaved Crocodile in half.

**TMP! **Ricky landed on the ground in the middle of the Kicking Claw Clan. **SHUNK! Klak! **Ricky's sword dropped to the ground when Crocodile's golden hook sank into his right side.

"RICKY! NOOOO!" Vivi screamed as blood poured out from where Crocodile's hook was embedded in Ricky's side.

"You're starting to repeat yourself," Crocodile taunted Ricky as he reformed in front of him. "You just made your last mistake One Eye. Now I've got you."

"No," Ricky replied. "_I've _got _you_." **WHAP! **Ricky reached down and grabbed onto Crocodile's arm which was soaked in Ricky's blood. Ricky kept Crocodile's hook embedded in his side so he could keep his hold on the wet sand then dropped down onto his back. **THUMP!** Crocodile was forced to bend over as his arm was wrenched downward when Ricky simultaneously raised his feet and pressed the Sea Stone bottoms of his boots into Crocodile's chest. "It's called taking one for the team. GET HIM NOW!" With Ricky's boots planted on Crocodile's chest the Warlord was left wide-opened and vulnerable to the next attack.

"RAAAAAHH!" the Kicking Claw Clan charged Crocodile with their weapons poise to attack. The purple bruises on their arms were almost black and their bulging and pulsating muscles had become huge and veiny and actually looked kind of gross.

"Diez Fleur… Branch!" A chain of ten arms grew out of the ground and swung around Ricky and Crocodile. **WHAP-WHAP-WHAP-WHAP! **The four warriors were knocked off course and their attacks missed. **WHAP!** The chain kept going and slammed into Crocodile and knocked him off of Ricky and onto his back.

Ricky and Crocodile looked over at Ms. All Sunday. The former looked annoyed while the latter looked relieved.

"I told you already," Ms. All Sunday stated. "I need him so I can't allow you to kill him."

"THEN WE'LL FINISH YOU!" Arrow snarled as he and the other three guardians charged at Ms. All Sunday.

"Veinticuatro Fleur!" Twenty four arms sprouted out of the four members of the Kicking Claw Clan. "CLUTCH!" **KRA-KRA-KRA-KRACK! **As with Pell, the six arms on each warrior wrench backwards and broke their backs. **THA-THUMP! **The four warriors fell to the ground. Severely injured from their broken backs and with no way to stand up they finally succumbed to the Hero Water and died there on the ground.

"Sh-she killed them!" Vivi stammered in shock.

"I _am _an assassin," Ms. All Sunday pointed out. "But in this case, they attacked me and I defended myself. They might not have died from their injuries if they hadn't been foolish enough to drink fatal water for a brief boost in strength."

"YOU WITCH!" Chaka howled as he launched himself at Ms. All Sunday with his sword drawn.

"Seis Fleur!" **WHAP!** Two arms sprouted out of the ground and rooted Chaka in place while another four arms came out of Chaka's back and wrenched his arms behind him. **KLAK!** Chaka's sword dropped to the ground as the human-jackal hybrid was left immobilized.

**SLISH!** Crocodile blew in and slashed Chaka across the chest with his hook. The arms disappeared in a small cloud of petals. Chaka spat up blood and dropped to the ground unconscious. **FWUMP!**

"CHAAAAKAAAA!" Vivi cried out in horror. She dropped to her knees as tears ran down her face at the sight of seeing the Acting Captain struck down.

"KUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Crocodile laughed cruelly as he turned to face Ricky who had pushed himself up onto his knees and was holding a hand over his bleeding side. "Good help is so hard to find, isn't it, One Eye?"

"**What… what am I seeing?" **came a new voice. Everyone turned to see Koza who was staring at the scene in front of him in shock. The King was crucified on the front of the palace, the Acting Captain of the Royal Guard was bloody and unconscious, the elite warriors from the Kicking Claw Clan were all dead, the Princess had returned but was on her knees crying, and a strange red haired man was bleeding and on his knees with a sword on the ground next to him while Crocodile stood over him, accompanied by a mysterious woman, and was displaying a clearly bloody hook.

The clock tower that loomed over the square outside the palace read 4:05. There was twenty-five minutes left until Crocodile's bomb exploded and wiped out everyone in the area. Currently, the leaders of the two armies had finally met… but they were all now at the mercy of Sir Crocodile.

**-x-**

**White Flag:**

**-x-**

"Koza…" Vivi gasped as her as attention as well as that of anyone else who was conscious was drawn to the leader of the Rebel Army in surprise.

"It's you!" King Cobra realized. "I see you came through the shortcut you used to use."

"This can't be…" Koza said, "What am I seeing here?"

"Oh, so that's Koza," Ricky noted, "Bad timing."

"I came in hope of persuading the Royal Army…" Koza stated. But the Acting Captain of the Royal Army was bleeding and unconscious. _"Chaka…"_ Koza's eyes drifted back over to King Cobra, "And the King… I can't believe my eyes!"

"Kuahahahahahaha!" Crocodile laughed. "Now things are starting to get interesting. Here we are in the midst of an epic war and yet the leaders of both sides aren't on the battlefield. Fate has…"

"No!" Ricky interrupted with a growl. He picked up his sword and got back up to his feet and glared at the Warlord. "Fate had nothing to do with this! _You _caused it!"

"What… WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Koza demanded as he pointed accusingly… at Ricky. Ricky, Crocodile, Robin, and Vivi's eyes all widened in astonishment at Koza's surprising and inaccurate declaration.

In Koza's defense, the strange man had an eye patch and a red cutlass and looked like a pirate. Chaka and the Kicking Claw Clan were all down or dead while Crocodile, a Warlord known for defending the country from pirates, was standing in between the pirate and the King. Chaka's wound looked as if he'd been slashed... although the wounds weren't visible so it was hard to tell with _what_. The pirate had a wound that looked as if it had been made by a hook and Crocodile's hook was bloody.

"Wow…" Ricky commented. "You put your keen and penetrating mind to the task and came to the wrong conclusion." Ricky looked over at Crocodile. "I'm not gonna take credit for that line but do you wanna take credit for your evil scheme?"

"Credit?" Koza repeated.

"Koza, he's my friend!" Vivi corrected him. "He and his crew brought me home and are helping me save the Kingdom from _him_." Vivi motioned to Crocodile. "_He_ did that to my father, _he _attacked Chaka, and _he's _the reason this country is at war."

"What?" Koza gasped.

"You seem confused," Ms. All Sunday observed. "Let me help you. Relax and open your mind. Then imagine being faced with the worst possible scenario."

"_Koza… purge your mind of all suspicion," Toto had once told him._

Koza heeded the woman's advice and his eyes went wide in horror. He looked over at the King.

"_Do you love this country?" the same man asked all those years ago._

"_This is my home," Koza had replied._

"_Mine as well," the King had said._

Right now, the King was being crucified and didn't look guilty of doing anything. And even if he wasn't in his current situation, why would the King do something so terrible to his home and the country he loved? And if what Vivi had just said was true…

"Koza, listen…" Vivi urged him as she came closer.

"Vivi… who is responsible for the drought ravaging this country?" Koza asked.

Vivi looked over at Crocodile who grinned.

"That honor belongs to me," Crocodile admitted. "Over the past two years each and every malicious deed you attributed to the King's doing was in fact perpetrated by my company, a trap that saw you playing right into our hands. It was a flawless systematic plot of deception. I must say, it was entertaining watching as the Royal Family and its mighty army desperately chased out shadow. Kuahahahaha! Pity. You probably would have died in ignorant bliss not knowing these brutal facts. Kuahahahahahaha!"

"KOZA! LISTEN!" Cobra shouted. "There's still some time if you have the courage. You must act now, save as my citizens as you can."

"Ugghh…" a groan came from Crocodile's feet and everyone saw that Chaka was awake, "In less than half an hour the whole palace square will be blown to Kingdom Come!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" Koza demanded.

"So… you're still alive are you?" Crocodile asked the wounded man at his feet before raising his hook to finish the man off.

"HUUUURRRYYYYYY!" Chaka screamed as Crocodile brought his hook down.

**KLANG!** Ricky lunged forward and intercepted Crocodile's hook with his sword. "There's a bomb set to go off somewhere in the square," Ricky stated. "I'll hold him off so you two can deal with it."

Koza turned and ran towards the fallen doors hoping to reach the Royal Army out in the square and warn them about the bomb before his Rebel Army got there and the fighting started.

"So impulsive," Ricky grumbled. "Vivi, go after him and stop him before he does something stupid, I'll handle things back here."

Vivi chased after Koza and managed to catch up with him and tackle him to the ground. **WHUMP!** "STOP!" Vivi shouted at him.

"VIVI!" Cobra called after his daughter.

"Get offa me!" Koza snapped as he managed to roll over and now had Vivi on top of him. "What're ya doing? There's no time! The battle's about to spill into the square! If it's really set to blow up… GET OFF!"

"You have to listen to me!" Vivi ordered him. "Think this through! Please! What will happen if you tell the armies the square is set to explode? The men will panic. It would only add more chaos to the battle. And even if you stopped the bomb it won't stop the fighting. Either way, PEOPLE ARE STILL GOING TO DIE! YOU WON'T SAVE ANYONE! Understand?"

If Koza had made it to the square and told everyone about the bomb it would've caused chaos. Since they didn't know where the bomb was everyone was still likely to get blown up.

"Kuahaha," Crocodile chuckled, "What a perceptive girl."

"Our only hope is to do what should have been done at the start!" Vivi continued. "We have to stop the rebellion and end this bloodshed! And you… you're the only one who can do it!"

Koza reached up and took hold of Vivi's hand and moved it off of his chest so he could sit up. The Princess' words had done enough to calm him down. "Vivi…"

**SHHWWOOOO!** Crocodile disintegrated into a cloud of sand and blew past Ricky after Vivi. Ricky turned to chase after him but two arms sprouted out of the ground and caught him by the ankles.** FWUMP!**

"Hey, stop getting in my way!" Ricky complained.

"I was going to say something similar to you," Ms. All Sunday replied. "I'm not going to let you ruin everything. You'll have to knock me out to keep me from interfering but you can't bring yourself to hurt a woman… can you?"

"…" Ricky silently glared at her. She was using the information she'd gotten from Ms. Goldenweek against him. He reluctantly rubbed his sword in the drying blood on his side to satiate the blood sacrifice and returned it to its sheath.

"I, on the other hand, have no such problem," Ms. All Sunday continued. "You may be interesting but if you continue to jeopardize our plans I'll be forced to eliminate you."

Crocodile's head and arms appeared out of the cloud of sand as it bore down on Vivi and Koza. "Did you really think I was going to sit back and watch passively as you tried to ruin my plans?" He lashed out at Vivi with his hook looking to stop her interference once and for all.

Koza fumbled for his sword but wasn't fast enough. **KLANG!** Chaka appeared, still in his human-jackal hybrid form, and intercepted Crocodile's hook with his sword.

"CHAKA!" Vivi exclaimed.

"I am… Alabasta's Guardian deity," Chaka growled as he struggled against Crocodile despite his wounds, "Destroyer of all who threaten the Royal Family! I am… THE JACKAL!" The huge jackal statue still loomed overhead. "I'll fight as long as there is breath left in my body!"

"Some call that brave, I call it stupid," Crocodile replied.

"Do what you must, both of you!" Chaka called back to Vivi and Koza. "I will hold him back for a few more minutes!"

"_Chaka…" Koza thought to himself._

**-Koza and Chaka Flashback-**

"Such a shame that the leader of the Sand Sand Band is so weak," Chaka teased Koza as they stood out in the same courtyard many years ago. Chaka was currently training Koza in swordsmanship and both of them were currently wielding bamboo bokken. King Cobra and Princess Vivi were watching from off to the side. "Boy? What's the matter?"

"GRAAH!" Koza shouted as he charged Chaka and swung his bokken at him. **SWISH!** The Royal Soldier easily side-stepped the amateurish attack and brought his own bokken down on Koza's head. **WHAK!**

"Ahhh…" Koza groaned as he held the red lump on the top of his head. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? I'M A CHILD! YOU CAN'T TREAT ME LIKE THIS!"

"You're a pain in the neck, kid," Chaka commented. "Koza, you asked me to train you. Or have you forgotten that already?"

**-End Flashback-**

Koza cast one last glance at the man who had trained him as he struggled to hold Crocodile at bay then he and Vivi ran off to save the people in the square.

**-South Block-**

"Report from Guard Unit Two to Headquarters!" one of the royal soldiers manning the streets called into a Transponder Snail. "Report from Unit Two to Headquarters! Line Four has been breached! The enemy has broken through! The Rebel Army is currently passing through the Central Plaza and is heading for the North Block! They _will_ reach the palace!"

**-Palace Square-**

Vivi stood on top of the outer palace wall above the broken doors and shouted down to the Royal Army that was gathered in the square.

"RAISE THE FLAG TO SURRENDER!" she ordered. "ROYAL ARMY, YOU WILL SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY!"

"Princess Vivi… is she serious?" one of the soldiers wondered.

"But why?" another soldier asked.

"That's absurd!" a third soldier snapped. "If we do as she says then that would mean the end of this country!"

Their attention was drawn to the doors as Koza walked out and stood at the top of the stairs.

"Hey look! That's… IT'S KOZA! What is the Rebel Army's Leader doing here in the palace?"

"HEAR ME, THE PRINCESS SPEAKS THE TRUTH!" Koza addressed the soldiers. "WE NO LONGER DESIRE VICTORY ONLY TO END THIS CONFLICT! BOTH SIDES HAVE SPILLED ENOUGH BLOOD!" The royal soldiers stared up at Koza in surprise as he continued. "I WILL MAKE EACH AND EVERY REBEL UNDERSTAND THE POINTLESSNESS OF THIS CIVIL WAR! THEY WILL SEE AS I DO THAT WE NO LONGER HAVE REASON TO FIGHT! IN THE INTEREST OF RESTORING PEACE AND PRESERVING LIFE, I ASK YOU: WAVE THE WHITE FLAG! PLEASE!"

**-Outside the North Block Square-**

The remaining soldiers of the Rebel Army charged up the street towards the palace square and prepared to meet the Royal Army for the final battle of the war.

"THE KING'S HEAD WILL ROLL THIS DAY!" one rebel shouted.

"I CAN SEE THE CLOCKTOWER UP AHEAD!" another rebel called out.

"WE'RE APPROACHING THE PALACE SQUARE!"

"PREPARE TO ATTAAACK!"

The rebels reached the end of the street and were met by a sea of white in the square.

"WAIT! STOP!" one of the rebels commanded, bringing the others to a halt.

The Royal Army was filling the square and they were all flying the white flag. Koza stood in front of them holding up a white flag of his own.

"White flags?" a rebel questioned. "The Royal Army is waving white flags! WE DID IT! THEY SURRENDER!"

"It's Koza," another rebel realized.

"What's going on?" a third rebel wondered. "What's Koza doing here?"

"THE BATTLE IS OVER!" Koza called out to the rebels. "EVERYONE, QUIET YOUR ANGER AND LOWER YOUR WEAPONS! THE ROYAL ARMY WILL STAND DOWN! LET NO MORE BLOOD STAIN THE STREETS!"

"_Please listen to him,"_ Vivi thought to herself as she stood up on the palace wall overlooking the two armies and the white flags. At long last it looked as if her hard work and suffering was paying off. The war was going to end.

More rebels joined the rebels that were already crowding the streets. They all stared at the Royal Army and their white flags of surrender.

"Is this the truth, Koza?" one of Koza's rebel leaders asked.

"Yes," Koza answered. "The battle's finally over."

**BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!**

Bullets rattled Koza's body and blood poured out of the already wounded rebel leader.

Two royal soldiers with the Baroque Works symbol tattooed on their arms smirked as they watched Koza fall to the ground. His red blood stained the white flag.

"KOOOOOOOZAAAAAAAAAA!" Vivi screamed.

**-x-**

**Vivi's Voice Goes Unheard:**

**-x-**

Everyone stared in shock at the fallen form of Koza and the white flag that was on top of him.

"KOOOZAAAA!" Vivi screamed from up on the wall above the palace door as she watched her childhood friend fall.

"_You just wait until it's finished," the boy had told her years ago before he and Toto set out to create Yuba. "This town will bring good fortune and joy to so many people! It's gonna be the best town ever! When it's up and running I'll purposely give you the Grand Tour."_

The rebels stared in horror at their fallen leader but were too far away to hear him whisper with the little strength he had remaining, "Don't… fight… Rebel Army… Don't… fight… them…"

"HOW COULD THEY SHOOT KOZA?" a rebel demanded.

"GET THEM!" another shouted.

From her vantage point up above the square Vivi spotted a pair of royal soldiers each holding a smoking rifle. Tattooed on their arm was the mark of Baroque Works. _"AAH! IT'S BAROQUE WORKS!" _Vivi realized. Once again Crocodile had used men that had infiltrated the Royal Army to keep her from restoring peace.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" a royal soldier snapped at the imposter soldier. "WHY DID YOU SHOOT?"

"Uhh…" said the Baroque Works Agent. He didn't even bother coming up with a lie of an excuse to cover his actions.

"Listen to me now Rebel Army…" Koza whispered, his voice was soft and weak and unable to reach his men. "Do… not fight…"

**SSSSHHHWWWWOOOOOOOO! **A cloud of dust and sand suddenly rose up and began swirling around the square. Everyone's vision was obscured by the cloud.

"WHERE DID THIS SANDSTORM COME FROM?" a royal soldier exclaimed.

"Listen Rebel Army…" Koza once again tried in vain to call out to his troops. But now not only could they not hear his voice but they couldn't see him either.

**BANG!** A gun fired through the sand cloud and one of the rebels fell to the ground.

"THEY'RE SHOOTING AT US!" a nearby rebel growled. "HOW DARE THEY? GRRRRR!"

Up above the square Vivi could only watch in horror as Crocodile's manipulations once again undermined all of her hard work.

"Where did all of this sand come from so suddenly?" a royal soldiers wondered. "We can't see anything!" **BANG! **A gun went off and the soldier fell to the ground. The soldiers around him stared down at him in surprise but when they looked up to find the culprit the sand kept them from seeing where the shot had originated from.

"DAMN IT!" a soldier cursed. "BASTARDS!"

**BANG! BANG!** A guns continued to fire through the sand cloud and members of both armies fell.

"DON'T SHOOT CARELESSLY!" one of the rebels shouted towards one of their own gunmen.

"Hah, they still don't know what's happening," a man wearing a cowboy hat with 'Baroque' written on the front chuckled to himself. "What's going on you idiots is that Baroque Works Agents are posing as soldiers on both your armies!" The agent pointed his handgun through the sand cloud and fired into the tightly packed cluster of royal soldiers. **BANG!** Their being caught off guard and close proximity meant that the agent didn't even have to see or aim properly to shoot someone down.

Everyone was pray to the Baroque Works imposters. Right now the only one safe was Koza but that was because he was already on the ground bleeding after being shot four times.

"STOP! NO!" Vivi shouted in a panic.

"Come on, just hang in there," one of the rebels urged his fallen comrade. He looked up at the rebels gathered around him. "They aren't surrendering. They ambushed us by raising a phony white flag! So this is how the Royal Army plans to win… by using dirty tricks like that!"

High overhead, the clock on the clock tower read 4:13 and Vivi could only watch in horror as the Rebel Army attacked the Royal Army and fighting broke out down below her in the square.

"NO! STOP IT!" Vivi yelled. "DON'T DO THIS!" But Vivi's voice was already far away from her position up above everyone. Now that the fighting had officially broke out her voice was completely drowned out by the loud sounds of combat. "PLEASE STOP FIGHTING! SOLDIERS! LOOK UP HERE!"

"Stop… Rebel… Army…" Koza wheezed from down on the ground. The rebels were barely able to avoid trampling their fallen leader let along hear his weak voice over the sounds of combat. "Stop this… This battle is…"

**BANG!** Another soldier dropped to the ground. Up until now the Royal Army had been fighting mostly defensively from the attacking rebels. But after seeing another one of his comrades struck down a soldier called out to the men around him, "LAUNCH COUNTER ATTACK!"

**BOOOM!** A cannonball was blasted into the crowd of rebels and the Royal Army charged and began attacking the rebels in earnest.

And although Vivi screamed and pleaded with both armies at the top of her lungs her voice went unheard over the sounds of fighting.

"Stop it…" Vivi whimpered as she stared down into the sand cloud. She couldn't see very well from her position on top of the wall but she could easily hear her people killing each other. "STOP FIGHTING! Please don't fight… Stop now…"

"Vivi!" Ricky called out in alarm. **SKISH! **He lunged out of the way and managed to avoid four sprouted hands from Ms. All Sunday.

"You fought long and hard, Princess, and did well," Ms. All Sunday addressed the Princess while still keeping Ricky on a desperate defensive due to her arms being able to sprout from _anywhere_. "But now… give up. Your voice will no longer reach them."

**SWISH!** Ricky jumped up into the air to avoid another cluster of arms that tried to grab him and anchor him down. "You'd just stand by and watch this happen?" Ricky growled at her.

"Even if I wanted to, there's nothing I can do to stop it at this point," Nico Robin pointed out. "And if you knew what the World Government would do to keep the information on that Poneglyph hidden you'd realize that what's happening her pales in comparison. Now hold still. You're only delaying the inevitable."

**WHUP! **Two arms sprouted out of Ricky's legs and grabbed hands to lock them together. **WHAP!** But Ricky wrenched his legs apart and broke the grip Ms. All Sunday's two arms had on him.

"You may be able to sprout arms wherever you want, but they're only as strong as you are," Ricky realized. "And unfortunately for you, I'm stronger than you." **SKISH! **Ricky stared at Ms. All Sunday and then managed to avoid another cluster of hands. "It's times like this that I _really_ wish I had two eyes again because that'd make this a whole lot easier."

**SKISH!** Ricky jumped to the side to avoid another bunch of arms.

"How do you keep avoiding my arms?" Ms. All Sunday wondered. He was strong enough to overpower the arms she made on his body but he always seemed to be one step ahead of her and jumped away before her new appendages she sprouted on the ground before they even had a chance to fully form.

"Hmm," Ricky said with a sly grin adorning his face. _"She doesn't know that she's giving herself away. By focusing on her eyes and looking where she's looking I can tell where she's going to make her arms appear next and jump out of range before they get a chance to grab me. If I had decent depth perception I'd be able to get further away from her but because of my limited vision I have to stay close by if I want to read her properly."_

**SWISH! **Ricky lunged to the side and avoided another cluster of arms. Ms. All Sunday's eyes narrowed at her agile adversary continued to elude her grasp.

"_He's very good," _Nico Robin thought to herself. _"As long as he's focused on me he seems to be able to avoid my attacks. It was so much easier to grab him while he was distracted."_

"…" From where he was nailed to the front of the palace, King Nefertari Cobra could only listen to the sounds of his Kingdom destroying itself.

"UUGGGGHHH!" Chaka groaned and collapsed to the ground at Crocodile's feet.

"So this is it…" King Cobra whispered to himself as the Acting Captain of the Royal Guard laid on the ground unconscious. "YOU HAVE TO RUN AWAY VIVI! GET AWAY FROM HIM! BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!"

Vivi turned around fully, "I _won't_," she resolved then glared at Crocodile, "You made this sandstorm, didn't you? But still… there's time." It was still only 4:14. "If I can stop the explosion that's scheduled in fifteen minutes I can still reduce the number of casualties."

Crocodile stepped over the prone form of Chaka and advanced on Vivi. "If I try this the rebellion will stop… if I try that the rebellion will stop…" the Warlord mocked her. **WHAP! ** Crocodile's hand flashed out and he grabbed the Princess by the throat and hoisted her up into the air in front of him. "It's time to wake up, Princess. I'm tired of your useless idealism. It's gotten pathetic."

"Aaaah… aaahhh…" Vivi gasped as she grabbed at the strong hand clutching her throat.

"What good are your happy ideals if you can't do anything to make them a reality?" Crocodile taunted her. "Then they're nothing but dreams.

A long tear dripped from Vivi's eye as she struggled futilely against the Warlord's grasp.

"Aahh… I don't care what you think of my ideas!" Vivi called out as loudly as she could with the hand clutching her throat. "Aaahh! I'm never going to give up on them! A monster like you would never understand! I'm this country's Princess! Aaahhh… I won't give up! I won't give in no matter what!"

"You really are a sad little girl," Crocodile remarked.

"I refuse… agghh… to give up!" Vivi gasped. "I WILL SAVE… aaahh… ALABSTA!"

**SHHWWOO!** Crocodile's legs turned into a spiral of sand and he floated up onto the top of the wall and from his new position held Vivi over the edge from the highest point on the palace wall. The two armies were fighting hundreds of feet below them. Vivi would never survive the fall.

"Vivi!" Cobra exclaimed when he saw his daughter's peril.

Ricky's sensitive ears picked up on the father's cry of alarm. For a split second he turned to see Crocodile dangling Vivi over the palace wall.

**WHAP!** That split-second distraction was all the time Ms. All Sunday needed. Four arms sprouted out of the ground and grabbed Ricky's calves. Then another four arms sprouted out of his legs and clasped together effectively binding Ricky in place. **WHAP! **Another four arms wrenched Ricky's arms behind his back and held them in place.

"I finally got you," Ms. All Sunday taunted.

"Damn it," Ricky cursed. Rooted in place, he could only crane his neck to see Vivi's perilous predicament. "Vivi…"

"Kuahahahaha!" Crocodile laughed. "You have only fifteen minutes left until the square is blown up. More of the rebel forces are gathering as reinforcements arrive one after another, without even realizing that they're marching to their death."

Vivi desperately kicked her legs to get free. With both her and Ricky caught in their enemy's grasp this looked like the end.

"You know, you could have warned the Royal Army of the coming explosion earlier," Crocodile told her. "If so, maybe there would have been a panic, but then you could have saved tens of thousands of innocent lives."

"STOP IT!" Cobra shouted. "PLEASE CROCODILE! LET HER GO!"

"Poor choice of words," Ms. All Sunday remarked morbidly. If Crocodile 'let her go' Vivi would fall to her death.

"In the end, your plans for saving this country have done more harm than good," Crocodile taunted her. "Your wretched failures have only ended up hurting the precious citizens who you love so dearly. From the beginning of my operations here the sheer stupidity of your country has amused me, so pathetic, so easily manipulated. You did a decent job of spying on our country for the last two years, I will grant you that much. But when it was all said and done you really had no hope of changing anything. Stopping the rebellion, saving the kingdom, all those worthless ideas you've clung to for so long. In the end, they just created more victims for me."

Vivi thought of all of Crocodile's victims. Igaram who had died in the explosion, Pell who was taken out by Ms. All Sunday, Toto who was shriveled and skinny, all the other people that had died because of the drought, the Kicking Claw Clan that had died for a chance to fight him, Chaka who was lying on the ground motionless, Koza who was lying bleeding on the ground in the middle of a battlefield, and finally all the casualties that both of the fighting armies in the square had suffered. Everyone had suffered because of Crocodile, or at least because of someone working for him.

"Let me tell you something," Crocodile said, "You're never going to save this country. Good bye Princess."** SHWOO! **Crocodile's hand disintegrated into sand and Vivi fell.

"NOOO!" Cobra screamed.

"KUUAAHAAHAAHAAHAAHAA!" Crocodile laughed manically. "KUAHAHAHAHAHA!"

It was then that Ricky finally reacted. In a split second he grabbed one of the arms holding his arms behind his back and snapped the wrist.** CRACK! **

"AAH!" Ms. All Sunday yelped and reeled back as she clutched her own wrist and felt the phantom pain of the one that was broken.

**WHA-WHAP! **Ricky capitalized and wrenched his arms free and quickly drew his sword. **SWISH!** Ricky slashed the curved red blade in front of him and while it wasn't fast enough to create an air blade the gust of wind that he created was enough to blow Ms. All Sunday backwards and slam her into the wall beside the King. **WHAM! **The arms clutching his legs disappeared in a flurry of flower petals as Ms. All Sunday dropped to the ground.

"Sorry," Ricky apologized, he went against his nature of not attacking women but this was a desperate situation. "VIIVII! Speed Step!" Ricky kicked the ground thirteen times in under a single second and sped across the courtyard at an incredible speed that was faster than he had ever moved before. **ZZZZOOOOOMM! **

Without a second's hesitation, Ricky vaulted passed Crocodile and over the edge of the hundred-foot high wall after Vivi.

"If you really want to die along with her, I suppose I can oblige you," Crocodile taunted him, "A fitting end to a noble fool like you. Just like her, you couldn't save anybody. KUAHAHAHA!"

Ricky tucked his legs and arms into his body and dove head-first after Vivi. **WOOOSH! **The wind rushed passed him and his compact form caused him to fall faster and gain on the Princess.

"Don't worry Vivi," he reassured her, "I've got you." Ricky closed in on her and reached out to grab her.

**Whap! **Vivi grabbed his hand then yanked him downward and her upward and clutched him in a desperate hug. **WHUP! **Ricky kicked his legs and managed to maneuver them so they were both falling feet-first.

Now that he'd caught her Ricky's next step was to stop them. But this was made incredibly difficult by the fact that Vivi was pinning his arms to his sides in a vice-lock hug.

"Vivi… I need you… to remove my eye patch," he instructed her.

"What?" she questioned.

"Do it now!" he ordered.

Vivi stared at him in confusion then slowly reached up to grab his eye patch.

"KUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Crocodile was still laughed up above them when he suddenly saw a speck flying overhead. As the speck got closer and large Crocodile realized that it was a falcon wearing white desert robes.

Pell the Falcon had made it to Alubarna but more importantly, so had the familiar pirate riding on his back.

"It can't be…" Crocodile whispered.

"!" Luffy hollered as Pell flew him closer. He had a barrel strapped to his back, had recovered from his injuries from their fight the night before, and now looked ready to try again.

**-x-**

**A Hero Descends:**

**-x-**

"GRAAH!" Crocodile snarled as Luffy descended on Pell's back. "IT CAN'T BE!" **WOOOSH!** Pell swooped down passed Crocodile and dove after Ricky and Vivi.

Vivi stared in surprise at the Eye of the Devil as it was revealed to her for the first time and watched as the red eye glowed and the speed of their descent slowed. By the time they reached the ground they were barely moving. **TMP! **They landed safely at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the palace and Ricky released her.

"How did… what is… why didn't…" Vivi stammered.

Ricky didn't have to use the eye's powers to sense her confusion. "Think of it as a kind of Hero Water that gives me special power," Ricky explained. "Except instead of killing me, using it in a fight usually ends up killing other people. I didn't use it against Crocodile because I didn't want to risk killing someone who didn't deserve it. I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention seeing it to anyone." Ricky reached up and pulled his eye patch back down over his eye just before Pell swooped down and landed next to them in his falcon form.

"LUFFY!" Vivi exclaimed when she finally noticed the pirate on Pell's back.

"Sorry I'm late," Luffy apologized as he got off of Pell and stood there with a barrel with a hose coming out of it strapped to his back. Vivi launched himself at him and hugged him out of sheer desperation.

"Luffy… help…" Vivi pleaded as she broke out in tears. "There isn't much time left until the square is blown up… Everyone is already fighting… My voice can't be heard no matter how loud I yell. At this rate… the country… will fall apart…"

"Don't worry, Vivi," Luffy reassured her. Vivi looked up and saw the rubber pirate's smile. "As long as we're here your voice will always be heard." Vivi smiled and buried her head in Luffy's chest. Luffy looked over her head at Ricky then glanced down at the trail of dried blood on his side. "Are you okay?"

"It's nothing," Ricky told him. "I held out as long as I could but there was so many distractions that I wasn't able to take out either of them. Now that you're here I'm hoping you can give the dirt-bag the beating he deserves."

"I lost to him before," Luffy confessed. "But it won't happen again."

**-North Block-**

"I'm telling you again, my injures are a whole lot more severe than yours are!" Zoro complained as he ran down a street towards the palace square with Nami on his back.

"Oh quit whining and act like a man," Nami scolded him. "My leg is hurt so I can't stand. Aahh… I'm gonna faint."

**SLISH! **A rebel with a sword got in their way but was quickly cut down.

"YOU ARE SUCH A LIAR!" Zoro shouted as he ran passed the fighting men that lined the street and approached the square.

**-Palace Square-**

"RAAAH!" Luffy roared as he wound his rubber arms up and prepared for a big stretch. **WHUP-WHUP-WHUP-WHUP-WHUP!**

"Best of luck, Luffy," Pell told him as he stood by in his hybrid form. "Be careful."

"I ate tons of meat, bird-guy!" Luffy replied as he continued winding his arms. "I'll be just fine!" He could barely making out the tiny speck that was Crocodile standing on top of the palace wall that towered over his head.

Luffy stared up at Crocodile while Crocodile stared down at Luffy.

"I won't… lose to you," Luffy resolved.

"How did he make it out of the quicksand with all of his injures?" Crocodile wondered.

"…" Nico Robin got back up and brushed her coat off.

Luffy held his arms wide and prepared launch himself into another fight with Crocodile.

"**HEY! It's Luffy!" **a familiar voice exclaimed. Luffy, Ricky, and Vivi glanced behind them and saw that it was Mana, accompanied by Ayako, Sanji and Usopp.

"**BIG BROOOOTHEEEER!" **Ricky was nearly knocked off of his feet when a furry brown missile slammed into him.

"Tony!" Vivi exclaimed when she spotted the reindeer hugging Ricky..

Ricky grinned, "Good to see you too, little guy. I guess this means you survived your first battle as a pirate. Well done. You can tell me all about it later."

"LUUUFFYYY!" Usopp cheered. He pulled away from Sanji and made his way towards the Captain in a hobble that was hindered by his full-body cast.

"And Vivi and Ricky are here too!" Ayako noted from beside Sanji.

"SEE! SEE! HE'S STILL ALIVE!" Usopp shouted. "What did I tell you? I KNEW IT ALL ALONG?"

"Kyahahahaha!" Mana laughed, "Really? Cause, if I remember correctly I think _someone _was just crying about him _not _being alive."

"For someone who knew it all along you sure look surprised," Sanji remarked.

**WOOOOIIING! **Luffy cast his wound arms upward like a big rubber dual fishing line and watched as his arms stretched up towards the top of the huge palace wall. **WHAP! **After a considerable amount of stretching Luffy's hands grabbed the wall near Crocodile.

"Usopp and Sanji are here too," Vivi realized when the other Straw Hats and the two former agents joined them. "And you two…"

"We're on your side now, Princess," Mana assured her. "We even took out bombs for brains."

"Oooh !" Sanji gasped, "What happened? Are you okay, you look like you've been hurt!" Sanji turned to Ricky and completely ignored the wound that could still be seen on the shirtless pirate's side despite Chopper still clinging to him in his tiny hybrid form. "ONE EYE! HOW DARE YOU LET MISS. VIVI GET HURT!"

"Why don't you try taking on a Warlord and his right hand lady and see if you can do any better," Ricky retorted, he grabbed Chopper and shifted the reindeer around so he was hanging from his back.

"And at what point did you lose your shirt?" Mana inquired as she blatantly eyed the shirtless pirate. "Not that I'm complaining or anything."

"Well, your former partner blew off most of it," he told her. "I'd explain my reasoning for removing the rest of it but you wouldn't understand."

**TMP! TMP! TMP! TMP! **Someone ran up behind them. **WHOMP! **Usopp was hit over the head with the Clima-Tact.

"Nami too!" Vivi gasped as she saw the angry navigator standing over the fallen Usopp and noticed the injured swordsman staggering along behind her. "And Mr. Bushido… Everyone… is still alive!"

"YOU HAD THAT COMING FOR A LONG TIME!" Nami yelled at Usopp. "WHO ASKED YOU TO CREATE SOME USELESS PROP FOR PARTIES?"

"HUFF! HUFF! HUFF!" Zoro wheezed as he stood behind him and panted from the exertion of running with Nami on his back while still feeling the lingering pain of his injures. "OH COME ON! YOU'RE STANDING UP JUST FINE!"

"MISS. NAAAMIII MY LOVE!" Sanji swooned.

"Well… it did have a powerful attack," Usopp pouted while Ayako patted him on the head.

"JUST SHUT UP!" Nami snapped at him. "You're lucky Ollie decided not to hold a grudge on you because of what your stupid boxing glove did to her!" Nami walked over to Vivi. "Vivi, what's going on? What's with all this sand flying around everywhere?"

"Umm…" Vivi attempted to answer.

"That's Sandy's doing," Ricky told her. "He's probably got men infiltrating both armies and doesn't want anyone to see who they are." Nami looked passed Vivi at Ricky. "It's good to see that you're okay."

Ricky's eye traveled downward, at first Nami thought he was perving on her in her dancer girl outfit and she was going to let it slide because she was basically doing the same since he didn't have shirt on but then she realized that his one-eyed gaze was on her bare neck.

Nami's eyes widened and she quickly reached into the pocket she'd sewn into the inside of her dress and pulled out her Ricky Original and put it back around her neck.

"I got in a fight," Nami told him. "I didn't want my favorite piece of jewelry to break."

Ricky smiled at Nami. Nami smiled at Ricky. **BOOOM!** A cannonball exploded near them but everyone ignored it.

"Are they gonna kiss now or are they just gonna stand here?" Ayako piped up.

Ricky and Nami realized that the other Straw Hats, the two former agents, and even Pell were all watching them. The two blushed faintly and looked away.

Mana shook her head, "You just made the same mistake I did at Drum Kingdom," the blonde lectured the other former agent. "The two of them can flirt up a storm but the second you call them on it they get all flustered and deny everything."

"WE WEREN'T FLIRTING!" Nami protested.

"See?" Mana pointed out.

"HEY MOSS BALL!" Sanji snapped at Zoro, "How could you let Miss. Nami get injured like that, idiot! What happened?"

"She's fine… let it… go…" Zoro wearily panted in response.

"Listen Ayako…" Usopp groaned. "Do me a favor and bury my body out in the wastelands when I'm dead and gone. GAH!" He went limp.

Ayako blinked, "Is now really the best time for that?" she asked.

Luffy smiled as he listened in on his Nakama's conversations. He was clearly happy that they were all still alive but he had something important to take care of. Mainly, the trecherous Warlord looming over them on top of the palace wall.

"I'm sorry, you guys," Luffy apologized. "I know I lost to him once already. This time… this time I'M GONNA WIN!"

"You'd better," Ricky replied. "I spent long enough keeping him busy for you."

"THEN I'LL LEAVE THE REST TO YOU!" Luffy called out.

"So get going already," Zoro encouraged him.

"Hm," Sanji grunted in agreement and smiled.

"IF YOU CAN'T BEAT THIS GUY," Usopp shouted, "THEN I DON'T KNOW ANYBODY WHO CAN!"

"I'm gonna put an end to this… FOR GOOD!" Luffy told them.

"YEEAAAH!" Nami, Usopp, Chopper, Mana, and Ayako all cheered. Ricky, Zoro, and Sanji settled for smiling.

"Thank you," Vivi said as she wiped her tears away. "After all that's happened… all of you are still with me."

"…" Pell stood by silently, now back in his human form, and watched Vivi and her friends.

"GGRRRAAAH!" Luffy growled before his stretched arms finally retracted and sent him speeding up towards Crocodile. **SHOOOOOOOM! **"CROOOOCOOOODIIIIILEEEEE!"

"I guess you didn't get enough the first time, huh?" Crocodile taunted.

**WHING! **Luffy's arms left the wall and he was launched up into the air and over Crocodile's head. "RAAAAH!" Luffy roared, his bicep bulged as he drew back his fist.

"Hmph…" Crocodile grunted. His face started disintegrating into sand as he prepared to avoid Luffy's obvious attack. He didn't realize that his sand was being met by tiny droplets of water coming off of Luffy's fist until it was too late. **POOOOWWW! **Luffy's fist slammed into the side of Crocodile's face and sent him flying off of the wall an crashing down to the grassy courtyard. **THUD!**

**TMP! **Luffy landed safely and grinned and the fallen warlord. There was blood coming out of the villain's mouth just from the one punch.

"…" Nico Robin stared silently while King Cobra gasped in surprise.

"He took down Crocodile! Just who is that boy?"

"You know remember the red-haired pirate that was giving us so much trouble?" Nico Robin asked. "He was the First Mate. This one's the Captain."

The Royal Army and Rebel Army continued fighting down in the square. The clock tower read 4:18 as Luffy stood over Crocodile and prepared for Round Two of their fight.

"GET UP!" Luffy urged Crocodile. "I figured something out when we fought last time. Once you touch water, you can't turn into sand anymore." Luffy pulled on the hose that was coming out of the barrel on his back and squired the water inside onto his fist. "Last time I was only using spit but now I've got a whole barrel. You took away all the rain because you're afraid of water!" Luffy clenched his soaking wet fist and glared at the treacherous Warlord that was still lying on the ground from when Luffy had punched him. "I know how to defeat you, Crocodile! Our real fight is starting now!"

**-x-**

Phew… that was a big one. With size 12 Times New Roman font on Word this monster chapter took up thirty pages and is over twelve thousand words. Hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter, it's not only Sand Croc versus Water Luffy but also the long awaited Ricky versus Nico Robin.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	56. Chapter 56

**Another Nakama II:**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of the characters. I just own Ricky and the other OC's I've written into this alteration of the story.

**A/N:** **One of my regular reviewers JediMasterChris1 reviewed last chapter and asked me about Ricky's voice and since he can't receive PM replies I've decided to address his questions here.**

**At the beginning of the story – all the way back in chapter two of Another Nakama – I said that when I hear Ricky's voice in my head that it was something Chuck Huber would do. I originally wanted to go with a deeper version of John Bergmeier's Kurama but Chuck Huber has the range I'm looking for to do the voice of both Good-Ricky and Evil-Ricky so that's why I went with him. Good-Ricky's voice is a less whiny version of Huber's Android 17 – calm and relaxed while the only emotions being shown are amusement, annoyance or anger. Evil-Ricky's voice is Hiei's when he's in his demon form – cruel and arrogant** **with a deeper evil echo. This is also the same voice Good-Ricky hears in his head when the Eye talks to him.**

**Once again, this story is about the details so I hope I cleared that up. I'm actually a huge fan-boy when it comes to voice acting so that's why I've put so much thought into Ricky's voice and the voice actor that would portray him.**

**Sand Croc versus Water Luffy:**

**-x-**

Luffy stood in the grassy courtyard outside the palace. He had a barrel full of water strapped to his back and was ready to start the second round of his fight with Crocodile. The aforementioned Warlord was still lying prone on the grass from when Luffy had punched him with a water-coated fist. The only spectators there to witness this part of the duel were Ms. All Sunday who stood casually by the palace doors and King Nefertari Cobra who still had a pair of large nails going through his elbows to keep him pinned against the front of the palace.

"Get. Up." Luffy growled at Crocodile. "It's time to fight! Now Crocodile!"

"Kuahahahahaha!" Crocodile chuckled as he slowly sat up on the grass. His laugh increased in volume as it progressed. "Kuahahahahahahahaha! KUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! KUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! KUUUAAAHAAHAAHAAHAAHAAHAAHAAA!"

Luffy glared at Crocodile, not understanding what was so funny. But it seemed clear that the Warlord _still _didn't see Luffy as the threat even if he _did_ have a barrel of water on his back.

**-x-**

At the base of the stairs leading up to the palace the rest of the reunited Straw Hats stood together with Mana, Ayako, and Pell and pointedly ignored the two armies that were fighting in the square nearby.

"While Luffy's dealing with Crocodile, you've got another problem to attend do," Ricky addressed the others. "Crocodile told us that in ten minutes, at exactly four-thirty, a bomb is going to be fired into the square. The bomb is powerful enough to wipe out everything within three miles."

"Three miles?" Chopper repeated. "Then the Royal Army and the Rebel Army will both be wiped out!"

"That's right," Vivi confirmed. "We have to act quickly."

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Usopp exclaimed. "IN TEN MINUTES THIS PLACE IS REALLY GONNA BLOW UP?"

"But if Crocodile told you, how do you know it's real?" Zoro asked suspiciously.

"It's not exactly a threat that can be ignored," Ricky told him. "There are too many lives at stake. Crocodile's shown that he doesn't have any compassion for any life other than his own so it sounds like something he'd do. He used it as a threat to get the King to tell him the location of some secret weapon but you can't afford to take it lightly."

"That's not much time," Nami reasoned, "Where are we supposed to look?"

"And if the cannon's near the square then wouldn't the cannon-guy get caught in the explosion too?" Usopp questioned. "Wouldn't it be far away?"

"No," Vivi answered. "The cannon is somewhere near the palace square."

"Crocodile doesn't care one bit about his underlings," Mana pointed out, "He probably only told the agents to fire a bomb at four-thirty and not how powerful it is."

"YOU MEAN HE'S JUST GONNA LET HIS OWN MAN GET KILLED?" Chopper shrieked.

"Considering its Crocodile we shouldn't be surprised," Nami reminded him.

"They'll be killing themselves without even knowing it," Ayako whispered.

"He's just plain _evil_," Sanji growled.

"WAIT!" Usopp suddenly shouted. "_WE'RE _within a three mile range of the square! IF THAT BOMB GOES OFF WE'LL BE BLOWN UP TOO!"

"That's even more of a reason to find it," Ricky resolved.

"So we've gotta find the cannon and stop the cannoneer from shooting," Zoro stated.

"Then how do we find him?" Usopp questioned in a panic.

"You'll have to search all the buildings and all the rooftops nearby," Ricky stated. "If you split up you'll be able to cover more ground."

"Hold on," Nami interrupted, "What do you mean _'you'_? Aren't you helping us?"

Ricky shook his head, "Crocodile's got the King trapped up there," he said. "While Luffy keeps him busy I'm going to try and save him and get to the bottom of his global takeover plot."

"I know now might not be the best time," Sanji admitted, "But Ricky you're the only pirate here that hasn't beaten an Officer Agent."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ricky challenged him.

"Well you don't seem to have a problem _picking_ fights with Officer Agents," Mana reminded him, "But you seem to have a problem _finishing _them." Ricky had fought more Officer Agents than all of the other Straw Hats. Mr. 3, Mr. 5, Ms. Valentine and Ms. Goldenweek on Little Garden, Mr. 2 Bon Kurei, Mr. 3.5, Ms. All Sunday and even Crocodile in Alubarna. But of all those agents he hadn't actually been the one to beat any of them.

"I stopped my fight with Mr. 3.5 because _you _took over," Ricky argued.

"C'mon Ricky, even _I _beat an Officer Agent," Nami teased him, "Two actually, if you include blondie over there."

"Some example you set, Mr. First Mate," Usopp chimed in. "Chopper and I beat the mole-woman, the big batter, and their little dog too."

"Guys, now really isn't the time for this!" Vivi cut in.

"Hey, you didn't finish any off either," Zoro pointed out.

"Miss. Vivi isn't a pirate, you idiot!" Sanji snapped.

"Just go find the—" Ricky cut off when a large rugged-looking man with a sword came up behind Vivi and went to attack her. Pell went to draw his sword but he didn't need to.

**SLISH! THWAK!** Zoro and Sanji reacted before Pell got a chance and dropped the man with a slash and a kick. **THUD! **The man collapsed to the ground and the Straw Hats, former Agents, and Pell noticed the cluster of over twenty armed men that were behind him.

"AAAAAAAHHH!" Usopp screamed.

"Looks like we found ya Princess," one of the men taunted, "I wonder how big of a promotion the boss will give us for killing you!"

"BILLIONS!" Vivi exclaimed. All of the Baroque Works Billions that had infiltrated the Rebel and Royal Armies were not looking to personally take out Vivi.

"Damn," Ricky cursed.

"It looks like… we'll lose some time," Sanji commented.

"He's right," Zoro agreed, "So let's not waste all of it."

"Let's go," Ricky, Zoro, and Sanji said at the same time.

"I'll go on ahead," Nami told them as she ran off.

"Us too!" Usopp and Chopper called out while they and Ayako ran after Nami. Vivi ran with them and Pell dutifully followed her.

"I'll be more help in the air searching the rooftops," Mana pointed out, she lowered her weight to one kilogram and raised her umbrella overhead. The swirling sand that was blanketing the square blew her up into the air and she floated off.

**THWAK! THWAK! THWAK! **"Well that's two seconds," Sanji remarked as he stood over a pile of Billions.

**SLISH! SLISH! SLASH! **"You're counting is not helping!" Zoro complained as he downed another batch of men then stepped back and stood back-to-back with Sanji.

"Just keeping track," Sanji replied.

**SLA-SLISH! **Ricky sped passed them and leveled another batch of Billions with a slash of his red blade. "You guys get out of here," Ricky ordered, "I'll handle the rest. You don't have the time to waste dealing with these guys."

"Right," Zoro agreed. **SLISH!** He took down one last Billion then ran off after the others.

"These guys don't count as Officer Agents!" Sanji taunted Ricky as he ran off.

"Let's split up!" Usopp called out to the others. "We've gotta get out of this sand if we're gonna find anything!"

Ayako jumped on Chopper's back and he raced after Nami in his Walk Point form while Usopp ran off another way with Zoro running after him. **SSHHWWOO! **Pell transformed into a falcon and took to the sky while Sanji ran off in a different direction entirely.

"_Ten minutes," _Vivi thought to herself as she ran off alone through the cloud of sand._ "This is really it. This is our last chance. In ten minutes the country's fate could be decided… for good."_

"One Eye Kick Barrage!" Ricky called out before the attacked the Billions surrounding him. "ROUNDHOUSE!" **THWAK! **The kick not only leveled a Billion but toppled the Billions standing behind him."BACK! CRESCENT!" **THWAK-WAK! **A hard back kick to the face sent one Billion flying into another cluster of agents while the other KO-ed an agent coming after him from behind. "SPINNING WHEEL!" Ricky jumped into the air and whipped his leg around into the face of large Billion.** THU-WHAK!**

Ricky remained standing while the Billions that were still conscious slowly staggered back up. Ricky drew _Akakyuuketsuki _and started spinning around in place. **Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! **Ricky became a shirtless blur of red hair and black pants before he slashed his red blade. "RED STORM… TORNADO!" **SLA-SLISH! **A circular red-tinted air blade flew out from Ricky and expanded into a giant red-tint ring and leveled all the standing Billions in one shot.

Ricky stopped spinning and staggered a couple steps to the side as he overcame his dizziness then surveyed his handiwork. "I took down those guys easily enough," Ricky commented to himself. "But the others don't seem to realize that there's a difference between fighting an Officer Agent and facing off against the Boss while his right-hand lady gets involved whenever you're about to win."

**-x-**

"Kuahahahahaha!" Back in the courtyard, Crocodile was still laughing. "Kuahahahahahaha!

"…" Luffy silently removed his straw hat and dropped it on the ground next to him so it wouldn't get damaged in the battle.

"Come on," Crocodile taunted Luffy, "You think you can defeat me?"

"Sure do," Luffy replied, "Now that I've figured out how to stop you from turning into sand."

"I'll admit, I'm impressed that you figured it out," Crocodile confessed as he remained seated on the ground, "But I hope you realize that something like that isn't nearly enough to make this an even fight. Being able to hit me wasn't enough to help One Eye win and it won't be enough for you. My skills far surpass yours. I _am _one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."

"So what if you're one of the Seven dumb Warlords!" Luffy retorted. "I guess that makes me… THE EIGHTH WARLORD!"

"…" Crocodile couldn't think of a response to that and just stared silently.

"Really?" King Cobra questioned. "Who is that guy?"

"He's a pirate," Ms. All Sunday stated, "I'm surprised you haven't heard about him yet. He and the other one helped your darling Princess Vivi escape from death a few times now."

"So then they… are responsible for bringing Vivi back?" Cobra asked.

"…" Ms. All Sunday smiled silently as she watched the battle get underway.

**WOING! **Luffy stretched his soaked rubber arm out behind him, "GUUUMM… GUUUMM…" **SHOOOOM! **His arm snapped forward and his soaked fist flew at Crocodile, "PISTOL!"

"If I dodge it…" Crocodile calmly stated as he leaned to the side. **SWIFF! **Luffy's fist sailed passed him, "then it's no use." **WHAP! **Crocodile reached out and grabbed Luffy's stretched arm. "My hand can still absorb any fluid on you." The water coating Luffy's arm was sucked away into Crocodile's hand and left Luffy's arm dry. "For that matter, I can absorb all the water that's _in you_ as well." Crocodile grinned as he used his powers to suck all the moisture out of Luffy's arm causing the rubber limb to shrivel up and dry out until it looked like a mummy arm.

"OH CRAP!" Luffy cursed, "I FORGOT ABOUT THAT TRICK!" **SHOOM! **He let his mummy arm pull him towards Crocodile then lashed out his leg, **SWOOSH! **A well-placed kick reduced Crocodile to a cloud of sand. **WOING! **Luffy flew passed him and retracted his dried out arm then brought the hose from his water barrel to his mouth and drank from it. **GULP1 GULP! GULP! WHUP! **The moisture returned to Luffy's withered arm and the muscles in it briefly bulged as Luffy flexed it. Luffy landed on his feet and Crocodile reformed on his feet a safe distance away from Luffy.

"Alright, not bad," Luffy remarked. Crocodile just stood there as Luffy grabbed the hose and showered himself with the water from his barrel. **SPLOOSH!** "Remember how you told me about how Devil Fruit Powers get stronger?" What Crocodile had said had been more of a taunt comparing how he'd taken the time to master his Sand Sand Fruit Powers and use them for all they were worth while Luffy only used his Gum Gum Fruit Powers to stretch and hit harder. "GUUUMM… GUUUUMM… PIIISTOOOL!" **SHOOOM! **Luffy fired his soaked fist at Crocodile who stood there grinning as Luffy once again did his most basic attack,

But then Luffy reached out and grabbed his stretched arm snapped it to the side. **WOING! **Luffy's extended arm wiggled around as it flew at Crocodile causing the one straight-forward punch to look like a barrage of punches. "SHOOOTGUUUUN!" **WHOOOOM!**

Crocodile leapt out of the way and managed to avoid Luffy's punch barrage. "STUPID BRAT!" Crocodile snarled, "DEVIL FRUIT POWERS ARE ONLY AS STRONG AS THE PERSON USING THEM! DESERT SPARDA!" **SHOOOSH! **Crocodile's arm became a blade of sand and sank into the ground. **VVOOOOM!** The splitting sand raced towards Luffy as Crocodile looked to cleave him clean in half.

"UH OH!" Luffy exclaimed. **SWIF! **Luffy stretched himself to the side causing the fissure to whizz passed him and smash into a distant part of the palace. **BOOOOM! **"That was close!" Luffy stared down at the split in the ground then looked back at Crocodile, "Now GUUUMM… GUUUUMMM…" **SHOOOM! **Luffy shot his fist out at Crocodile.

"You just keep using the same move against me," Crocodile pointed out as he calmly stared down Luffy's quickly approaching fist. "Do you wanna win?"

**WHOOOM! **"YEAH!"Luffy suddenly appeared right in front of Crocodile. Instead of trying to hit Crocodile with the punch he'd stretched his arm towards Crocodile and then retracted the rest of his body after it. The Warlord was caught off guard at how quickly Luffy had gotten in front of him and didn't have time to react before Luffy hit him. "AND I'M GOING TO!" **WHAM! **Luffy smashed the Warlord with his wet elbow and knocked him to the ground. **THUD **Crocodile landed face down on the ground while Luffy jumped up over him and pulled the barrel off of his back.

"THIS WAS MY PLAN FROM THE BEGINNING!" Luffy shouted as he threw the water barrel at Crocodile. "TIME FOR YOU TO GET WET!"

"Of course, your plan was obvious!" Crocodile retorted. **SHWOOO! **Sand swirled around in Crocodile's hand before he threw the forming sandstorm at Luffy. "SSAAABLEEEESS!" **FWOOOOOM! **The sand swirled around and sent Luffy and his water barrel flying.

"WAAAH! BAAARRREEEL!" Luffy shrieked before he frantically stretched his arms out and grabbed his wayward weapon. **SHOO-WHAP! **Luffy hugged the barrel to his chest as he dropped down and landed on the wall above the palace doors. **TMP!**

"**Luffy!" **Luffy looked down and sat Ricky standing in the doorway. "What's the matter, I thought you'd have beaten him already."

"Beat me?" Crocodile repeated. "KUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He smirked at Luffy. "You're struggling so hard, Straw Hat Luffy! You can't do anything at all with the barrel of yours, can you? This is no different from my first fight against you, after all. You've gotten a few glancing blows in but in the end you can't beat me!"

"You're right Crocodile," Luffy agreed, "It isn't any different like this." Luffy pulled the hose out of the barrel and tossed it aside then drank straight from the opening in the lid. **GULP! GULP! GULP! GULP! GULP!**

Ricky, Crocodile, Robin, and Cobra all stared silently as Luffy guzzled down the contents of his barrel. **GLUG! GLUG! GLUG! GLUG! **As it continued, Crocodile's stoic expression became one of horror and disgust, Ricky's became one of embarrassment, and Cobra gaped in shock.

"HOW ABOUT THIS!" Luffy finally called out as he tossed the empty barrel away from him. "Now I'm not the same as I was before!"

"You've gotta be kidding me…" Crocodile grumbled.

**SLOOOSSSHH! **"WATER LUFFY!" Luffy called out. His rubber belly had expanded to the point that it was two times the size of his normal body size and now jiggled from all the water he'd just ingested. **PLUUURRT! **Water sprayed out from the bandaged wounds Crocodile had made through Luffy's body that ended their first fight. "GAAAH! A LEAK!"

"_He can't be serious about this… can he?" _Crocodile asked himself.

Ricky hung his head in embarrassment, "Honestly Luffy, if you weren't a huge dreamer that's a genius in combat with a heart of gold, I don't know why I'd follow you."

"I guess I shouldn't have drunk that much water," Luffy muttered as he struggled to keep the water inside his body.

"FUFUFUFUFUFUFUFU!" Nico Robin laughed out loud at Luffy's bizarre antics.

"_Grrrr…" _Crocodile snarled in his mind, _"Does this idiot really not understand what's going on here?"_

"DAMN IT! STOP YOUR MESSING AROUND!" Crocodile screamed at Luffy.

**SHWOOO! **Crocodile's legs became a cloud of sand as he billowed towards Luffy. To him it seemed like Luffy was mocking him by using such a stupid battle tactic.

**BLURP! **Luffy spat out a batch of water balls out at Crocodile. **SPLOOOSSH! **The water balls hit the Warlord and burst over him, leaving him soaking wet.

"Uggghhh…" Crocodile groaned as he stopped and stood in place. His hair dark purple hair was damp and matted and his expensive fur coat was soaked. _"DAMN THAT BRAT!"_

"WHO SAID I WAS MESSING AROOUUNND!" Luffy yelled. **WOOIINNG! **Luffy stretched his arms out behind him.

"_My… body…" _Crocodile grumbled. The water was making the sand that composed his body damp and hard, he couldn't move to dodge.

"I'M ALWAYS SERIOUS!" Luffy told Crocodile. "LEMME SHOW YOU!"

Ricky shook his head, "Not always, just in a fight," he corrected.

"GUUUUMMM… GUUUUUUUMMMM…" **SHOOOOOM! **Luffy's arms came rocketing back and flew passed his body and whizzed towards Crocodile. "BAAAAZOOOOKAAAA!" **WHAAAAM! **Luffy's fists smashed into Crocodile's stomach. Blood came flying out of the Warlord's mouth as he was sent sailing backwards. **KRAASSHH! **Crocodile smashed into the stone monument that had been behind him and reduced it to a pile of rubble as it came crashing down on top of him.

Luffy's water belly jiggled while Ricky grinned and King Cobra gaped in shock.

"…" Nico Robin stared silently at the wreckage her partner was buried under.

"How was that, Sand Croc?" Luffy taunted.

**-x-**

Down below in the square the Rebel Army and the Royal Army kept fighting. The combat had actually spilled out beyond the square and was now going on in the streets surrounding it. Both armies were oblivious to the bomb that was set to blow them up in eight and a half minutes as well as the fight up above them outside the palace.

**-x-**

"That's amazing!" King Cobra gasped. "He beat Crocodile! That kid's weird but incredible!"

"There's no time now for all this admiration," Nico Robin stated. "We have other things to do." Two arms grew out of the wall the King was pinned to and yanked the nails out of his elbows.

"AAAHHH!" the King gasped as he dropped to the ground.

"Get up," Nico Robin ordered. "It's time for us to get moving. You are going to show me the way to the Poneglyph."

"What are you planning to do?" King Cobra asked. "How could looking at it possibly help you?"

"UGGHH!" the King groaned as two arms grew out of his back and wrenched his own arms behind him. The third arm grew and pinned his wrists together and stayed there while the other two disappeared in a flurry of flower petals.

"There's no time for stupid questions," Nico Robin told him. "Just take me there."

Luffy stood in the middle of the courtyard and stared at Nico Robin and remembered how she'd saved his life when he was wounding and sinking in the quicksand. She'd gone from saving him to ordering around a King. If Luffy wasn't involved in a fight with a Warlord he'd probably have to decide whether or not to do something about her.

Ricky walked up next to Luffy and stared at Robin with him.

"She's a strange one isn't she," Ricky remarked as he stood next to his brother who was still currently swelled and jiggling like a water balloon.

"Ricky…" Luffy said, "When I lost to Crocodile out in the desert… she saved me."

"When I was fighting Crocodile she kept me from finishing him off," Ricky replied. "Her reason was that 'she needed him alive'. Her motivations seem to involve finding a big stone block with strange characters on it called a Poneglyph. But she doesn't seem to want to kill anyone."

"Stone block…" Luffy repeated as he remembered the block they'd found when they got lost in the desert on the way to Yuba, "You mean like…"

"Yes," Ricky interrupted. "Like that."

"Your luck's beginning to run out," Nico Robin stated. "You certainly did try but there's not much time left."

**KRESH! **Crocodile burst out of the pile of stone rubble and glared at the two pirates standing together in the middle of the courtyard.

"You should get going now, Nico Robin," Crocodile told her, "Unless you want to be dried up along with these two."

"Wait… when did I get involved in this?" Ricky asked.

"You've disrupted my plans enough for me to take a personal interest in killing you as well," Crocodile replied. "Go now, Nico Robin. I'll handle these brats. I'm done playing games."

"Nico Robin?" King Cobra repeated as he stared up at his captor.

"Yes, as you wish," Nico Robin agreed. She forced the King back up to his feet and walked away into the palace.

"Grrrr," Crocodile growled as he crouched on the ground and placed his bare hand on the grass at his feet. "Watch closely. I'm going to destroy every last rock on this ground! And you two along with them!"

"AH!" Luffy gasped in shock as the green grass around Crocodile's hand turned yellow and dried up. The cluster of withered yellow grass grew outward and the blades disintegrated into tiny grains of sand. "ALL THE GRASS IS DYING!"

The dead patch grew outward and covered the courtyard. **SHWUP! **A palm tree that had previously been behind the two withered and died in an instant, its remains dropped to the ground and became sand.

"WAAAAAHH!" Luffy screamed as the grassy courtyard around them was reduced to a dead wasteland.

Unlike Luffy, who was standing in place and yelping in surprise, Ricky quickly jumped into action. **ZZZOOOOM! **Ricky sprinted over to the unconscious but still alive form of Chaka and yanked him off of the ground then doubled back and raced towards the still opened doors of the palace. **ZZZOOOOM!**

"GROUND… SECO!" **KRAK! KRAK! KRAK! KRAK! **The ground that made up the courtyard started splitting apart.

"WAAAAAAHHH!" Luffy shrieked as the ground he was standing on split. He fell downward but managed to stretch his legs apart and save himself at the last second. "That was close!"

"Luffy!" Ricky called out to his brother from the doors of the palace. "I'm going to go after Nico Robin and save the King and get to the bottom of this Poneglyph thing. I'll leave him to you."

"I WON'T ALLOW YOU TO GET AWAY!" Crocodile shouted as he charged after Ricky.

"RICKY GO!" Luffy shouted. While still hanging upside down he craned his neck around so he was looking at Crocodile. "WATER WATER… PISTOL!" **BLURP! BLURP! BLURP! **Luffy fired a barrage of water balls out of his mouth at Crocodile.

Crocodile stopped in place and held out his hand. **GLORP! **The water balls flew into his hand and were absorbed before without a drop getting on Crocodile.

"GAAH!" Luffy yelped. "HIS HAND SUCKED IT UP!"

"…" Ricky didn't react because he had used the split-second distraction to race off into the palace after Nico Robin and the King.

"You actually thought you could kill my powers, didn't you, Water Luffy?" Crocodile taunted. "That was a very foolish mistake to make. The true power of sand his dehydration! Watch!" Crocodile crouched down again and once again placed his hand on the ground. "MY right hand can suck the life out of anything by turning it into dust! Its power is limitless!"

Luffy pulled himself out of the hole he'd almost fallen in and watched as the broken wasteland that the grassy courtyard had been turned into started shaking. **FWOOF! **Sand erupted up out of the cracks in the courtyard. Luffy lunged out of the way just as another torrent of sand burst out of the crack he'd nearly fallen into. **FWOOOF!**

Then everything around him started crumbling. The remains of stone monument that Crocodile had smashed through sank into the ground and disintegrated. **KRASH! **The towering statue of a jackal toppled over and fell to the ground just like the warrior it represented.

"He wasn't kidding!" Luffy exclaimed. "Even the statues are crumbling!" Chaka himself was actually perfectly safe as he was lying unconscious where Ricky had left him in the main hallway of the palace. The only one in immediate danger was the one out on the dying courtyard… Luffy.

The fallen jackal statue disintegrated into a mound of sand. "Everything is just… dying!" Luffy gasped as he stared around him. "WAAAAH!" Luffy yanked his foot off of the ground in time to see his sandal crumble into nothing. "MY SANDALS!"

"Everything that is connected to the ground is done for," Crocodile told him. "INCLUDING YOU! GROOOUUNND… DEEAAATTHHH!" **FWWOOOOOOM! **The chunks of stone that made up the courtyard crumbled into sand. Luffy dodged to the side as another wave of sand washed over him. "KUAHAHAHAHAHA!" Crocodile laughed as he reduced the once grassy courtyard into a dead desert.

**-x-**

**Nico Robin:**

**-x-**

"OKAY, WHERE IS HE?" Nami wondered as she and Chopper ran down a street in the North Block. Ayako was still riding on the reindeer's back and was keeping a sharp eye out for any cannons. "WHERE'S THE CANNONEER?"

"There's no sign of him or a cannon," Ayako reported as she stared in the empty windows of the buildings lining the streets.

"There's only eight minutes left until the cannon goes off!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Well it's gotta be enough time for us to stop the cannoneer!" Nami replied, "We have to stop Crocodile's attack from happening no matter what! If we don't… then a million people are gonna die here today!"

**-x-**

"SEE ANYTHING?" Sanji called up to Mana as she floated overhead checking the rooftops while he ran along the street.

"Nothing from here!" Mana reported.

"If there's a bomb that can blow up that big an area it's gotta come from a big cannon," Sanji reasoned. "Check everywhere!" Sanji paused to check in a couple buildings but didn't find a thing. "DAMN IT!"

"Keep looking!" Mana called down to him, "I'll do another sweep of the rooftops on the south side!" Sanji nodded and continued running down the street while Mana floated off and continued scanning the rooftops from the air.

**-x-**

"WE'VE GOTTA FIND THAT CANNON!" Usopp exclaimed as he and Zoro ran down yet another street. Both pirates were ignoring their battle wounds in favor of dealing with the more pressing matter. "If we don't then WE'LL be blown up too! I DON'T LIKE BLOWING UP!"

"No time to think about that," Zoro replied.

They kept running until Usopp called out, "LOOK! UP THERE!" They stopped and stared up at a big cannon pointing over the edge of a high stone wall. "That's it. But do you think we'll be able to get up there quickly enough?"

**SKISH! **Zoro jumped passed him and leap-frogged off of the backs of the rebels and royal soldiers that had been fighting in front of them.

"WHY DOES HE DO THIS?" Usopp whined before he ran after Zoro.

**TMP! **Zoro landed on a winding staircase that led to the top of a building near the wall. **SKISH! **The leapt from that building onto the roof of one that was slightly higher then sprang up off of that and made it onto the top of the wall. **SKISH! TMP!**

A large royal soldier stood in Zoro's way. The man was wielding two swords but was also bleeding from the battle he'd just been in.

"Are you… from the Rebel Army?" the wounded soldier demanded.

"I can't waste any time with you," Zoro stated as he drew his sword. "Goodnight pal! **SLISH! **

"GAAAAH!" Usopp pulled himself up over the edge of the wall and let out a shriek as the soldier collapsed to the ground. Then he spotted the cannon, "CUT IT UP ZORO!"

Zoro stared at the giant old-looking cannon in annoyance while Usopp ran up to him. **THWAK! **Zoro lashed out his leg and broke the barrel of the cannon clean in half.

"THIS ISN'T IT!" Zoro complained. "IT'S COVERED IN MOSS!" They'd found _a _cannon but not _the _cannon.

**-x-**

**SHOOOO! **Pell flew over the city in his falcon form and scanned the roof tops with his sharp bird-eyes. _"I don't see it anywhere,"_ he realized. All he could see anywhere were the two fighting armies that were filling the square and the streets surrounding it. _"There's no sign at all of a cannon or a cannoneer! I don't understand… WHERE IS IT?"_

**-x-**

Down below, Vivi ran down yet another street in search of the cannon. _"Only seven minutes left," _she realized. **FWUMP! **The Princess was so caught up in her thoughts and the panic of saving her people that she tripped and fell to the ground.

"I'll stop it somehow…" Vivi vowed as she pushed herself up off of the ground and ran off again. "I will!"

**-x-**

King Nefertari Cobra walked down a street with his arms still bound behind his back while his captor Nico Robin used one of her actual arms to prod him onward. The two of them had taken a side exit out of the palace and the King was now reluctantly leading his captor to the Poneglyph.

"You're name… he called you Nico Robin," King Cobra stated. "Is that really your name?"

"What does it matter if it is?" Nico Robin questioned. "Don't you have more important things to worry about?"

"Nico Robin… that name was known throughout the world twenty years ago," King Cobra recalled. The King glanced at his captor. "Tell me… what did you come here for?"

"Just show me to where the Poneglyph is being kept," Nico Robin ordered. "That's all you need to worry about right now."

"**Found you," **a familiar voice called out from behind them.

Nico Robin glanced over her shoulder and saw Ricky racing towards her.

"If you value your life you'll stay out of my way," Nico Robin warned him.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Ricky replied. He stopped running and now stood behind her. They both tensed and prepared for a fight.

"**YOU TWO, YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!" **Both Ricky and Nico Robin looked back the other way and saw Lieutenant Devo and Sergeant Major Tashigi standing at the head of both squads of the Loguetown Marines that Captain Smoker had brought to Alabasta. The Marine Lieutenant had a pair of pistols holstered at his sides and a long thick rifle strapped to his back while the Sergeant Major had her trusty katana _Shigure_,

"Oh, if it isn't my second and third favorite Marine Officers," Ricky remarked as he walked forward and stopped when he was standing beside Nico Robin. "I'd love to stay and chat but I'm in the middle of something so I can't waste my valuable time on you."

"Favorite?" Tashigi repeated. "Have we met?"

"No, but your name always causes my friend Zoro a lot of grief," Ricky admitted. "I suppose not meeting you personally might've actually helped your standings in my eye. All the Marines that I've met are idiots."

"An idiot, huh?" Devo questioned. "We asked one of the wounded royal soldiers what was going on here. But it looks like they got it wrong. Your accomplice there is holding the King of this country against his will."

Ricky looked over at his 'accomplice'. "See why I think all Marines are idiots?" he asked.

"I don't have a high opinion of Government people either," Nico Robin admitted. "All of you get out of the way. We're in a hurry."

"No chance!" Tashigi retorted. "We're not moving and we have no intention of giving way to you two!"

"Well then you may not live much longer," Nico Robin decided.

"I'm trying to _stop her_, you idiots!" Ricky snapped, "And there's a more pressing issue here than you trying to arrest me. One of Crocodile's men is going to fire a bomb into the square where the two armies are. It'll wipe out everything within three miles. Make yourselves useful and lend my crew a hand in finding it and disabling it and let me handle this."

"Like I'd trust the word of a pirate!" Devo growled.

"HE'S TELLING THE TRUTH!" King Cobra shouted. "PLEASE! THE BOMB IS SET TO GO OFF AT FOUR THIRTY! IF IT DOES A MILLION CITIZENS WILL DIE!"

"See?" Ricky asked. "The _King_ has my back on this. Will you take _his _word?"

Tashigi got out a watch and glanced down at it, "That's only minutes from now!" she gasped.

"Then we'll take those two fugitives into custody and then we'll stop the attack," Devo decided. "MEN! READY!"

"I already told you to get out of my way," Nico Robin said in a low threatening tone. "Treinta Fleur STRANGLE!" Thirty arms sprouted out of fifteen of the Marines standing behind Devo and Tashigi. The fifteen Marines fell to the ground as the arms grabbed them by the throat and strangled them.

"A DEVIL FRUIT!" Tashigi gasped.

"I said I was in a hurry, didn't I?" Nico Robin stated as the men twitched and passed out. "Don't make me angry with you."

"Then it's really Nico Robin," Devo realized. "Captain Smoker's suggested that I look up her Wanted Poster. But I don't need a Wanted Poster to know about her. Twenty years ago the whole world was talking about her. I was just a little kid when my parents read me the horror stories that were in the newspaper. An eight year old girl known as 'the Demon Child' Nico Robin destroyed six Marine Warships." Devo glared at Nico Robin. "If she was that much of a menace when she was a child there's no telling what kind of monster she is now."

"STOP YOUR POINTLESS RAMBLING!" Nico Robin shouted. She actually looked angry. "EITEHR MOVE OUT OF MY WAY OR YOU'RE ALL DEAD!"

"Do you listen to yourself when you talk?" Ricky asked. "You sound ridiculous." Ricky reached into his pocket and pulled out Nico Robin's wanted poster. Ricky displayed the picture of the eight year old girl with raven black hair that went down to her neck and dark blue eyes with a lighter blue ring around them. "Does this cute little girl look like a monster capable of destroying one let alone _six _Marine Warships?"

"Cute?" Nico Robin repeated the anger faded and was replaced by her usual calmness while she raised an eyebrow at the pirate standing next to her.

"You're adorable," Ricky dead-panned, "Can we get back to the matter at hand please?"

"Carry on," Nico Robin agreed. Clearly, her anger had been at the Marines mentioning her past and not the people impeding her from going onward as a whole.

"Simply put," Ricky addressed Devo and Tashigi, "You Marines just blundered your way into this situation and now you're getting yourselves involved while throwing off the plans of those who _are _involved."

"So you admit it, you _are _involved in this!" Devo realized.

Nico Robin blinked. Ricky would have too if he had two eyes on display.

"Is that really all you heard?" Ricky asked.

"Men, go to the square and stop the explosion," Devo ordered. "Tashigi, you deal with Nico Robin. One Eye…" Devo drew his pistols and pointed them at the pirate. "You're under arrest." The marines ran off leaving only the fifteen unconscious men behind. Ricky and Nico Robin were left staring down Devo and Tashigi while King Cobra stood next to Nico Robin with his arms still bound behind his back.

Ricky glanced over at Nico Robin, "Once I take care of him, I'm going to deal with you next."

"You're welcome to try," Nico Robin replied, "But I don't plan on sticking around."

"Right," Ricky agreed before he turned back to Devo, "Let's go Quickdraw, I don't have much time to waste on you." **SKISH! **Ricky jumped backwards and distanced himself from Nico Robin and King Cobra.

Tashigi drew _Shigure_ and pointed the blade at Nico Robin. "Let that man go right away!"

"I've already warned you to move," Nico Robin stated as she crossed her arms in front of her. **WHAP! **Four arms grew out of Tashigi's body so suddenly that the Marine didn't have any time to react. Two of the arms wrenched her sword from her grasp while the other two clutched her chin and tilted it upward so the tip over own sword was pointed at her throat. **KLAK! **Tashigi's glasses dropped to the ground and the lenses shattered. She'd lost just like that.

**BANG! **Devo fired one of his pistols but Ricky lunged to the side and avoided the bullet. Devo ran after Ricky and fired again, **BANG! **Ricky weaved to the side and dodged the second shot.

"What now?" Ricky taunted, "You're out of bullets."

"Shit," Devo cursed as he went to pull his rifle off of his back.

Ricky drew his sword and charged at the Marine Lieutenant before he could pull his extra gun around, "Red Blade… EXPLOSION!" **SLISH-BOOOM! **The sword containing Mr. 3.5's explosive blood exploded and Devo was blasted backwards passed Nico Robin and Tashigi and smashed into a nearby building.** WHAM! **The Marine Lieutenant fell to the ground unconscious.

"That explosion wasn't very powerful," Ricky commented as he eyed the curved red blade as it absorbed Devo's blood. "Looks like I'm out of exploding blood. Good thing the little I had left was enough to take him out." Ricky sheathed his sword and looked over at Nico Robin.

"I can't let you interfere with my business any further," Nico Robin informed the already defeated Marine that was standing in front of her. Four arms grew out of Tashigi's right leg and started wrenching.

"AAAAAH!" Tashigi let out a scream and collapsed to the ground. **THUD! KLAK! **Her sword dropped next to her as the four arms on her leg worked in tandem and snapped her leg. **KRACK! **"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"

"Now you can't follow me," Nico Robin resolved. She looked away from the woman whose leg she'd just broken and searched the area for Ricky. But he was nowhere in sight.

"Where are you One Eye?" Nico Robin called out. "Did you realize that you still can't bring yourself to hurt a woman and run away?"

"**I'm still around,"** Ricky's voice drifted over from one of the buildings nearby. **"I realized that so I'm trying to think of a way to beat you without really hurting you."**

"Doce Fleur!" An even dozen arms grew out of the surrounding buildings. "OJOS!" Familiar dark blue eyes with a light blue ring around the iris appeared on the palm of each of the hands as the scanned the surrounding area for any sign of Ricky.

**SLISH!**

"AAAH!" Nico Robin let out a faint yelp as she held one hand over her right eye and took a step backwards. One of her arms had just been attacked.

"**Oh my," **Ricky taunted from his hiding place. **"Looks like you feel the pain when I attack one of your limbs. Thanks for making this easier on me. Now I can attack you without attacking you directly."**

The eleven remaining arms and eyes disappeared in a flurry of petals and left Nico Robin in the middle of the street with King Cobra next to her and Tashigi on the ground at her feet.

"There's only six minutes left," Nico Robin announced, "And I don't have time for this." She looked down at Tashigi and four arms sprouted out of her left leg. "One Eye! Come out now or I'll break her other leg!"

"DON'T LISTEN TO—MMMPHHH!" Tashigi's cries were muffled when two arms sprouted out of her neck and covered her mouth. The arms started wrenching on her left leg and Tashigi let out a pained scream that was muffle by Robin's arms. "MMMMMMMMMM!"

**TMP! **Ricky landed in the middle of the street in front of Robin and sheathed his sword, "Fine," he conceded. "Here I am. Don't hurt her."

"Seis Fleur!" Two arms sprouted out of the ground and grabbed Ricky's ankles while another two grabbed his shoulders and the final two clutched his back. "I finally got you."

"Yeah, now let her go," Ricky requested.

While he was trapped there, Ricky recalled the conversation he had with Mana when she relieved him against Mr. 3.5._ "I used my Devil Fruit Powers to counter her Devil Fruit abilities and she didn't get anything out of me."_

The arms on Tashigi's leg disappeared but the other two remained clamped over her mouth.

"_If I hope to survive this I've gotta make my body more dense," _Ricky realized.

"Goodbye 'One Eye' Ricky," Nico Robin addressed Ricky. "Perhaps you'll survive your injuries. But I won't allow anything to keep me from finding that Poneglyph. CLUTCH!"

"Steel Shield!" All of the muscles in Ricky's body tensed while Nico Robin's arms wrenched at him and attempted to snap his spine. But Ricky's hardened body didn't budge.

"How?" Nico Robin gasped in surprise.

"I got the idea from a chocolate-loving friend of mine," Ricky explained. "It looks like you'll need more arms to break a dense body like mine. Speed Step!" **ZZZZOOOOM! **Ricky yanked free from her arms and less than a second later had raced passed her was standing behind her.

"_Those techniques!" _Nico Robin thought to herself in alarm. She'd seen Ricky use his speed technique before but assumed that he was just fast. But to see it coupled with his body hardening technique brought back memories of some unpleasant people that she'd encountered in the past.

"Quarterstaff… SWEEP!" **THWAK! **Ricky dropped down and swept Nico Robin's legs out from under her. She was sent flying up into the air while Ricky shot back up and drove the bottom of his boot into her stomach. **WHOMP! **Nico Robin slammed back down to the ground and laid there with Ricky's boot firmly planted on her stomach. "Looks like _I _finally got _you_."

Nico Robin closed her eyes in resignation. It was over. She'd lost. "Are you going to kill me?"

"If I can't _hurt you_ what makes you think I'd _kill you_?" Ricky questioned. "But would you mind telling my Nakama that I beat you? They were riding me about not being able to finish the fights I pick with Officer Agents."

"Just finish me and get it over with," Nico Robin ordered.

"Sorry but there's been a change in plans," Ricky announced. "Your Majesty, I need you to take us to the Poneglyph. Nico Robin, I want to get to the bottom of this Poneglyph thing so when we get there – if you really can read it – I want you to tell me what it says."

"Of course," Nico Robin agreed with a faint smile. She'd been beaten but the pirate who had beaten her was still letting her do what she'd sought to when she first joined Crocodile.

"I'll decide what to do about it once I know what it says," Ricky reasoned. "And at least this way, if Crocodile manages to get away from Luffy again I'll be able to set up an ambush." Ricky took his foot off of Nico Robin's stomach and pulled the taller woman back up to her feet.

Trusting that Vivi's friend had a plan and that his daughter could deal with the bomb, King Nefertari Cobra – now willingly – led them onward towards the Poneglyph.

**-x-**

"Ugghh!" Luffy groaned as he hung off of the roof of the palace. Below him the entire courtyard had been reduced to sand. All that was left was the path going from the outer gate to the doors and the tall falcon statue on the right side of the door.

"That was bad," Luffy commented as he pulled his chest over the edge of the wall while his swelled water belly jiggled down below. "That hand of his is gonna be a big problem. The entire lawn has been turned into a desert." Luffy looked down below him but couldn't see Crocodile anywhere. "Oh great, where'd he go now?"

**SSHHWWOOO! **Sand swirled around and Crocodile appeared on the roof in front of Luffy.

"Kuahaha, I'm quite tired of wasting my time with you," Crocodile remarked as he knelt down and grabbed the dangling and defenseless Luffy by the throat. **WHAP!**

**BLURP! BLURP! BLURP! **Luffy fired three water balls at Crocodile in a desperate attack but the Warlord leaned to the side and the balls flew passed him.

Crocodile tilted back into place and smirked down at Luffy. "Missed me!" His hand clenched and began sucking the water out of Luffy's body from his throat.

"GAAAH!" Luffy gasped as his skin went pale and shriveled up. Luffy's limp hand dropped downward and his straw hat fell from his grasp and was carried away by a sudden breeze.

"Kuahahahaha!" Crocodile chuckled. "You have lost to me… two times now, Straw Hat Luffy."

Crocodile stood up with a triumphant grin on his face. He held the limp and shriveled mummy that was Luffy by the throat. On this day, Sand Croc had triumphed over Water Luffy.

**-x-**

I kept Luffy and Crocodile's second fight mostly the same because the majority of it was Crocodile overwhelming Luffy and showing the true extent of his powers. In that scenario ANYONE would have lost to Crocodile. Out in the desert during their first fight, everything was already sand so there was no point in drying everything up. And in his battle against Ricky, Crocodile had to worry about hurting the people that he needed to enact his plan so he couldn't use his abilities to their full extent.

I kept Ricky and Robin's fight short because even though anime time is distorted the bomb made it so that I couldn't draw it out into a full fight. But there was plenty of action in it. Ricky disappeared because he realized Robin couldn't grab something if she didn't know where it was. Then he attacked one of her vulnerable arms and eyes and realized that attacking them hurt her. Robin called him out by threatening to break Tashigi's leg knowing that he wouldn't allow a woman to be hurt and then went to end the fight. But Ricky tensed his muscles and made his body denser like Mana did and countered it. Seeing a different version of Soru and Tekkai used together shocked Robin enough for Ricky to capitalize and win.

Next chapter, everyone else searches for the ticking time bomb, Crocodile catches up with Ricky and Robin down in the Royal Mausoleum.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	57. Chapter 57

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:**I don't own One Piece or any of the characters. I just own Ricky and the other OC's I've written into this alteration of the story.

**Royal Mausoleum:**

**-x-**

"Well, Straw Hat Luffy, this is a good way to die," Crocodile taunted as he stood on top of the Royal Palace holding Luffy's shriveled and mummified form by the throat. The entire lawn below them had been turned into a desert over the course of their second battle. The three water balls that had been Luffy's last desperate shot to get Crocodile continued to fly up into the sky. The face of the clock on the clock tower that loomed over the square where the Rebel Army and Royal Army were fighting read four twenty-four. "Within six minutes this yard will be blown up along with the square!"

**SWIP! **Crocodile released his hold on Luffy's throat and let the mummified pirate drop from the palace down onto the sandy lawn below.

"I'd stay but I'm in a hurry," Crocodile taunted. "You just wait right there, okay? And then you can celebrate the new King of the sand country." **TMP! **Luffy's still body finally hit the sand. "Now then… I should be on my way. He said it was in the mausoleum to the west of here." **SHWOOOO! **Crocodile's body became a cloud of sand and the Warlord floated off.

But had Crocodile stayed a moment longer he would have seen the three balls of water drop down from the sky and land on the prone pirate lying in the yard. **PLURT-PLURT-SPLOSH!**

"YAAAAH! THAT WAS WAY TOO CLOSE!" the rehydrated Luffy shrieked as he sat up with a start. The wet pirate sat there panting as he attempted to recover from almost dying at Crocodile's hand a second time. "THAT BASTARD! HE TOOK OFF!"

Luffy looked to the side where he'd seen the sand cloud float off from his position on the ground "I think he flew off in that direction," Luffy reasoned. "HE WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS! DAMN HIM!" With that, Luffy was back on his feet and was off chasing after Crocodile.

**-x-**

Just outside of Alubarna, Ricky and Nico Robin followed King Nefertari Cobra along a stone path that led to an ancient-looking stone monument.

"So this is the Royal Mausoleum," Nico Robin remarked as she surveyed the stone tomb with a small smile, "where generations of your Kings lay in their eternal rest."

"You seem interested in this sort of thing," Ricky noted.

"Of course," Nico Robin replied. "I'm an archeologist. I've been studying this Kingdom's long and storied history since I first came here. But I believe we're here for the Poneglyph."

"Your Majesty, if you wouldn't mind?" Ricky prompted.

"I trust you know what you're doing?" the King asked. "Crocodile can't be allowed to find the Pluton. If its deadly power lives up to the legend Crocodile could use it to destroy the world."

"Nobody wants Crocodile to get the Pluton," Ricky stated. "But I've found that people like him are at their most arrogant when they believe their evil plans are going perfectly. And when they're arrogant, they tend to make the biggest mistakes. If Crocodile manages to escape from Luffy and makes it all the way here he'll think everything is going smoothly. And that's where I'll capitalize."

King Cobra nodded and moved off of the path and over to a large rectangular pedestal with a statue of a Sea-Cat on it. With his arms no longer bound behind him by one of Nico Robin's extra arms the King was able to push the pedestal and turn it ninety degrees.

**CHUNK! **Ricky and Nico Robin watched in surprise as a rectangular panel of grass rose up into the air and revealed a stone staircase.

"Hidden stairs," Nico Robin observed.

"The Poneglyph is kept down there," King Cobra informed them.

Ricky walked over to the staircase and stared down it into the darkness of the hidden tomb. "So… who wants to go down the dark and creepy staircase first?" he inquired.

Nico Robin pushed passed him and started down the stairs without a second's hesitation. Although she kept her composure, there was no hiding the almost eager smile on her face.

"You're allowing her lead the way?" King Cobra asked him.

"I'm allowing her to check for booby traps," Ricky replied before they followed after her.

"Very few people even know of the Poneglyph's existence," the King pointed out as they made their way down the stairs.

"Only an archeologist would," Nico Robin admitted, "Many events occur behind the scenes. Just because a country belongs to the World Government doesn't necessarily mean that its King knows what is going on."

"I smell a conspiracy," Ricky commented.

Nico Robin stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder at him, "So do I," she agreed.

"I'm surprised there's still someone left in this world who can read them," King Cobra admitted.

"That's why Crocodile and I became a team in the first place," Nico Robin stated. "It's also why he can't kill me. I'm no use dead." She went to continue down the stairs but stopped herself so she could look back at Ricky and the King. "Tell me… is it correct that the Poneglyph in this country tells where Pluton is? Is that really the case?"

"Alabasta's Royal Family has been obligated for generations now to protect it," the King replied. "That duty is about the only thing we know about it."

"Protect?" Nico Robin repeated. "Don't make me laugh." She continued down the stairs.

The only sound was their footfalls until Ricky spoke up, "Then what are _you _looking for?"

The faint smile that appeared on Nico Robin's face remained hidden to the two men behind her. She eventually answered, "The secret behind the conspiracy."

They reached the bottom of the stairs and made their way into a large hallway. The ceiling was easily fifty feet high and was supported by large columns that were each as thick as three grown men. The short walls that lined the hall and connected the columns had hieroglyph carvings into them and the occasional statue could be seen.

"This place is quite impressive," Nico Robin commented as she and Ricky surveyed the old room around them.

"Can you read these symbols too?" Ricky inquired as he looked at the carvings on the walls.

"I could if I took the time to study them," Nico Robin replied."However, those symbols appear to make up a different language than the ones on the Poneglyph."

"The Poneglyph is located behind the doors in the back," King Cobra supplied.

**KREEK! **Ricky and Nico Robin each pulled opened one of the large double doors and while the King stopped in the opened doorway and bowed his head, the other two continued on.

Rather than focus on the room in front of him, Ricky looked at the woman beside him and noted the full smile lit up her face as she stared at what laid in front of them.

"Ah! There it is!" Nico Robin gasped.

**-x-**

"Aaaahhh…" Tashigi groaned as she laid face-down on the ground in the middle of the street. The bodies of the fifteen Marines that Nico Robin had strangled were still lying nearby.

The defeated Marine dragged herself along the ground towards her broken glasses and her dropped sword. She thought of how easily she'd been defeated. Her fight with Nico Robin was over before it started. The woman treated her like a little girl wielding a sharp stick. In an instant Tashigi had been disarmed and helpless. Then the woman had added to her humiliatingly quick defeat by breaking her leg.

_One Eye_ had been the one to defeat her. _Tashigi _had been the bait that Nico Robin used to lure him out into the open. But somehow he had withstood the attack from Nico Robin's Devil Fruit powers and managed to defeat her then headed off with the criminal and the King as if nothing had happened while Tashigi had been left behind to wallow in her defeat.

**Ssshhhwwwooo… **a cloud of sand blew into the street and suddenly the tall, blurry form of Crocodile was there standing over her.

"Hmph," Crocodile grunted.

"Crocodile… it's you…" Tashigi gasped.

"Kuahaha," the treacherous Warlord chuckled. Tashigi didn't need to see him to know that he was looking down at her as if she was a worthless dog. "Looks like Nico Robin made short work of you. I must say, I never thought the Marines would follow me to the city. Where's your boss? Did that smokey idiot run away and leave you all alone?"

_"I need you to keep a vigilant eye on this country and where it ends up," Smoker had instructed Tashigi and Devo before he headed off and left them alone in a situation where they were clearly in over their heads. "Whether it falls or whether it survives the dawn of a brand new historic age is on the horizon."_

"Justice is only for the people who take it," Crocodile taunted, "That's the kind of world we live in, girl. Why don't you just go back to your base and talk about justice until you're actually ready to fight for it."

_"And at least this way, if Crocodile manages to get away from Luffy again I'll be able to set up an ambush," One Eye had said before heading off with Nico Robin and the King._

A _pirate_ had defeated a notorious criminal while she, a Marine Officer, had failed. And now he was ready with an ambush for the treacherous Warlord standing over her while all Tashigi could do was lie there and fight not to cry. SINCE WHEN WAS IT THE _PIRATES_ THAT FOUGHT FOR JUSTICE?

"Kuahahahaha," Crocodile laughed as he walked passed her. To him, Tashigi wasn't even worth the effort to finish off.

**BANG! **A Sea Stone net flew at Crocodile but the Warlord casually side-stepped it and searched for the one who was foolish enough to fire at him. Lieutenant Devo was on his knees at the bottom of the wall Ricky had knocked him into and had fired the net from his rifle.

"Worthless," Crocodile taunted as he began advancing on the Marine Lieutenant.

**BANG! **A bullet went through Crocodile's forehead but the hole filled with sand as the Warlord walked right up to the wounded marine. **Whap! **Crocodile grabbed Devo by the throat and yanked him up off of the ground. **BANG! **Devo fired his last bullet but it harmlessly passed through the Warlord's chest and went out his back. **WHAM! **Crocodile slammed the Marine into the wall behind him and Devo's guns dropped to the ground. **KLAK-KLAK! **

"Your efforts are pointless," Crocodile mocked the marine. "You can't hurt me so you'll never stop me. Justice will only be a distant dream for a weakling like you." **WHUMP! **Crocodile turned and threw Devo down onto the street.

Devo struggled to get up but was pinned down when Crocodile stepped on his right elbow. **TMP! **"You'll die along with the other cretins in the square," Crocodile stated. "But before that, you'll learn the price for opposing me without actually having the strength to do it." Crocodile's hand and arm became a blade of sand. "DESERT… SPARDA!"

**SKUSSSH! **"AAAAARRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!" Devo's bloodcurdling scream carried over the rooftops as Crocodile's attack split the street… and his arm.

"Kuahahahahahaha!" Crocodile laughed as he walked off and left the Marines lying defeated on the ground behind him. "That was quite therapeutic." After all the trouble Luffy and Ricky had caused him, being excessively cruel towards someone who had no hope of fighting back or making him pay for it made the treacherous Warlord feel a lot better. Torturing someone, just because he could, made him feel powerful once more.

**-x-**

"Kuahahahahahaha! Worthless!" Usopp copied Crocodile's cruel laugh as he stood in an alley holding a broken hook on his finger. It actually wasn't that bad of an impression.

**KONK!** Zoro hit the sniper over the head, "WHAT'RE YOU DOING?" he demanded.

"WHAT AM I DOING?" Usopp retorted hotly, "I'm trying to get inside Crocodile's head! THAT'S WHAT! Like, if I were him, where would I wanna shoot a cannon from?"

"JUST KEEP LOOKING!" Zoro yelled. "WE ONLY HAVE FIVE MINUTES!"

**-x-**

"_Five minutes to go until a million people all die!" _Chopper frantically thought to himself as he ran down a street in Walk Point form with Ayako still riding on his back and Nami running alongside him. _"We really need to hurry! We don't have much time left! We have to find the cannon!"_

"Chopper, do you think you can find the guy by using your nose?" Nami asked.

"That won't work," Chopper told her, "the only thing I can smell anywhere is gunpowder."

"We have to do something!" Nami exclaimed. "Try finding the smell of a guy whose about to blow up the square with a big cannon!"

"WHAT KIND OF SMELL IS THAT?"

"Frogs," Ayako piped up. "Try to smell for frogs."

"Why frogs?" Chopper questioned.

"Crocodile's bound to have one of his top remaining agents guarding the bomb," Ayako explained. "Since all the Officer Agents have either been defeated or defected and Mr. 3 killed Mr. 6 and Ms. Mother's Day before our mission to kill you on Little Garden, the highest ranking remaining Officer Agent is Mr.7. He and Ms. Father's Day are a sniping pair so they'd be the best to have guarding a cannon until it goes off. Ms. Father's Day wears frog-themed clothing, shoots frog-shaped bullets, and even smells faintly like frogs."

"Well, that's the best we can come up with," Nami resolved. "Chopper, put that nose of yours to work and find something that smells like frog in all this gunpowder!"

"Right!" Chopper agreed as they raced onward. At least now they had some possible cannoneers in mind.

**-x-**

**ZZZZOOOOOM! **Sanji sprinted down a street as fast as he couldn't while still making sure he was able to check for the cannon.

"_Grrr… a cannonball that can blow up that big an area…" _Sanji growled to himself.

But suddenly he had an idea, **SKIIIISSSSSHH! **The cook skidded to a stop and stood in a crouch as he thought about the situation.

"Hold on, in that case it's gotta be really big," he reasoned, "And if it's gonna be shot out of a cannon then it surely can't go very far. SO IT'S GOTTA BE CLOSER TO THE SQUARE!"

Sanji prepared to race off again but stopped himself, "GAAH! THERE'S NO WAY I HAVE TIME TO GO ALL THE WAY AROUND!" **THWHAM! **The cook raced at the building in front of him and kicked a huge hole in the wall. "There! A shortcut!" Sanji continued smashing his way to the square. Now at least he had a much more specific area to look in.

**-x-**

"Anything from the sky Pell?" Vivi called up to Pell as he flew above her in his falcon form.

"I searched every rooftop near the square," he reported, "I couldn't find any sign of a cannon."

"Then it may be in a building somewhere," Vivi suggested.

"Right, I'll search them all," Pell vowed. **WOOSH! **He flapped his wings and ascended back up into the air and took off again.

**-x-**

**TMP! **Mana landed on a rooftop and stared down at the figure on the ground below her.

"Hey! Are you still alive down there? I need you for something!"

**-x-**

"Lieutenant!" Tashigi cried. She'd somehow managed to drag herself passed the unconscious marines and over to the wounded and bleeding form of Lieutenant Devo. Crocodile's sadistic spur-of-the-moment attack had sliced Devo's forearm clean off. Now nothing remained below his elbow. The Marine Lieutenant's right arm had been reduced to a bleeding stump. "Lieutenant! Stay with me!"

"**Where's Crocodile?" **Tashigi looked up and saw Luffy standing there barefoot and hat-less on the other side of the unconscious marines.

"Straw Hat!" Tashigi called out.

"Where'd he go?" Luffy asked. "Where?"

"Ah!" Tashigi gasped.

"_One of Crocodile's men is going to fire a bomb into the square where the two armies are," One Eye had attempted to warn them. "It'll wipe out everything within three miles. Make yourselves useful and lend my crew a hand in finding it and disabling it and let me handle this."_

_"HE'S TELLING THE TRUTH!" King Cobra had shouted. "PLEASE!__ T__HE BOMB IS SET TO GO OFF AT FOUR THIRTY! IF IT DOES A MILLION CITIZENS WILL DIE!"_

Tashigi remembered her humiliating defeat at the hands of Nico Robin, her broken leg still hurt but it was nothing compared to Lieutenant Devo's amputated arm. She remembered how One Eye had succeeded where she had failed and defeated the woman.

_"And at least this way, if Crocodile manages to get away from Luffy again I'll be able to set up an ambush," One Eye had said before heading off with Nico Robin and the King._

"_Justice is only for the people who take it," Crocodile had taunted her, "That's the kind of world we live in, girl. Why don't you just go back to your base and talk about justice until you're actually ready to fight for it."_

"_You can't hurt me so you'll never stop me," Crocodile had mocked Lieutenant Devo after effortlessly defeating him. "Justice will only be a distant dream for a weakling like you."_

"_You'll die along with the other cretins in the square. But before that, you'll learn the price for opposing me without actually having the strength to do it." Crocodile taunted before cleaving Devo's arm off._

Tashigi knew where she stood now. She didn't have a hope of defeating Crocodile. But Straw Hat and One Eye both seemed determined and able to stop him from carrying out whatever his treacherous plans were.

"TELL ME RIGHT NOW!" Luffy shouted. "WHICH WAY DID HE GO?"

Tashigi hung her head and pointed in the direction Crocodile had gone. "Towards the Royal Mausoleum," she answered, "That way."

"That direction?" Luffy questioned. "Thank you!" With that he ran off down the street in pursuit of Crocodile.

Tashigi fought to keep from crying. She and the Lieutenant hadn't been able to lay a hand on Nico Robin or Crocodile. And now she was reduced to relying on two _pirates_ to carry out justice. There was no way she could make it back to the square in time on a broken leg. All she could do now was make sure Lieutenant Devo didn't die from his wound and hope that her remaining men managed to find the bomb and that the wanted pirates Straw Hat Luffy and One Eye Ricky could succeed where the Marines had failed.

"What justice is there?" Tashigi whispered as she broke out into open sobs. "To hell with Marine Headquarters…"

**-x-**

"HUFF! HUFF! HUFF!" Luffy ran as fast as he could towards the Royal Mausoleum. And since he didn't have the first clue what that was he just kept running in the direction Tashigi had pointed and hoped to come across something that looked suspicious.

**SPLURT! **Blood squirted out of Luffy's stomach. His wound from his first fight against Crocodile still hadn't fully healed. And he'd just recently barely survived being turned into a mummy during his second defeat.

Luffy staggered to the side and slammed into a building and dropped to the ground, **WHAM! FWUMP! **

"I can't move very well…" Luffy groaned as he tried to push his over-exerted body further. "This is strange… I ate all that meat… What's wrong? These wounds are small."

Luffy forced himself back onto his feet and managed to stagger another few steps forward. "I wonder… if I should… lie down…" **FWUMP! **Luffy collapsed onto the grass lining the path to the Royal Mausoleam.

As the fighting raged on in the square and the seconds until the bomb blew everyone up ticked by, Luffy closed his eyes and passed out right there on the grass.

**-x-**

**Croc-ish:**

**-x-**

Nico Robin stood in front of the huge stone cube and read the strange symbols while Ricky and King Cobra could only standby and watch.

"So… what's it say?" Ricky inquired.

"Did it tell you everything that you wanted to know?" King Cobra asked.

"Judging from the look on her face those are two separate things," Ricky observed.

"It's not what I'm looking for," Nico Robin admitted. "Are you sure this is the only Poneglyph in this country?"

A sly grin appeared on Ricky's face, "I might've seen something."

Nico Robin whirled around to face him, "Where? What do you know?"

"You first," Ricky retorted, "What are _you_ looking for?"

**-x-**

High up above them on the surface, Crocodile walked along the stone path towards the Royal Mausoleum. It was then when he spotted the trapdoor and the hidden stairs that Ricky, Nico Robin, and King Cobra had left opened.

"Kuahaha," Crocodile chuckled, "Now I see it… secret stairs."

**-x-**

The Straw Hats and Ayako raced through the streets of Alubarna frantically searching for any sign of the cannon and the bomb.

The clocktower that loomed over the square read four twenty-six.

"_Just four more minutes!" _Vivi exclaimed.

**-x-**

"Zzzzzz…" Luffy let out a faint snore as he continued sleeping on the patch of grass near the Royal Mausoleum.

**-x-**

Crocodile hadn't seen Luffy and had begun to make his way down the stairs to the secret tomb.

**-x-**

"I doubt you've ever heard of the Void Century," Nico Robin stated, "It's something only and archeologist would know about. And thanks to the World Government, I'm the only one left. The Void Century is a hundred-year time-span that was completely wiped from the history books. It was several centuries ago and I believe it was the time period where the Pluton was created and then disappeared. At the end of that time the World Government was created and all evidence of what happened has been erased and covered up. The only thing left from that time period are the Poneglyphs. I'm trying to uncover the conspiracy and find the True History."

"…" Both Ricky and King Cobra were silent as the processed this information. An entire century has been erased from existence by the World Government. Clearly _something_ had happened that they didn't want _anyone _to know about.

"Now…" Nico Robin continued as she looked at Ricky imploringly, "_What do you know_?"

Ricky reached down into his bottom right pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, he unfolded it and handed it to Nico Robin, "Can you read this?" he asked.

Nico Robin stared at the etching with her eyes narrowed, "I doesn't say much," she informed him. "The only whole words that you managed to copy are **'terrible power'**."

"When we first landed here, my Nakama and I headed for Yuba because that's where Vivi thought the Rebel Army was based," Ricky explained. "Along the way four of us got separated from the others and we ended up stumbling upon an underground dome. There was a Poneglyph down inside it. None of us could make out a single word but the ominous feeling I got from inside of the dome made it seem interesting. I copied some of the characters and left behind a way to find it again if I encountered someone who could read them."

"Could you take me—" Nico Robin's request was cut off when the double doors began to open.

"Shit," Ricky cursed, "Out of time." **SKISH! **He dashed away and ducked behind the Poneglyph.

**KREEEEK! **Crocodile made his way into the room and approached Nico Robin and the Poneglyph with a smile on his gray face.

"Just like any other national secret," Crocodile remarked, "No matter how hard you look you won't find it unless you already know where it is." Crocodile stopped and stood beside Nico Robin, "So… this is the Poneglyph we were looking for…"

"That didn't take much time," Nico Robin commented as she looked away from the Poneglyph and over at Crocodile.

"Now that you have this thing in front of you, were you able to decipher it?" Crocodile asked.

"Yes," Nico Robin answered.

"Now read it aloud," Crocodile instructed. "What does this thing say?"

Nico Robin glanced down at the folded paper in her hand then turned to the Poneglyph and started to read. "Kahira conquered Alabasta in Year of Heaven 239… In year 260 Taymar ruled the Bitein Dynasty… in year 306 the Taph Cathedral was completed in Erumalu… in year 325 the Hero Mamudin…"

"HEY HOLD ON!" Crocodile interrupted, he'd grown angrier and angrier as Nico Robin's 'history lesson' progressed. "WHAT'S THIS? Is this really all of the information here? I don't give a damn about this desert's history! I want to know about the World's most dangerous military power that's hiding in this country! WHERE IS THE PLUTON HIDDEN?"

Nico Robin looked back at Crocodile, "That information isn't on here."

"WHAT?" Crocodile demanded.

"History is the only thing that this text contains," Nico Robin stated.

"That's all?" Crocodile asked.

"Pluton… I didn't see it anywhere…" Nico Robin told him. "It isn't mentioned on this Poneglyph at all."

"…" King Cobra's eyes had gone wide in surprise.

Hidden behind the Poneglyph, Ricky grinned.

Crocodile stared at Nico Robin and the Poneglyph for a moment. "Not mentioned at all…" he repeated before he closed his eyes and frowned, "I see. That's unfortunate." Nico Robin looked at him in surprise. "You've been an excellent partner, but even so… I think that I'll kill you right here."

"AH! WHAT?" Nico Robin gasped in alarm as she took a step away from him.

"The agreement that we made four years ago has been fulfilled," Crocodile informed her. "Do you remember the terms of that agreement? I was to bring you to the Poneglyph and in turn you would hand over the information on the weapon to me. The work you've done for Baroque Works these past four years was excellent but in terms of intellect and your ability to command. Your usefulness to the company has been reason enough to keep you around. But in the end you've spoiled it all! BY BETRAYING ME! NICO ROBIN!" **SWISH! **Crocodile lashed out at Nico Robin with his golden hook, she leapt backwards to avoid the blow and lost her white cowgirl hat in the process.

"_It's decided then," _Ricky resolved as he turned around and silently climbed on top of the Poneglyph.

"You say the Poneglyph in this country doesn't say anything at all about the Pluton," Crocodile said. "Is that true? WAS THIS THE PLAN ALL ALONG? To hide the information from me even if you were able to find something useful?" Crocodile closed his eyes. "But even so… I don't feel any anger towards you. Do you know why that is, Nico Robin?"

"Hmph, fool," Nico Robin grunted as she reached into her coat. "I knew you'd try something like this some day so I'm more than ready." Nico Robin pulled out a vial of water and threw it at Crocodile. **SWIFF!**

"Water, huh?" Crocodile questioned as he leaned his head to the side to avoid the vial. **WHAP! **An arm grew out of Crocodile's shoulder and caught the vial.

Nico Robin pulled out a knife and seamlessly transitioned from archeologist to assassin. "IF YOU GET WET THEN A KNIFE SHOULD GO RIGHT INTO YOU!" she shouted as she charged at him and had her arm throw the water vial down at Crocodile.

**SHHWWOOO! **But the Warlord became a cloud of sand and the glass vial went right through him and shattered on the floor. **KRESH!**

Nico Robin stopped in her tracks and looked frantically around for Crocodile. "Damn it, where'd he go?"

**SHWWOOO! **Crocodile reformed in front of her and lashed out his hook. **SWISH! **

**KLANG!** But the blow never came.

"YOU!" Crocodile shouted as Ricky stood in between him and Nico Robin and blocked Crocodile's golden hook with the red blade of his sword.

**THWHAM! **Ricky lashed out his leg and drove the Sea Stone bottom of his boot into Crocodile's stomach and sent him flying backwards.

**SKISH! **Crocodile skidded to a stop and glared at Ricky and Nico Robin as they stood across the room from him.

"The only reason I didn't finish you off at the palace is because this one kept interfering," Ricky commented. "But now that you tried to kill her… it looks like she'll be working with me instead of against me."

"Hmph," Crocodile grunted, "I could've refused you and that entire palace to nothing but a pile of sand! I held back because there were people around that needed alive."

"That doesn't make you any better," Ricky retorted, "Just stupid."

"YOU MISERABLE LITTLE BRAT!" Crocodile snarled at Ricky then he glared at the woman standing next to him. "So you're siding with him then, Nico Robin. Your treachery knows no bounds."

"His health plan seems better than yours," Nico Robin stated.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," Crocodile admitted, "Because I never trusted you from the very beginning of our partnership! If you want to side with him…then the two of you can die together. But now the kid gloves come off." Crocodile grabbed his golden hook and pulled. **Clak! **He pulled off a hollow gold covering and revealed a thinner silver hook with holes all over it. Purple gas rose out of the holes as Crocodile showed off his new venom. "My poisonous hook contains a powerful scorpion venom. It's strong enough to melt through rock and kill anyone with a single slash. You two have caused me too much trouble to be granted a clean death."

Nico Robin glanced at Ricky and slipped the folded piece of paper that was still in her hand into one of the pockets inside of her coat.

"You're deadly little toy doesn't scare me," Ricky told Crocodile. "This Kingdom means the World to Vivi. I won't allow your plans to succeed. I'll defend it until my last breath."

King Cobra stared at Ricky then glanced at the column behind him. The secret mausoleum had been built so that disturbing just one column would destroy the balance of the entire structure and cause it to collapse. But his daughter's pirate friend was willing to risk his life to save his Kingdom. The King decided to have faith in the brave young man in the hopes that he could defeat Crocodile and that they could escape the battle with their lives.

"I can tell from Cobra's reaction that the Pluton really does exist," Crocodile stated. "I don't need the Poneglyph. I can find the Pluton on my own. Once this country is mine it's only a matter of time!"

"There's just one problem with that," Ricky told him. "As long as I'm here, you'll _never_ rule this Kingdom."

"Then that's a problem I'll rectify RIGHT NOW!" Crocodile charged Ricky and Nico Robin with his poisonous hook poised to attack.

"Stay back and only get involved if you see an opening," Ricky instructed the woman next to him. He changed the grip on his sword and prepared to face Crocodile's attack. "I've got this."

**-x-**

Vivi ran so fast through the streets of Alubarna that her sandals ripped and she fell to the ground. **SKUSSSHH! **

"Aaahhh…" the Princess gasped and held her badly scraped shin. _"Three minutes left," _she thought to herself. _"Where is it? A cannon big enough to destroy such a large area has to be enormous! There can't be many places to hide such a weapon. So why are we still unable to find it after all this? An open space where a cannon would fit…"_

**ZING! **"WAAAH!" Usopp shrieked in terror behind Vivi as a bullet whizzed by his head. "STOP SHOOTING!"

Suddenly Vivi's eyes went wide. "An open space…"

"_That's not fair Koza!" one of the young members of the Sand Sand Band complained many years ago when they were little kids playing hide-and-seek, "Hiding in a place like this the entire time!"_

"_Yeah Leader!" Vivi agreed. "No fair!"_

"Yes… that place would work…" Vivi realized. SHE KNEW WHERE THE BOMB WAS!

"THAT'S DANGEROUS I TOLD YOU TO STOP SHOOTING AT ME!" Usopp screamed at some soldiers. "TASTE SMOKE STAR!" **CHOO! **Usopp fired a pellet at the men shooting at him with his slingshot and engulfed them in a cloud of smoke. **FWOOOSSH!**

"HEY!" a soldier shouted as he ran at Usopp.

"That's perfect," Vivi muttered as she ignored the sniper's plight. "It's hidden and it's big!"

"STOP IT IDIOT!" Usopp shouted as he ran passed Vivi with a royal soldier chasing him. "I told you I'm not from the Rebel Army! USOPP HAMMER!" **KONK! KONK! **"USOPP RUBBERBAND OF DOOOOOM!" **SNAP! **"THAT SHOULD TEACH YA!" Usopp ran the other way, "DO THEY KNOW WHO THEY'RE DEALING WITH HERE?"

The glared at the other soldiers that had shot at him, "Don't be afraid when I tell you this! NO! BE VERY AFRAID! I AM THE INCREDIBLE CAPTAIN USOPP!"

**YOINK! **Vivi grabbed Usopp's long nose and pulled him around to face her.

"WAAH!" the incredible Captain Usopp screamed but then calmed down, "Oh, it's you Vivi. Were you able to find the cannoneer?"'

"I know now," she told him. "I figured it out."

"What? You know where?" Usopp questioned. He fished into his weapon pouch and pulled out a red pellet and put it in his slingshot. "I'll signal everyone, you're sure about this right?"

"Yes," Vivi assured him.

"SPECIAL ATTACK… RED SERPANT STAR!" **WHOOOM! **As soon as it was fired the red pellet burst and became a ball of red smoke. It flew up into the air and floated over their heads signaling their location.

All around the square Pell, Ayako and the Straw Hats spotted the red smoke floating overhead.

Even Zoro, who without Usopp to hold him back had somehow gotten lost and ended up OUTSIDE of Alubarna, spotted it.

**-x-**

"Zzzzz…" the red smoke could even be seen from the patch of grass that Luffy was sleeping on. "Zzzzzzzzz…" **SNORT! **Luffy awoke with a start and pushed moved himself around so he was sitting cross-legged on the grass.

"Aahhh, I slept good," Luffy sighed. "Oh that's right… I couldn't move all of a sudden and decided to risk it and take a nap right here since there was really no other choice. Yeah… and I feel better now. So…" **ZZZZZOOOOM! **Reenergized from his two minute nap Luffy raced off. "ITS TIME FOR ME TO BEAT UP CROCODILE!"

**WOOOOSSSHH! **Luffy raced passed the secret stairs but skidded to a stop, **SKIISSSHHHH! **

"Huff… huff… huff…" Luffy panted as he looked over his shoulder at the secret stairs. "That hole over there looks kind of… Croc-ish!"

**-x-**

Down below, the third battle between Ricky and Crocodile had gotten underway.

"Flying… ARROW KICK!" Ricky launched himself feet-first at Crocodile. **WOOOSSHH! **Crocodile turned into sand and Ricky flew straight through him. **TMP! **Ricky landed in a crouch.

**SHWOOO! **Crocodile reformed behind him and lashed out his poison hook, **WOOOSH! **"Quarterstaff… SWEEP!" **THWAK! **Ricky spun under the hook and swept the Warlord's legs.

**WOOOSH! **Crocodile's unbalanced legs became sand and the top half of his body floated away to keep him from falling over.

"DIE ONE EYE!" Crocodile shouted as he flew down at Ricky from overhead.

"YOU FIRST!" Ricky yelled back. "Red Blade… VOLCANO!" **SHOOM! **Ricky launched himself up off of the ground and spun around in midair. **KLANG! **Ricky's sword collided with Crocodile's hook and knocked it aside. "Machete BACK KICK!" Ricky kept spinning and lashed his leg out behind him. **THWAK! **The Sea Stone boot smashed into Crocodile's chest and sent him flying backwards.

**TMP! **Ricky landed safely on the ground while Crocodile turned into sand to keep from slamming into the wall. **SWOOOSH! **The sand floated down to the ground and the Warlord reformed on his feet.

"I'll admit it," Crocodile confessed, "For a no-account pirate, you're not bad."

"You forget," Ricky corrected him, "I'm not just a Straw Hat. You're talking to the One-Eyed Jack of Spades and a former Whitebeard Pirate."

"None-the-less, you're still going to die here!" Crocodile assured him. **WOOOOOSSSSHHH! **Crocodile's legs became sand and he flew at Ricky with his poison hook once again poised to attack.

"I won't die without taking you down first!" Ricky insisted as he raced to meet Crocodile.

The two clashed in the middle of the tomb.

**THWAK! SHUNK! **Ricky drove his Sea Stone boot and his sword into Crocodile's stomach. "Got you," Ricky taunted.

"UUGGGHH!" Crocodile groaned as his blood spilled out. **SLISH! **With a great deal of effort the Warlord slashed Ricky's side with his poison hook. "And _I _got _you_!"

**FWUMP! **Ricky dropped to the ground and Crocodile staggered backwards and held his wound.

"Kuahahaha," Crocodile laughed, "You may have stabbed me… but a wound like this isn't fatal. Yours however… has deadly scorpion venom in it. It's over One Eye. YOU LOSE!"

"Aaaahhhh…" Ricky gasped as the poison began to take its toll on his body.

"You're next Nico Robin!" Crocodile declared. "It'll finish you and Cobra right here. Then in three minutes the bomb will blow up the square. Then everyone standing in my way will be eliminated! And in that moment, this land, WILL BECOME MINE ENTIRELY! KUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! KUUAAHAAHAAHAAHAAHAAHAAHAA!"

**-x-**

Luffy could hear Crocodile's mocking laughter echoing through the mausoleum as he raced down the long flight of stairs as fast as he could.

"_WHERE ARE YOU?" _Luffy shouted in his mind. _"CROOOOCOOODIIIIILEEEEE!"_

**-x-**

And so Ricky goes down but Luffy right there to take over for him. Next chapter, the Straw Hats locate the bomb at the Sand Sand Band's secret base and the nightmare of Crocodile's fiendish plan draws near.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	58. Chapter 58

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:**I don't own One Piece or any of the characters. I just own Ricky and the other OC's I've written into this alteration of the story.

**Sand Sand Band's Secret Base:**

**-x-**

At the Royal Mausoleum west of the Alubarna square, Luffy was racing barefoot down the long flight of stairs to face Crocodile again.

"CROOOCOOOODIIIIILLEEEE!" Luffy bellowed."WHERE ARE YOU?"

"What's with this weird place anyway?" Luffy wondered as he looked ahead of him at the dark room at the bottom on the stairs that was now very close. "Ricky's probably figured out what all this weird stuff is. So I don't have to know what it is. I just have to kick Crocodile's ass!"

Luffy reached the bottom of the stairs and reached the wide-opened room at the bottom that led to the Poneglyph chamber that Ricky, Cobra, Nico Robin, and Crocodile were all inside. Without really knowing where he was going, Luffy raced straight through the huge room towards the large double doors at the other end.

**-x-**

The red smoke that had been shot up into the air by Usopp still lingered over the city and signified to the Straw Hats, former agents, and Pell that he and Vivi had figured out where Crocodile's bomb was hidden.

The time on the clock tower was four twenty-six leaving just four minutes until the two armies fighting in the sand cloud below, as well as everyone else within three miles, were blown up.

"I'm certain of it," Vivi insisted as she and Usopp stood in the middle of a street off of the square. The tall column of red smoke floated over their heads as the waited for the others to reach them. "The cannon has to be in there! I can't think of any other options beside that place!"

"What makes you so sure it's in there anyway, Vivi?" Usopp asked.

"We have assume that the sand cloud is part of Crocodile's plan," Vivi explained, "The cannon must be in a place where the cannoneer can still see well enough to hit the target. Also, it has to be in an open place where a cannon that size can fit but can't be seen from the sky."

Vivi turned and her gaze fell on the large building that towered over the square and gave the hidden cannoneer a perfect view of their target… THE CLOCK TOWER! Ironically, the giant clock that everyone had been checking to see how much time they had left was actually hiding the very cannonn they were searching for the whole time.

**-Vivi's Clock Tower Flashback-**

"This looks like a good place, doesn't it?" the ten-year-old Koza addressed Vivi and the rest of the Sand Sand Band as they stood together in the large opened room behind the round clock face. The room was wide opened and the only things that took up the room were the occasional gears. It was the perfect place for their band of kids to hang out. "Let's make this our secret base!"

"YEAH!" Vivi and the rest of the Sand Sand Band cheered in agreement.

**-End Flashback-**

"So that has to be it," Vivi concluded, "It makes perfect sense to me."

"Okay, hold on," Usopp said as he bent down and started scratching a message on the ground. **Skreessh… skreeesshhh… **"We'll leave the others a message since they're heading here."

"Thanks Usopp, I'm going ahead to the tower," Vvi informed him as she raced off.

"HEEEY!" Usopp shouted after her, "Wait Vivi!"

"HURRY!" Vivi called back as he ran after her.

But they both came to a stop when a group of shadowy figures blocked their path.

"**Well look at that,"** a man commented from inside the cloud of sand in front of them. **"It's the Princess! Hahaha! The smoke signal led us straight to her!"**

"More Billions!" Vivi gasped.

"OOOOH NOOOO!" Usopp screamed. "WE SIGNALED THE ENEMY TOO!"

**-x-**

"That smoke, its Usopp's signal!" Zoro realized as pushed passed a leafy branch and stared at the red smoke flying over Alubarna… the DISTANT city of Alubarna. "He must have found it! But why is the palace so far away?" Zoro ran through the brush in the oasis he'd somehow wound up in. Zoro's poor sense of direction knew no bounds. Getting lost in a large city was one thing but LEAVING the city and ended up in an oasis OUTSIDE of it without even noticing it was another thing entirely.

**-x-**

"SAUTÉ!" **ZZZZZZZOOOOOOM! **Sanji sped through the streets as a black and blond blur and raced towards Usopp's red smoke signal. "Good, it's not far from here!"

**-x-**

Chopper ran towards the red smoke in his Walk Point form now with both Nami and Ayako riding on his back. Nami was up front holding onto his antlers while Ayako was in the back hugging the older girl to stay on.

"I wonder if that signal means that they've found the cannoneer," Chopper commented.

"They must have," Nami reasoned, "LET'S GO!"

"Hopefully… we'll be able to tell them… who we're dealing with," Ayako whimpered as she buried her face in Nami's back. Now that they had a set destination Chopper was running much faster and much rougher as he bounded along the stone path. The normally laidback artist's motion sickness was back with a vengeance.

**-x-**

"UUUUUSOOOOPP NOOOIIIISSSEEE!" Usopp screamed as he held up a blackboard and scratched his nails on it. **SKREEEEEECH!**

The Billions winced and covered their ears as Usopp tortured them with the high-pitched noise.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Usopp cackled while Vivi stood beside him with her hands clamped over her own ears, "TREMBLE AT THE POWER OF MY NAILS!" While the Billions were distracted, Usopp grabbed Vivi's wrist and pulled her away, "C'mon Vivi, let's go!"

"Right," Vivi agreed as she uncovered her ears and raced off with Usopp.

"HEY!" one of the Billions shouted once they recovered from Usopp's unorthodox attack. They glared through the sand cloud after Usopp and Vivi. "THERE THEY GO! GET 'EM!"

"RAAAAH!" the Billions let out a collective roar as they chased after the Princes and the pirate.

**-x-**

**SQUELCH! **Crocodile pulled Ricky's blood-covered sword out of his stomach and tossed it down on top of the prone pirate at his feet. The wound going through the Warlord's stomach was light compared to the venom-laced blow Crocodile had landed on Ricky during the exchange.

"Now you're next Nico Robin," Crocodile announced as he glared at his former partner. The deadly woman clenched her knife and stood across the room from Crocodile and glaced down at Ricky's bleeding form.

"I don't plan to go down that easily," Nico Robin replied. "He's one of those self-sacrificing types that puts his life on the line whenever he fights for something he feels is important. I don't have any intention of defending this Kingdom to the death, only to stay alive while killing _you_."

While Crocodile and Nico Robin faced off, King Cobra crept backwards towards the column that would collapse the tomb. He had been willing to trust Ricky to be able to defeat Crocodile but since that had failed he was now going to do his Kingly duty and give his life to save the land the Nefertari family had been ruling and protecting for twelve generations.

"I'll admit that your skills as an assassin are commendable," Crocodile confessed, "but with One Eye as good as dead there's no one left in this Kingdom that can oppose me. THIS LAND IS MINE! KUUAAHAAHAAHAAHAAHAAHAA!"

**THOOM! THOOM! KRAAASSSHH!**

The double doors were smashed opened and everyone's attention was drawn to the figure standing in the dust cloud that had risen above the rubble of the destroyed doors.

The dust cleared and revealed heavily breathing Luffy who still recovering from all the running he'd just done.

"YOOUUU!" Crocodile snarled as he sent Luffy a glare that mixed surprise and loathing.

"Ricky…" Luffy whispered when he noticed his wounded brother.

"HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?" Crocodile demanded. "NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I KILL YOU, YOU JUST KEEP COMING BACK FOR MORE!"

"How did he manage it?" King Cobra wondered as he stared at Luffy in shock. "How did he live and make it all the way here? Who is this boy?"

"TELL ME… JUST HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU HAVE TO DIE?" Crocodile roared.

"**Ugghhh… Just once…" **Ricky groaned from down on the ground as he managed to roll over so he could glare up at Crocodile. "But you lack the ability to actually kill someone like him."

Eight legs grew out of Ricky's back and lifted him up off of the ground and walked him over to Nico Robin.

"Straw Hat," Nico Robin called across the room now that Ricky was safely out of the way for the impending fight between Luffy and Crocodile. "My allegiance has changed. If you can defeat Crocodile, I'll tend to your First Mate."

"That works for me," Luffy told her. **POW! **Luffy punched one of his fists into his other hand. "Cause I was gonna kick Crocodile's ass anyway!" Luffy returned his focus to Crocodile "There's something you still need to return Crocodile. And I came here to get it back!"

"What is this thing I took?" Crocodile questioned. "Is it money?"

"Obviously not…" Ricky interjected, "_I _took that."

Crocodile glared at him then looked back at Luffy, "Is it fame? Or the people's trust? Or their lives? Is it the rain? KUAHAHAHAHAHA! I have taken all of those things! SO WHICH IS IT THAT YOU WANT ME TO GIVE BACK, STRAW HAT?"

"This land," Luffy answered.

"The land?" Crocodile repeated. "Really, you should know better than that by now. I have no intention of relinquishing this country. Why would I when I'm going to become its next King?"

"We came to this island to save Vivi's country," Luffy said. "But then… when we got here it was gone. YOU STOLE HER COUNTRY!"

Luffy thought of all they'd seen on their journey across the desert to Yuba.

"_I have to get to the Rebel Army," Vivi had said way back before they had made landfall. "I must persuade their leader to stop this pointless bloodshed."_

"_Look around everyone," Vivi instructed as they stood outside of Erumalu. "This is what Baroque Works is doing to my country. The people of Alabasta… this is what they have to go through."_

_The Straw Hats and the three Whitebeard Pirates that had been accompanying them made their way through the dried up and abandoned city. "Up until recently it was a thriving city filled with gardens, palm trees, and lush greenery."_

"_Vivi… is that really you?" the unrecognizably thin Toto asked when they had finally made it to Yuba, only to find it plagued with sandstorms and just as dried out as Erumalu. "You're alive! I can't believe it! Thank goodness, it's me Vivi, don't you recognize me? I look different… I've lost some weight, I suppose…"_

"_AH!" Vivi gasped in horror when she finally recognized the man. "Toto… is it… really you?" The previously fat man that Vivi had once known had wasted away along with the city._

"_Please Vivi!" Toto had urged the Princess, "you have to stop these fools from tearing our country apart!"_

"This is her country and I'm here to take it back from you!" Luffy announced.

"_You want it to work out so nobody dies in this fight," Luffy pointed out when they left Yuba. "Isn't that right? None of the citizens, none of us either. We're up against one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and a million people on top of that. And you still want everyone to end up all safe and sound. You'll never win that way."_

"_AND WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT, HUH?" Vivi had shouted. "WHAT IS SO WRONG ABOUT NOT WANTING TO SEE PEOPLE DIE OR GET HURT?"_

"_Just being in this country for the limited time that I have and looking around… even I can tell…" Luffy had said when the Princess had slapped him and tackled him to the ground._

_**WHAP! POW! WHAP! POW!**__ While straddling Luffy's stomach the Princess alternated between slapping him and punching him. _

"_WHAT THIS COUNTRY NEEDS MORE THAN ANYTHING!" Luffy shouted through his beating. "YOU THINK THAT PUTTING JUST YOUR LIFE ON THE LINE IS ENOUGH TO STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING?" _

"_Well what else exactly should I be putting on the line with it then, Luffy?" Vivi cried as she continued alternatively slapping and punching Luffy. "WHAT LUFFY?"_

_**Whup! Whup! **__Luffy reached up and caught both of Vivi's arms by the wrist effectively ending the beating. Vivi hung her head. "I don't have anything else that I can put on the line… Just me…"_

_Luffy threw her off of him and shouted at her, "WELL YOU CAN AT LEAST TRY PUTTING ALL OF OUR LIVES ON THE LINE TOGETHER! __**AREN'T WE NAKAMA?**__"_

_Vivi had broken down and cried at Luffy's loyal pledge to give his life to fight for her Kingdom._

"I will defeat you and take this country out of your evil hands!" Luffy exclaimed. "And then… VIVI WILL SMILE AGAIN!"

"RAAAAHH!" Luffy let out a roar and charged at Crocodile.

"Threaten me as much as you like," Crocodile taunted, "But without any water you're nothing."

**THWAK! **Luffy lashed out his blood-coated foot and drove it into Crocodile's face. The Warlord went flying across the room and smashed into the far wall. **KRASH!**

Crocodile sat up and glared at Luffy, _"This is impossible," _he thought to himself,_ "he doesn't have any water. So how can he kick me?"_

Luffy cracked his knuckles then stretched his arm back behind him. "UAAAAAHHH!" he shouted before he shot his arm back at Crocodile. **SHOOM! **Luffy's rubber arm snapped back and his blood-coated fist smashed into the still-seated Warlord's face. **POOWW! **Again Crocodile was sent flying backwards but this time he went clear through the wall.** KRASH! **

"Ugghhh…" the resilient Warlord groaned as he slowly stood back up. "I see… you're using… your blood!" Crocodile stared at Luffy's blood-coated fists and feet. "Clever… for you."

"Blood can harden sand too," Luffy pointed out.

"Kuahahahaha!" Crocodile laughed, "First Rain Base and then the Royal Palace… I defeated both you and One Eye in both of those places. Now we're here in this underground mausoleum. I've already defeated One Eye here… looks like it's your turn again. You should be rewarded for your insistence on challenging me. You just keep coming back."

"WHY YOU!" Luffy shouted.** SHHOOOM! **He stretched his leg and lashed it out at Crocodile.

**SKISH! **The Warlord leapt to the side and Luffy smashed his foot through the wall.** THOOM!**

Crocodile showed Luffy his unveiled poison hook, "You're a pirate Straw Hat," Crocodile commented. "You've certainly proven that in your determination to defeat me no matter the cost. And I'll admit that you've become an annoyingly persistent opponent during our three encounters."

"Alright… what's that?" Luffy asked as he stared at Crocodile's hook.

"A poisonous hook," Crocodile explained. "You seem to be a competent pirate, I suppose. So surely you must understand that a duel between pirates is always about two people fighting for survival. And when that's the case, there's no such thing as playing dirty. I've already used this hook to dispatch of One Eye so now it's your turn. When the explosion goes off in the square this place will most likely crumble into dust. This will be our final battle. SO LET'S SETTLE THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL!"

Luffy slipped into his fighting stance and prepared to finally end his fight against Crocodile.

**-x-**

**The Nightmare Draws Near:**

**-x-**

Zoro had somehow made it back into the heart of Alubarna in less than a minute and was now rushing through the streets towards the spot he'd seen Usopp's red smoke signal coming from.

"It was coming from this direction wasn't it?" Zoro asked. "Or was it?" He was lost again.

But the swordsman skidded to a stop when a group of Marines stood blocking his path. At the head of the group was Lieutenant Devo. He held a rifle in his left hand while what remained of his right arm was wrapped in bandages.

"Roronoa Zoro… what the hell are you doing here?" Devo growled.

"Just great," Zoro muttered, "I didn't realize the Marines were in this town now. I don't have time for this." Zoro gripped the handle of _Wado Ichimonji _and prepared to fight. He noted that his opponent was wounded a missing an arm but was still _armed_. "I guess I have no choice but to deal with it."

"Damn it… what're you doing in the middle of the battlefield?" Devo demanded.

"Well I can say the same thing to you!" Zoro retorted as he drew his sword.

"Hold on!" Devo interrupted. "Is your sense of direction _that _horrible? This is ridiculous." Devo pointed his gun down a street leading off to the right, "Go that way and head north at the next corner then you can reach the palace square."

"Huh?" Zoro questioned. Was the one-armed Marine trying to give him _directions_?

"Go back and turn right," Devo instructed. "The square isn't this way you idiot. Go north."

"Idiot?" Zoro repeated.

"JUST GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Devo yelled.

"Huh… What the…" Zoro sputtered. The Marines _weren't _trying to stop him?

"GO FIND THE BOMB DAMN IT!" Devo shouted. "THAT WAY! GO NORTH!" Zoro blinked in surprise then finally ran off. Devo turned and kicked a nearby wall in frustration. "Damn it, the one time I try and help a pirate and he ends up being a hapless moron."

**-x-**

Usopp and Vivi raced away from the mob of Billions that was chasing after them.

"FASTER!" Usopp hollered at Vivi who was running up ahead of him. "WE HAVE TO RUN FASTER VIVI!"

"I DON'T THINK I CAN USOPP!" Vivi cried.

"Don't let them get away!" the Billion at the head of the group shouted. "A PROMOTION IS ON THE LINE!"

**SWASH! SLISH! SLASH!** Usopp and Vivi skidded to a stop and looked behind them in time to see the Billions collapse to the ground. Sergeant Major Tashigi and a group of sword-wielding Marines were left standing over the Billions.

"…" Tashigi was silent as she sheathed her sword.

"Uh… thank you?" Usopp said to the Marine.

"We're here to help you, not fight!" Tashigi called out to him. "Go and stop the explosion in the square, okay? Now go! Quickly!"

"Let's go Usopp, quickly," Vivi encouraged Usopp as she took off running again.

"Right!" Usopp agreed as he ran off with her.

"Thank you!" Vivi called back to the Marines.

Tashigi stared after them and thought of the last time she'd seen Captain Smoker.

_"Captain… you want us to go to Alubarna?" Lieutenant Devo had asked before they left Rain Base. _

_"But are we chasing after the Straw Hat Pirates or reinforcing the Royal Army?" Tashigi questioned._

_"That's up to you," Smoker answered as got on his Blower Bike. "You'll have to decide which is more important when you get there. Rely on your sense of justice. __Lieutenant, you're in charge. Whatever happens I'll accept responsibility." And so he had driven off to the coast leaving them to deal with the situation on their own._

Tashigi thought of Lieutenant Devo's latest orders.

**-Devo and Tashigi Flashback-**

"Lieutenant… are you alright?" Tashigi asked as she finished bandaging Devo's wounded arm.

"My view of justice has been destroyed… just like my arm…" Devo whispered. "One Eye was the one who defeated Nico Robin. And now Straw Hat's looking to defeat Crocodile. We couldn't do anything against the likes of them. I lost my arm because I was foolish enough to try without knowing what I was getting into."

The Lieutenant sat up and clenched his remaining fist. "One Eye… he knows what's going on," Devo realized. "He and Straw Hat are fighting against Crocodile. The Straw Hat Pirates are the ones carrying out justice here. We're just getting in the way."

The wounded Marine struggled but managed to push himself up to his feet using only one arm. "If the pirates are fighting for justice… then that makes them our allies," he resolved. "If we can't do anything to stop Crocodile then we'll help the ones who can."

"Lieutenant, what about your injury?" Tashigi asked.

"That doesn't matter now," Devo told her. "One Eye and the King warned us about a bomb. The other Straw Hats are trying to find it and stop it. Your orders are to aid the Straw Hat pirates in any way possible."

**-End Flashback-**

"MEN!" Tashigi addressed the Marines that were with her. "The Lieutenant's orders are to assist them in any way we can! Let's go!"

**-x-**

The Royal Army and the Rebel Army kept fighting as Usopp and Vivi ran through them and the sand cloud around them to reach the clock tower.

"HURRY!" Usopp called out. Vivi was still ahead of him but he was running really fast for a guy in a full-body cast. "WE HAVE TO HURRY!"

"We've wasted a lot of time," Vivi told him.

"I don't know why they helped us back there," Usopp admitted, "but if it weren't for the Marines we'd be a lot worse off now."

**BANG!** As they ran passed one of the rebels was shot and fell to the ground. **FWUMP!**

Vivi slowed her running and stared at the fallen rebel. She couldn't see who it was but for all she knew he could've been one of her childhood friends.

"No, don't look at that!" Usopp told Vivi as he grabbed her hand and pulled her onward. "If we don't stop the explosion the casualties will be a lot worse than that!"

"Right," Vivi agreed. She closed her eyes and they continued onward.

"Crying about it isn't going to stop the attack from happening!" Usopp exclaimed. If crying would've stopped the bomb from going off, Usopp would've done that already.

Usopp and Vivi drew closer to the clock tower as it loomed over them and the square.

"In two minutes we're either gonna beat them or we're gonna die!" Usopp pointed out. "We still have time left! And we're all helping you!"

"Right," Vivi agreed again. Call him what you will but Usopp had a way of motivating a person.

"**RIGHT THERE!" **called out a familiar loud voice. **"VIVI! USOPP!" **Vivi and Usopp stopped and turned to see Nami and Ayako riding towards them on Chopper.

"It's Nami and Tony," Vivi realized.

"Ayako, are you okay?" Usopp inquired as he noted the sick-looking girl on the back of the reindeer.

"I'll… be okay…" Ayako gasped. Chopper stopped as she got off and staggered a couple steps while Nami leapt off of the reindeer and ran over to the other two.

"What's going on?" Nami asked. "The Marines just helped us out back there!"

"Were you able to find where the cannon is?" Chopper questioned.

"We haven't confirmed it yet but this is the only place it could be," Vivi told them. "We must've passed it a bunch of times before I realized it. The cannon is up there… I'm absolutely sure of it now." Vivi turned and pointed up at the face of the clock that towered over them.

Now that they were right in front of it they were able to tell how incredibly huge the clock tower actually was. The building structure that the tower was on top of was a good four stories tall with each story being around twenty feet tall. The tower itself was another three stories on top of the building structure. So the Straw Hats and Ayako now found themselves standing at the bottom and looking up at a seven-story tall tower that was over one hundred forty feet above them.

"The clock tower…" Nami whispered.

"I see," Chopper commented. "From up there they can get a really good shot at the square."

"We figured out who we're dealing with too," Ayako piped up. "I'm pretty sure Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's Day are up there guarding the cannon. After everything, they're the only high-ranking Officer Agents that are left. Plus they're snipers so they'd be the best at guarding it."

"We still need Pell to get here though," Vivi said as she searched the skies for the falcon-man. "It's the only way to stop it." While the rest of them would have to waste precious time climbing up the tall tower, with his falcon form Pell could easily fly up to the top. And he was strong enough to be able to defeat a pair of Frontier Agents like Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's Day. "Pell?"

**-x-**

**SHOOO! **Pell soared around the square in his falcon-human hybrid form and kept his sharp falcon eyes wide opened for both Vivi and the bomb.

"We don't have much time," Pell said out loud. "I could've sworn I saw the smoke coming from somewhere around this area." **WOOOSH! **Pell flew passed the top of the clock tower and circled the square as he attempted to spot the Princess through the sand cloud.

Pell didn't see the face of the clock tower crack opened. And he didn't see the frog-shaped gun poke out through the crack. **BANG!** Pell was struck by a bullet and fell from the sky.

"**Ribbitribbitribbit!"** the woman inside let out a frog-like laugh.** "Did you see Mr. 7? I just shot down that big bird with my Ribbit Ribbit Gun! Quite impressive, huh?"**

"**Ohahahahahahaha!" **the hidden Mr. 7 laughed before the clock was pulled closed once more.

"_I'm sorry…" _was Pell's last thought as he plummeted downward leaving behind feathers and drops of blood to fall in his wake.

**-x-**

"You're lucky," Nico Robin said as she stood over Ricky down in the mausoleum while Luffy and Crocodile continued their third and final fight. "After dealing with your friend and her poisoned arrows back at Rain Base I made sure to replenish my supply of antidotes." Nico Robin pulled a vial out from her coat. "This will neutralize Crocodile's scorpion venom."

"Thank… you…" Ricky gasped.

"Don't thank me yet," Nico Robin told him. "I hold your life in my hands. Before I agree to give you this you have to promise to take me to the other Poneglyph you found once you recover."

"Alright… I'll take you," Ricky agreed. "I promise. And I never go back on my word."

"Good, I had the feeling you were one of those honest types," Nico Robin commented. "Here." She tossed the vial down to Ricky. "I'm no doctor so don't expect me to tend to your wounds."

"Thank you all the same," Ricky replied as he sat himself up and uncorked the antidote. Nico Robin nodded then turned to watch the fight between Luffy and Crocodile.

"RAAAAH!" Luffy let out a roar as his blood-coated fist flew at Crocodile. **SHOOOM!**

**SWISH! **Crocodile jumped to the side and slashed his poison hook down at Luffy's extended and vulnerable arm. Luffy quickly grabbed his arm and yanked it back. **WOING! **But he wasn't fast enough to prevent Crocodile from scraping the side of his arm with the tip of his hook. **SLIK! **Crocodile's attack continued and he ended up driving his hook into the floor. **SHUNK!**

Luffy and Crocodile both stood back up and glared at each other.

Luffy acted first and raced towards Crocodile and stretched his arm out behind him. **WOING! **"GUUUUM… GUUUUM… PIIISTOOOL!" **SHOOM! **Luffy drew close and lashed his arm out at Crocodile.

"Humph," Crocodile grunted as he held out his hand and prepared to block Luffy's predictable and overused attack.

**SKISH! **But Crocodile stared in surprise as Luffy and his fist stopped short right in front of him. Luffy jumped up into the air and whipped his rubber leg around at Crocodile's head. **SWISH! **Crocodile managed to dodge out of the way and avoid Luffy's kick.

"RAAH!" Crocodile lashed out his hook at Luffy.

**SHOOM!** Luffy stretched his arm out and grabbed onto the wall in front of him. **SHOOM! **Luffy stretched himself over to the way and out of the way of Crocodile's attack. **SLIK! **But Crocodile managed a glancing blow on Luffy's trailing leg.

**TMP! **Luffy landed on his feet and stared at Crocodile while Crocodile turned to face him and stared back. "RAAAAAHH!" Both Luffy and Crocodile roared as they charge each other.

**SHOOOM! **Luffy lashed his blood-soaked foot out in front of him. **SWISH! **Crocodile dodged the kick and lashed his hook out at Luffy as he got close.** WHUP! **But Luffy dodged the hook and grabbed onto Crocodile's extended arm. **WHING! **Luffy swung himself around Crocodile's arm like a gymnast on the bars then stretched his leg overhead and brought it down heel-first on Crocodile's head. **THWHAM! **Crocodile went flying backwards and smashed into a wall while Luffy landed on his feet. **KRASH! TMP!**

"_He's so strong," _Cobra thought to himself as he watched Luffy continue to fight evenly with Crocodile. _"Who in the world is he? Crocodile made even our best warriors look like children. But against this boy and his First Mate he's actually struggling."_

The dust cloud from the smashed wall cleared to reveal Crocodile on his knees on the ground. "Kuahahahahaha," the treacherous Warlord let out a low chuckle. "You were skewered, buried alive, and dried up…" Crocodile looked up and smirked at Luffy. "You may have made it through all of that but you won't escape this time Straw Hat! There's no hope for survival! The game is over!" Crocodile raised his hook. "This venom will spread through you soon."

"You know Crocodile…" Luffy replied, "You just don't understand."

Luffy's will was too strong. He was too determined to allow mere poison to stop him from finishing this final fight. And he wasn't going to let someone like Crocodile stop him from saving a country that meant so much to someone he considered Nakama.

**-x-**

"I wonder what happened?" Vivi asked as she kept searching the skies for any sign of Pell. Not knowing that the avian warrior had fallen and was now on the ground somewhere in the middle of the two fighting armies. "Pell… I don't see him up there anywhere."

"But I don't think there's any way we can get to the top of the tower in less than a minute without any help," Nami pointed out.

"Pell where are you?" Vivi wondered. "Hurry! We need you!"

"For now, we're going to have to get moving without him," Chopper resolved as he approached the bottom of the stairs that led from the first story of the clock tower up to the seventh.

"We're gonna have to climb all these stairs," Usopp realized. "You guys ready?"

"No," Ayako admitted. "But I'll go anyway."

"**HEEEEEYYY!" **a familiar voice called down to them.

They all looked up and saw Sanji waving from one of the windows in the clock tower structure up above them.

"MISS. NAMI! MISS. VIVI! MISS. AYAKO!" the cook called out. He was sticking out of a third-story window.

"SANJI!" Usopp exclaimed. "WHAT'RE YOU DOING ALL THE WAY UP THERE?"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK?" Sanji shouted down to him. "You left a message where the smoke way, didn't you? The message said 'go to the clock tower' so I figured I'd head up here to meet you. SO WHAT SHOULD I DO? WHERE'S THE CANNONEER ANYWAY?"

"THE TOP!" Usopp yelled. "THEY'RE AT THE TOP! GO UP FROM THERE AND TAKE 'EM DOWN!"

"**SANJI?" **another familiar voice called down from up above the cook. Sanji looked up and found Zoro standing on top of the fourth story of the structure and at the bottom of the clock tower itself. "HEY! WHERE WERE YOU? I WAS LOOKING!"

"ZORO? YOU'RE HERE TOO?" Sanji questioned.

"WHAT'RE YOU DOING DOWN THERE?" Zoro shouted.

"FUNNY, I WAS GONNA ASK YOU THE SAME THING!" Sanji hollered back.

"It was this one-armed Marine!" Zoro told him. "He kept saying 'Go North! Go North!' So I just kept going north until I got all the way up here!"

"_NORTH_ AND _UP_ AREN'T THE SAME THING!" Sanji screamed.

"ANYWAY! GOOD JOB YOU TWO!" Usopp yelled up the tower. "NOW JUST KEEP ON GOING UP FROM THERE AND DESTROY THE BOMB IN THE CLOCK TOWER!"

"No way," Vivi cut in. "They can't get inside the clock tower from where they are now. You see, there are only two ways in: the back stairs on the first floor and from the sky. That's why we need Pell."

"I don't see Mana either," Ayako realized as she looked up at the sky. "She could probably use her powers to float us up there."

"Ugghh…" Usopp groaned. "But can't Zoro go ahead and destroy the wall or something?"

"We can't risk that," Vivi told him. "It could make the bomb explode even earlier for all we know. We have no choice but to take the stairs."

"Oooh noooo…" Ayako moaned, already thinking of all the running that would involve.

"No wait!" Nami interrupted. "I think I have a better plan!"

**WHUP! **"Thank you!" Ayako gushed as she hugged Nami around the waist. She went to great lengths to keep from doing anything overly physical. At the moment, Nami was her hero.

Nami looked down at the short girl hugging her, "Actually… get out a canvas and some paint," she instructed the artist. "You can help me draw my plan up."

**KREEEEEK! **Up above them the round face of the clock swung outward and laughed rang out from inside the tower. **"RIBBITRIBBITRIBBIT!" "OHAHAHAHAHAHA!" **

The two odd-looking figures were left standing on the rim of the wide circular hole that the face of the clock used to occupy. Behind the two was an ENORMOUS cannon that was nearly the size of the hole it was point out of.

"So Mr. 7," **Ms. Father's Day** spoke, "According to the Boss' orders, this is going to be our final mission for Baroque Works! Ribbitribbitribbit!" The woman's clothing had a frog theme. She wore green boots with the bottoms shaped like frogs, a purple and pink polka-dotted skirt with a green frog-belt that had four frog legs draping down form it so they covered the skirt from the front, back, and both sides. On top she wore a pale green collared shirt with blue tie and a purple and pink poka-dotted vest that matched the skirt over it as well as two round green cuffs shaped like frog legs covered her shoulders. On her head she wore a green frog-shaped had that hid most of her purple hair and made her look even sillier with the two frog legs coming out of the side like a pair of antlers.

"Ohahahahahaha!" **Mr. 7** laughed. "That's right Ms. Father's Day! Ohahahahaha! According to the plan we have just thirty seconds left to go! Ohahahahahaha!" Mr. 7 was shorter than his partner and wore brown shoes with the tips of the toes bent upward to look like sevens, pale blue socks, dark blue pants with pink symbols drawn on them, a matching dark blue and pink shirt, and a pale blue neck tie on his neck. Over all that he wore a long pale purple coat with ruffled sleeves and shoulders and 7's on the sleeves and the chest. His hair was white and looked like a ball, and on his forehead he wore a pair of square sunglasses that didn't cover his black eyebrows that were shaped like 7's.

Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's Day were Frontier Officer Agents and both were armed with strange looking guns.

"Is that them?" Nami asked as they stared up at the two strange-looking agents.

"That's them," Ayako confirmed as he pulled a large canvas and her pallet of paints out of her blue backpack.

"Mr. 7… Ms. Father's Day…" Vivi gasped.

"They may look silly," Ayako admitted, "But right now they're all that's standing between us and stopping that bomb." Ayako turned to Nami with her paints ready. "What's the plan?"

While the final battle between Luffy and Crocodile rages on and only a minute remaining before the explosion, the Straw Hats have to find a way to reach the top of the clock tower and defeat the two agents before the bomb obliterates all of them. There isn't much time left as the nightmare draws near.

**-x-**

Next chapter, the fight between Luffy and Crocodile continues and a hero emerges as the Straw Hats try to climb the clock tower.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	59. Chapter 59

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:**I don't own One Piece or any of the characters. I just own Ricky and the other OC's I've written into this alteration of the story.

**A/N:**** Sorry it's a little late. I've had a very busy week. Midterms are upon me. But fear not, here's the latest chapter and despite everything it's only a day late. Enjoy! **

**Climb the Clock Tower:**

**-x-**

"Baroque Works?" a seedy-looking man repeated. He wore a cowboy hat and a jacket that read 'Baroque' and stood with a group of similarly dressed men while being questioned by a group of Marines. Meanwhile, the Rebel Army and the Royal Army continued to fight it out nearby. "I've never heard of such a company. Are you sure it exists? We're just ordinary citizens of Alabasta Mr. Marine. You wouldn't wanna hurt good citizens… just because there's a rebellion... would ya?"

**SLISH! SLASH! **The group of Baroque Works Billions fell to the ground and Tashigi stood over them with her sword extended.

"Wait! Sergeant Major!" one of the Marines protested, "They…"

"SHUT UP!" Tashigi interrupted. "Why were you hesitating, Marine? If you wait for proof you won't prevent anything! You should be able to tell who the enemy is immediately!"

"Yes, we're very sorry Sergeant," the Marine apologized while he and the others in the group all saluted Tashigi.

"_We only have until four thirty,"_ Tashigi thought to herself. _"We're running out of time!" _Tashigi looked towards the clock tower to check the time but found that one of the four faces had swung opened. She blinked in surprise. "The clock…" She adjusted her glasses and spotted the large cannon that was pointing out of the circular hole.

**-x-**

"Ribbitribbitribbit!" Ms. Father's Day laughed as she and Mr. 7 stood on the rim of the circular hole in front of the cannon. "Hey listen, Mr. 7, I think this is a very important mission that was assigned to us."

"I think you're absolutely correct about that, Ms. Father's Day," Mr. 7 agreed.

"And do you know what else?" Ms. Father's Day asked. "I bet we'll get big promotions for pulling this off successfully! Ribbitribbitribbit!"

"Ohahahahahaha!" Mr. 7 chuckled. "I do hope that is the planned reward! After all, this is quite a difficult mission when you think about it Ms. Father's Day. We're shooting a cannonball into the ground using such a big cannon! Ohahaha! So the reward should just as big! Ohahahahaha!"

The fools had no idea that the bomb they were about to fire would destroy everything in a three mile radius and that _they_ were within a three mile radius of the explosion. They weren't going to be promoted for succeeding in their job, they were going to die in the explosion along with everyone else. Some reward.

The clock struck four twenty-nine, just sixty seconds left.

"Ribbit!" Ms. Father's Day called out. "It's almost time to go now Mr. 7!"

**FSSSHH! **Mr. 7 lit a match and held it up in front of him, "We're ready to fiiireeee!" he cheered.

Down below the two oblivious armies continued fighting. They had no clue that they'd all die in less than a minute if the Straw Hats didn't do anything to stop the two almost equally oblivious agents from lighting the cannon's fuse and firing the bomb into the square.

**-x-**

**BAM! BAM! BAM! **A cluster of Billions dropped to the ground just outside of the square courtesy of a hail of bullets from the one-armed Lieutenant Devo.

"RELOAD!" the Lieutenant ordered as he held his revolver to the side and snapped it opened. The used shells dropped to the ground while one of the Marines backing up the Lieutenant ran over and loaded another six bullets into Devo's revolver. Lieutenant Devo could still fire a gun with one hand but normally he would reload his own gun in fraction of the time it was taking the other Marine. Clearly, Devo's wound from Crocodile would always have a lasting impact.

"Men," Lieutenant Devo addressed the other Marines, "Look at the clock tower! If it swung opened with less than a minute left than that has to be where the bomb is." Devo's sharp eyes scanned through the fighting men in the square and focused on the base of the clock tower. "The Straw Hats are there trying to stop it! We'll back them up and keep any more of these guys from stopping them!"

"Yes sir!" the Marines chorused before they raced off towards the clock tower.

**-x-**

"Your Majesty, you might wanna come over there where it's safer," Ricky suggested as he and Nico Robin sat against the wall on one side of the Poneglyph Chamber in the hidden mausoleum. "No offense, but you're kind of old, if you're near me I can make sure you're not hit by any stray shots from those two."

King Nefertari Cobra stood on the other side of the room in front of a column. He nodded and abandoned the idea of destroying the tomb in favor of having faith that Luffy would finally defeat Crocodile.

As the King crossed the room to join Ricky and Nico Robin against the wall, Luffy and Crocodile stared down in the middle of the room.

"What is it that you think I do not understand, Straw Hat?" Crocodile growled as he questioned Luffy's last comment to him.

"RAAAAAHH!" Instead of answering, Luffy let out a loud roar and launched himself at Crocodile. **SHOOM! **Luffy fired his arm out at Crocodile but the Warlord slipped to the side and avoided the attack. **SWOOSH! **Luffy went flying passed Crocodile then landed on the ground and skidded barefoot across the stone floor until he finally stopped. **Skkkeeessss… **But then he immediately sprang back off of the ground and launched himself back at Crocodile. **SHOOM! **"RAAAH! GUUUUMMM GUUUUMMM GAATTLIIIINNG!" **SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! **Both of Luffy's fists shot out at Crocodile for a rabid-fire barrage of punches but the Warlord jumped away from Luffy and avoided them. **SKISH!**

"I don't think you understand," Crocodile said as he and Luffy stood and glared at each other. "You're going to die here very soon. The poison from my hook has entered your wound."

"UGGGHH!" Luffy suddenly groaned and staggered to the side. Crocodile had nicked him on the shoulder and the ankle during one of their previous exchanges. Those small cuts were enough to allow the deadly scorpion venom to enter Luffy's blood stream.

"You're body is probably becoming numb right now," Crocodile stated. "It doesn't matter whether you win or lose this fight! Your body definitely won't!"

Ricky, Cobra, and Nico Robin all glanced down at the only half empty vial of antidote in Ricky's hand. Ricky had already applied the antidote to the poison to his wound from Crocodile's poisoned hook and there was enough left to treat Luffy if he won the fight. But none of them could afford to tell him that or Crocodile would surely destroy the vial.

"He's been poisoned but he's still going," Nico Robin observed. She glanced at the pirate sitting beside her. "I'll admit that you got injected with more poison due to your wound from Crocodile being more severe but that poison kills even in incredibly small doses and he's had it in his blood stream for much longer that you did."

"A concentrated scorpion venom like that one is extremely deadly," King Cobra noted. "The fact that he's still standing speaks wonders for that young man's willpower and determination."

"Of course," Ricky agreed. "People wonder why I left the Whitebeard Pirates to follow him of all people. But once this is over you'll both understand why I wouldn't dream of pledging my loyalty to anyone else."

**-x-**

"Just thirty seconds until we fire!" Mr. 7 cheered. "Ohahahahahaha!"

"Ribbitribbt! Cannon aimed at the center of the palace square!" Ms. Father's Day announced.

The two agents cheered as Mr. 7 held the cannon's long fuse in front of him and lit it with a match. The cannon was now officially set to explode.

**-x-**

"NAMI!" Usopp exclaimed. "Just what the heck is it you're trying to do anyway?"

"You, Sanji, and Zoro are gonna launch them up to the top," Ayako informed him as she held up the canvas that depicted Nami's plan. "See… you're going to jump up and get them to Sanji, Sanji's gonna kick them up to Zoro, and Zoro's gonna launch them up to the top."

**GULP! **Usopp nervously swallowed as he stood nervously with Chopper perched on his shoulders in his Walk Point form and Vivi sitting on the reindeer's back.

"This had better work!" Usopp whimpered, "If it doesn't we're all gonna die!"

"Thanks Usopp!" Nami snapped sarcastically as she held her ClimaTact in front of her, "But I already know that! Now just shut up and stand there quietly."

"Maybe I'd be calm if I knew how you planned to get me from here all the way up to Sanji!" Usopp protested. "I can't jump that high! Especially with these two weighing me down!"

"You'll see how it's gonna work soon enough," Nami assured him. "Now get ready!"

**-x-**

"Ribbitribbitribbit!" Ms. Father's Day laughed. "Hey Mr. 7, since this is a very special occasion, I think we should do a count down!"

"Oh that's a good plan Ms. Father's Day!" Mr. 6 agreed, "A good plan, a very good plan! Sounds interesting! Ohahahahaha!"

**-x-**

"Forecasting: a cyclone!" Nami announced as she crossed two of the blue segments of her weapon together.

**-x-**

"HERE WE GO!" Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's Day cheered. "Countdown…" **FFSSSSSHHHH… **The long fuse began burning and the flame made its way towards the cannon.

**-x-**

"CYCLONE TEMPO!" Nami swung the Clima-tact and sent the two crossed segments spinning towards Usopp. **WHING!**

"But wait!" Usopp exclaimed as he remembered the 'technique', "Cyclone Tempo is just a silly boomerang to play with at parties!"

"JUST HEAD FOR THE CLOCK TOWER!" Nami shouted.

"Sorry Usopp," Ayako apologized as she averted her eyes.

**WHAK! **The spinning segments kept going until they smacked straight into Usopp's crotch. With his bow-legged stance it was a wide-opened target.

"GAAH!" Usopp shrieked. But the weapon's maker was caught off guard when it did something the weapon's wielder had discovered during her fight with Ms. Double Finger. **WHOOOSH! **The air that had been trapped in the pipes while they were spinning exploded upward straight into Usopp's crotch and sent the sniper rocketing up into the air with a high-pitched scream of both pain and surprise, "WAAAAAAAHHH!"

**-x-**

"FIFTEEN SECONDS!" Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's Day exclaimed.

**-x-**

"What the…" Sanji said as he watched Usopp come flying up towards him, "They're _flying _up?"

"CHOPPER! JUMP UP TO WHERE SANJI IS!" Nami shouted up to the reindeer.

"That's her big plan?" Vivi questioned. "To make it all the way up there piggyback like this?"

"SANJI, YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, RIGHT?" Nami hollered up to the cook. "WE HAVE TO HURRY!"

"I think I get the idea but it's risky," Sanji replied as he stepped out onto the ledge of the third story window of the clock tower. "Oh well, I guess I just have to do it!"

"It's too late to turn back at this point," Vivi realized, "Tony let's do this!"

"Okay Vivi," Chopper agreed, "Now just hang on tightly!" **WHUP! **Chopper sprang off of Usopp and sent the already unconscious sniper plummeting back down towards Nami and Ayako while he and Vivi went flying up to Sanji.

**-x-**

Zoro stared down from on top of the fourth story of the clock tower and watched his Nakama approaching. "I see," the swordsman said out loud. "That's what they're doing."

**-x-**

**SWISH! **"CHOPPER! GET ON MY RIGHT LEG!" Sanji called out as he did a front flip out the window and held his right leg out to the rising reindeer. **TMP! **Chopper landed on Sanji's leg and the cook swung it upward and sent Chopper and Vivi flying up towards Zoro. **SWOOSH!** "HERE THEY COME, ZORO!"

"Good job so far," Nami commented as she watched her plan continue to unfold. She was completely oblivious to the battered sniper that had landed behind her.

"Usopp! Usopp!" Ayako called out as she knelt next to him. "Are you still alive?"

**-x-**

Zoro looked up over his shoulder at the opened clock that was on top of the tower portion of the clock tower three stories above him.

"So I just throw 'em to the top of that tower," Zoro resolved.

**-x-**

"TEEENN!" Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's Day called out.

**-x-**

**SKISH! **Zoro drew his swords and jumped out and spun around so he was upside down.

"NOT SWORDS!" Chopper shrieked when he saw what he had to land on.

"It's the flat of the blade!" Zoro reassured him. "Calm down!" Zoro crossed the two katanas over his chest and turn them so one of the flat sides faced up.

**TMP! **Chopper landed hooves-first on the cross blades.

"Got your footing?" Zoro asked as they started falling.

"Okay!" Chopper told him.

"EIIIGHT!" Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's Day's voices drifted down from up above them. They were now close enough to her heard… at least by the airborne trio.

"Careful, there's a couple of weirdos up there," Zoro warned the duo on his swords as they slowly started falling.

"Yes, I know them," Vivi replied.

"OH! HELLO THERE MS. WEDNESDAY!" Mr. 7 called out when he chanced a look down. THEY'D BEEN SPOTTED!

"Ribbitribbitribbit!" Ms. Father's Day laughed. "I'd recognize that little traitor to our company anywhere!"

**-x-**

"THEY NOTICED!" Nami screamed.

"THEY DID?" Usopp yelped as she shot back up.

"Oh no!" Ayako gasped.

**-x-**

"We're still in the air!" Zoro pointed out. The two agents not only had the high ground but the airborne Straw Hats had no way to dodge while stuck in mid air. "This is really bad! If they shoot at us we're finished!"

**-x-**

"Whatever it is you want, it can't be in this country!" Crocodile snapped as he glared at Luffy.

"Aren't I right? You're fighting for someone else's goal now! And how can there be any point in dying for that? If only you would just get rid of a friend or two you could easily avoid so many of these inconvenient problems! LOYALTY IS ONLY FOR IDIOTS AND WEAKLINGS!"

"He has no idea who he's talking to," Ricky said to King Cobra and Nico Robin. "Luffy's has the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met. There's nowhere he wouldn't go, no one he wouldn't fight, nothing he wouldn't do if it means helping someone that he considers friends. That's why he's my Captain. His strength of will is one thing but his loyalty is another entirely. He'd do anything for his Nakama and we'd do anything for him. _That's_ why he's my Captain."

"Uggghh…" Luffy groaned as he struggled to keep standing despite the poison flooding his body. "Like I said, you really don't understand anything, do you? Vivi… is always telling people not to risk their lives… but she's the first to lay down her life to save others! If we don't help her… she'd die. You'll kill her."

"You still don't get it!" Crocodile growled. He and Luffy were completely different people and neither could seem to grasp the ideals of the other. "That's what makes her such a burden! Why not just ditch the Princess and save yourselves?"

"BECAUSE NONE OF US WANT VIVI TO DIE!" Luffy shouted. "BECAUSE HELPING EACH OTHER IS WHAT FRIENDS DO!"

Cobra and Nico Robin stared at the determined pirate in surprise but both with different reasons. Cobra because he was surprised to see someone so dedicated to helping his daughter. And Nico Robin because in her long lonely life she'd never met anyone with that kind of loyalty.

"And that's why none of us will leave her behind!" Luffy continued, "Or quit fighting you! As long as she doesn't give up on her country neither will we!"

"Even if that means all the rest of you end up dead?" Crocodile questioned.

"If we die, we die," Luffy replied. "That's all there is to it."

**-x-**

**CLACK! **"ADJUST RIBBIT-RIBBIT GUN FOR ATTACK!" Ms. Father's Day called out as she aimed her frog-shaped gun at Zoro, Chopper, and Vivi. "This is an unexpected catch!"

"Adjusting Yellow Gun!" Mr. 7 exclaimed as he trained his own yellow, square-barreled gun on the Straw Hats. "Ohahahaha! How nice, how nice, this is good! They are the perfect prey for us!"

**-x-**

"WHAT DO YOU BASTARDS THINK YOU'RE DOING POINTING YOUR GUNS AT MISS. VIVI!" Sanji yelled as he continued dropping the three stories to the ground.

**-x-**

"This isn't good!" Vivi exclaimed. "The two of them are a sniper team!"

"CHOPPER!" Zoro shouted. "I'll throw you guys up anyway! It'll change the direction but you'll have to figure something out!"

"WHAT DO I DO?" Chopper asked.

**-x-**

"SIX SECONDS!" Nami hollered up to him.

"JUST FIGURE SOMETHING OOOUUUUT!" Usopp wailed.

"I DON'T WANNA DIE!" Ayako shrieked.

**-x-**

**FFSSSSS… **The fuse kept burning and got closer and closer to the cannon.

"Chopper, Vivi, are you ready?" Zoro asked. "I'm sending you up!"

Chopper and Vivi both nodded.

"READY?" Ms. Father's day asked as she sand Mr. 7 and stood side-to-side with both of their guns pointed at their three targets.

"AND FIRE!" Mr. 7 exclaimed. **BA-BANG! **The agents fired and the rounds exploded out of their respective guns. Mr. 7's bullet was a cubed shaped pink die and Ms. Father's Day's was round, green frog.

**WHING! **Zoro lashed out with his swords and launched Chopper off of them causing the reindeer and the princess to fly up passed the descending bullets.

"Our bullets are set to crash into each other," Ms. Father's Day stated.

"And then they're going to explode!" Mr. 7 cheered. "Ohahahahahahaha!"

Mr. 7's die collided with Ms. Father's Day's frog and the two bullets sank into Zoro's chest. "GAAHH!" the swordsman let out a yelp of pain. Blood literally rained down from him.

**-x-**

"NOOO!" Nami screamed when she saw Zoro get hit.

"GAH!" Usopp shrieked while Ayako covered her eyes.

"THAT IDIOT!" Sanji shouted from one story above them. "HE'S HIT!"

**-x-**

"You ready Vivi?" Chopper asked while still flying upward from Zoro's throw.

"Just throw me with all your strength Tony!" Vivi replied.

While still flying upward, Chopper transformed into his Heavy Point form and with one hand threw Vivi up above him. "RAAAHH!" **WHING!**

With only five seconds left Vivi was sent flying up to the top of the tower.

"It's no use!" Ms. Father's Day said as she and her partner aimed their reloaded guns. **CLACK!**

"Locking!" Mr. 7 called out as they aimed their guns in front of them.

**SWISH! **Vivi went flying up passed the opened clock tower in blur. **SWISH! **Chopper came flying up after her and found himself floating level with the two agents.

"WHO'S THAT?" Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's Day wondered as they stared at the yeti that was floating front of them.

**SWISH! **With four seconds left, Chopper shank back down into his Brain Point from and started falling seven stories. He made the mistake of looking down which caused his graceful fall to change to a plummet. "WAAAAAHHHHHH!"

"WHERE'D MS. WEDNESDAY GO?" Ms. Father's Day demanded as she and Mr. 7 looked frantically out of the clock tower for any signs of the Princess.

"Oh, what now?" Mr. 7 complained.

The two of them hadn't noticed her because Vivi was flying up above them. Vivi reached into her robes for her weapons. "PEACOCK…" But she trailed off when she couldn't find them and had a sudden realization. "Oh no…"

"_Hey Captain," Ricky called out back at the palace as he stood over Ms. All Sunday with his arms and legs bound by the jeweled chains that Vivi used for weapons. "Gimme a hand here?"_

_**SWISH! **__Chaka transformed into his Jackal-Human Hybrid form and rushed at Ricky and drew his sword. __**SLASH!**__**TINK-TINK-TINK!**__ The severed chain from Vivi's Peacock Slashers dropped to the ground._

VIVI WAS UNARMED! SHE'D FORGOTTEN THAT SHE'D LOST HER WEAPONS!

Vivi's heart sank and a feeling of dread filled her. She'd come this far only to fail at the crucial moment where it really counted. Everything they'd sacrificed for had been for nothing because Vivi had forgotten something in the heat of the moment.

**WHAP! "Kyahahaha! Gotcha!"**

The feeling dread was instantly replaced with a weightless sensation as Vivi found herself floating with one of her savior's arms and an opened umbrealla overhead that was now keeping the two of them from falling.

"Sorry I'm late," Mana apologized.

**-x-**

"IT'S MANA!" Nami, Usopp, and Ayako cheered down on the ground.

**TMP! **Sanji landed on his feet and looked up into the air with hearts in his eyes. "MIIISS MAAAANAAAA!" he swooned.

**-x-**

**SWISH! **With three seconds left Mana spun around in mid air and threw Vivi passed the two agents and the cannon and into the opened clock tower. **WOOOSH!**

"MS. VALENTINE!" Ms. Father's Day exclaimed.

"WHAT'RE YOU DOING?" Mr. 7 demanded.

**TMP! **Mana landed in between them. "Haven't you heard yet?" she asked. "I quit." **WHA-WHOMP! **With one solid swing, Mana closed her umbrella, increased its weight and sent Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's Day flying out of the clock tower and falling down to the ground.

Vivi had been thrown passed the cannon into the back of the clock tower. She surged back up and sprinted towards the burning fuse.

With two seconds left the enemy was gone now they just had to deal with the bomb.

**-x-**

**Hero:**

**-x-**

"KUAHAHAHAHA!" Crocodile laughed. "You can talk as tough as you want and keep blathering on about friendship if you like but your body is still freezing up on you!"

"Ugghhh…" Luffy groaned. Despite his impassioned speech, the poison was still reeking havoc on his body. He was down on his knees and was gritting his teeth as he attempted to fight through the internal pain.

Ricky looked down at the antidote in his hand, "I'd give him the antidote if I didn't know that Crocodile would destroy it the second he noticed me approach him with it."

**-x-**

In that second, Vivi's life and the lives off all her friends, the Rebel Army, the Royal Army, the Marines and everyone in the kingdom flashed before her eyes.

**-Childhood Flashback-**

"Vivi!" the Sand Sand Band called out to the Princess from the courtyard outside the palace.

"Hey! Out of here you brats!" a guard snapped at the kids in the courtyard. "Did you sneak in through the shortcut again?"

"Gatekeeper!" one kid exclaimed.

"RUUUN!" Koza called out to the others before they took off running.

**-x-**

"Would the two of you please say something to the kids to keep them away?" the gatekeeper later asked Chaka and Pell.

"Hmm, sure," Pell agreed good naturedly.

**-x-**

"Vivi, going somewhere?" Pell asked the Princess later the same day when he caught her leaving the palace.

"The secret base," Vivi whispered to Pell.

"Right, well you have a good time," Pell told her. Behind him, Igaram was ducking behind a small palm tree and was using it for cover.

Vivi and Igaram left and Pell casually took a seat out in the courtyard and was joined by Chaka.

"So where did Princess Vivi go?" Chaka inquired.

"Oh, I can't tell you," Pell told him with a smile, "It's a secret."

"Haha," Chaka chuckled, "The clock tower, huh?"

The two warriors smiled as the stared up at the clock tower from down in the courtyard.

**-End Flashback-**

**WHUMP! **Vivi dove at the fuse and threw herself on top of it. **FFFFSSSsssshhhh… **Using her own body to smother the flame, Vivi finally ended the threat of the cannon.

Mana turned around and smiled, "KYHAHA…haha…ha…ha…" her laughter trailed off and she and Vivi stared at each other in horror.

**-x-**

Zoro continued dropping down towards the rest of the Straw Hats and Ayako with Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's Day falling behind him.

The group on the ground all stared up at the clock tower above them. They weren't dead so that was a good sign.

"It stopped… right?" Usopp asked.

**-x-**

Vivi and Mana stared at each other as they stood by the cannon. Now that the fuse was out and the two agents had been thrown out they could hear that the room wasn't silent as it should be.

**Tick… tick… tick… tick… tick… tick… tick… **An ominous ticking was coming from the barrel of the cannon.

"Oh no…" Mana gasped.

**-x-**

**FWUMP! **Zoro hit the ground hard and landed next to Sanji. "UGGGHH!" Zoro groaned loudly signifying that he's survived being shot by the bullets from the sniper pair. "KOFF! KOFF!"

"Oh, hey," the cook said to the swordsman. "You're still alive?"

"Yeah…" Zoro replied, "What happened with the cannon?"

**-x-**

"Uggghhhh…" a Marine groaned as he sat on the ground and massaged a huge lump on his head.

"WAAA-HAAA-HAAA!" Chopper cried as he ran away nursing a lump on his own head.

"Soldier, what the heck happened?" Lieutenant Devo asked as he stood over the Marine.

"Something fell from the sky and hit me," the Marine answered. "I've got no clue what it was."

"Hmm…" Devo said as he glanced down in the direction Chopper had gone. "Well… its four thirty and we're not dead. So I guess the Straw Hats managed to stop the bomb. It could've been one of them." Devo offered his hand to the Marine, "Get up, soldier, you did your part by giving that pirate a soft landing." The Lieutenant pulled the other marine up to his feet then looked back up at the clock tower.

**-x-**

Chopper kept running and eventually found the other Straw Hats and Ayako all standing together at the bottom of the clock tower. They were all purposely ignoring the fallen bodies of Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's Day that were lying on the ground in front of them. The two agents had fallen seven stories and were now partially embedded in the ground.

"What's the matter?" Chopper asked.

"Apparently something's gone wrong up there," Zoro told him.

"Vivi and Mana, we still haven't seen either of them," Nami elaborated.

"The bomb might not have exploded but Crocodile doesn't seem like the type to leave things to chance," Ayako supplied. "I think they ran into another problem.

"OH NO! YOU GUYS!" Vivi appeared and shouted down to them from the top of the tower.

"WHAT IS IT?" Nami yelled back up.

"THE CANNONBALL!" Vivi answered. "IT HAS A TIMING DEVICE ON IT! IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING IT'LL EXPLODE!"

The Straw Hats and Ayako all gasped in shock but as usual, Usopp's terrified reaction was the loudest. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

**-x-**

"A time bomb?" King Cobra repeated. "No!"

"Kuahahahahaha, I was very well prepared," Crocodile gloated. "You have to be willing to admit that much. The most successful missions always account for unforeseen circumstances… right Ms. All Sunday?"

"…" The former Vice President silently glared at him.

"In this case," Crocodile continued, "If something happened to happen to the cannoneers the cannonball will still explode on its own. The attack will only be delayed by a minute or so. Of course, I did originally want it to be shot into the center of the square but the cannonball is big enough that it should do plenty of damage from right where it is. Kuahahahahahahaha!"

"Bastard," Ricky growled.

"Do you have anyone on your crew that can handle _that_?" Nico Robin inquired.

"They'll think of something," Ricky replied.

"Not a chance, One Eye!" Crocodile retorted, "The only consolation I can offer you for your friends' imminent demise is that you and your damn Captain will soon be joining them soon enough."

"Grrrr…" Luffy weakly growled from down on the ground as he renewed his struggle against the poison that was still ravaging his body.

**-x-**

The Straw Hats and Ayako gaped up at the clock tower in shock.

Vivi and Mana stood inside the clock tower and stared in the barrel of the huge cannon at the bomb that was easily bigger than both of them and the timer that was ticking down on the front of it.

**Tick… tick… tick… tick… tick… tick… tick…**

Vivi heard Crocodile's words from earlier echo in her head.

"_Stopping the rebellion, saving the kingdom, all those worthless ideas you've clung to for so long. In the end, they just created more victims for me." _

Vivi watchd silently as Mana walked into the barrel of the cannon that was big enough for her to stand in and grabbed the bomb which was two times the size of her. Mana used her Kilo Kilo Fruit Powers to lower the big bomb's weight and carefully carried it out of the cannon and set it down on the ground outside of it.

Vivi stared at the ticking timer. There were only ninety seconds until it exploded.

"_You're never going to save this country."_

They'd worked so hard to just _find _the cannon and stopped the cannoners from shooting it. But Crocodile was still one step ahead of them and made them all look foolish for even trying to stop the explosion.

**Tick… tick… tick… tick… tick…**

**-x-**

"Damn it, this isn't right!" Sanji cursed. "Stopping the cannoneer should've stopped the attack."

"A timer?" Chopper repeated.

"Considering its power," Zoro commented, "even if it explodes from up there, it'll still kill all the people in the square and the city."

"Ahhh…" Nami gasped.

"THEN WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NOW?" Usopp demanded. "DOES THIS MEAN IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR US ALL ALONG FOR US TO STOP THE EXPLOSION FROM HAPPENING?"

**-x-**

**Tick… tick… tick… tick… tick…**

Vivi dropped to her knees and sobbed, "He made us spend all this time looking for it! He even announced the attack so we would do just that! WHY? JUST HOW FAR WILL CROCODILE GO TO MAKE FOOLS OF US ALL? It's not enough for him to tear this country apart! He has to mock us while he's doing it! CROOCOODIILEE!"

"I guess it's time for the fallback plan," Mana resolved. The blonde turned and stepped up onto the rim of the circular hole and stared down at the people gathered below. "HEY YOU LAZY BUM!" she shouted. "GET UP HERE AND DO SOMETHING!"

**-x-**

"Who's she talking to?" Zoro wondered.

"**Me,"** a familiar voice said from behind them.

The Straw Hats and Ayako turned around and saw Mr. 3.5 standing behind them with his hands in his coat pockets.

"YOU!" Zoro, Nami, and Usopp shouted.

"Mana told me that you were having a problem with a bomb," Mr. 3.5 stated he pulled his hands out of his pockets and held them up to show he was unarmed, "Perhaps I can be of assistance?"

"Why should we trust you?" Zoro demanded. "Ricky gave you a chance and you threw it back in our faces!"

"You were happy enough to tell Crocodile everything he needed to know!" Nami pointed out, "Like we'd give you a chance to betray us again!"

"You'd sooner set the bomb off _yourself _then stop it!" Usopp snapped, "Because you'd conveniently _survive _the explosion."

"You've got a lot of nerve coming here and making requests, bastard!" Sanji growled.

"YEAH!" Chopper added in an attempt to sound tough like the others.

**-Mr. 3.5 Flashback-**

**TMP! **Mana landed on a rooftop and stared down at Mr. 3.5 as he laid down below her in the crater where she'd left him.

"Hey!" Mana called out. "Are you still alive down there? I need you for something!"

"What do you want now?" Mr. 3.5 growled, "Have you come to add insult to injury?"

"No," Mana answered. "Ricky and the Princess found out that Crocodile is planning on having a bomb fired into the square. According to them, it's supposed to be powerful enough to blow up everything within five kilometers. Since bombs are your area of expertise I thought that you might want to try your hand in getting rid of it."

"Why come to me?" Mr. 3.5 asked.

"How would you like a chance to be the hero that you once dreamed of being?" Mana countered. "There are a million people fighting in the square, if that bomb goes off all of them will die. How about you use your bomb powers to save people instead of destroying them for a change?"

"Ugghhh…" Mr. 3.5 groaned as he pushed himself back up to his feet. "Where is it?"

"No clue," Mana admitted, "Most likely near the square."

"Then we'd better get looking," Mr. 3.5 resolved.

"Kyahahahahaha!" Mana laughed, "That's the spirit!"

**-End Flashback-**

"My former partner was the one who finally managed to beat some sense into me," Mr. 3.5 explained, "I don't like the idea of all these people dying and I think I might be able to help. Mana brought me here to do something about it. Give me a chance and I'll take care of it."

"Give him a chance," Ayako spoke up. "Saving people from dying a firey death is an almost forgotten dream of his. If the bomb isn't stopped we're all going to die anyway. So the worst case scenario is: he doesn't stop it and we all die. But the best case scenario is: he'll manage to stop it and everyone will be saved."

"I guess we don't have time to pick and choose our saviors," Usopp reasoned.

"I like the scenario where we _live_ better," Chopper admitted.

"_You _had a dream?" Sanji questioned.

"Now's not the time for that," Mr. 3.5 told him. "Either you trust me or you don't, which is it?"

"Obviously we don't," Nami admitted, "but we don't have any other choice."

Zoro drew his sword and pointed it at the bomb man. "If we die here, Luffy and Ricky will come for you once they finish Crocodile. And while you may survive the explosion, you'll _wish_ you hadn't once they're through with you."

Ayako smiled at Mr. 3.5, "Go for it," she encouraged him.

The Bomb Man stepped passed the Straw Hats and over the bodies of Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's Day and walked up to the front of the clock tower. He spread his legs and placed one hand on the ground.

"BOMB… BOMB… BLAST OFF!" **KA-BOOOM! **The Bomb Man's feet exploded and he was propelled up all seven stories in an instant.

**WHAP! **Mana reached over the edge and caught Mr. 3.5's hand and swung him into the clock tower. The Bomb Man's feet had reformed so he landed lightly and walked up to the bomb.

"What do you think you're doing?" Vivi growled.

"I'm trying to help," Mr. 3.5 answered as he investigated the bomb.

"Princess, the others let him up because they trust him at least a little bit," Mana pointed out. "We don't really have any other options right now so give him a chance."

Vivi folded her arms across her chest and looked over at Mr. 3.5, "Well?" she asked.

"This thing's bigger than all three of us put together," Mr. 3.5 noted. "Crocodile wasn't lying when he told you how powerful this bomb is. It could easily wipe out everything within three miles. We have a minute left to get rid of it so there's no way we can get it out of the square in that little time. Our only option is to get it _above_ the square so it's not in range."

"Do you have a plan?" Mana asked.

"Yes," Mr. 3.5 answered, "but it'll be tricky. If you can make it lighter I can carry it and blast up into the sky and let it blow up there. The only problem is, I'm not sure if all the explosions it'll take to get that high won't accidentally set it off prematurely."

"Fifty-three seconds left," Vivi pointed out. "We have to do _something_!"

**-x-**

**CAAAWW!**

On the ground the Straw Hats and Ayako stared up at the sky and saw a falcon fly overhead.

"Wait… was that?" Sanji wondered.

"I think it's the bird-man," Zoro answered as the falcon flew into the clock tower.

**-x-**

A shadow fell over Vivi, Mana, and Mr. 3.5 as Pell landed on the rim of the opened face of the clock tower and reverted back to his human form.

"Pell?" Vivi gasped.

"Wow, this place brings back so many memories," Pell commented, "The Sand Sand Band's super secret base."

"Pell listen!" Vivi exclaimed. "The bomb has a timer and it's going to go off at any moment!"

"You certainly were a mischievous little child, Princess Vivi," Pell continued as if she hadn't spoken. "You gave us no end of trouble with your pranks and disappearances."

"Is he gonna do what I think he's gonna do?" Mr. 3.5 asked.

"Probably," Mana answered.

**-Pell's Flashback—**

**BOOM! **An explosion rocked the grounds of the Royal Palace.

"IT'S PRINCESS VIVI! SHE'S GOTTEN INTO THE AMMUNITION BUNKER!" a frantic royal soldier exclaimed. A thick cloud of black smoke floated out the door of the ammunition bunker as the two soldiers rushed in. "HEY! WHAT'S HAPPENED? WHAT WAS THAT EXPLOSION?"

The source of the explosion was a coughing, soot-covered Princess Vivi.

"Princess Vivi, how many times have we told you not to go near the ammunition bunker?" the soldier scolded the Princess once they got her out. "You could've gotten hurt!"

Vivi looked passed the two soldiers to see Pell coming with another group of soldier behind him.

"Pell!" Vivi greeted him and sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "I was trying to make some fireworks but I messed up. I know it's the anniversary of the day you joined the army, so I—" **SWAK!** The Princess was cut off when Pell slapped her across the face.

"WHAT'RE YOU DOING?" one of the other guards demanded.

But Pell ignored him in favor of scolding Vivi, "I'VE TOLD YOU A HUNDRED TIMES! NEVER _EVER_ COME NEAR HERE!"

**SKUSH! **Igaram burst out of a bush and yelled at Pell, "JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? HOW DARE YOU TOUCH THE PRINCESS! YOU'RE THROUGH! NO ONE DARES HURT HER!"

**SKUSH! **King Cobra popped out of the bush next to Igaram and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hold on, Igaram," the King attempted to calm the enraged Captain of the Royal Guard. He stared at Pell and Vivi for a moment. "It's fine…"

Pell knelt down in front of the Princess and now spoke softly, "It could have been much worse," he told her. "What if you were killed?"

It was clear that Pell cared for Vivi a great deal. The thought of her dying in an explosion like the one had had just happened terrified him.

**-x-**

"Higher! Go higher!" Vivi cheered later that evening. She was riding on Pell's back as the guard soared through the air over Alubarna in his Human-Falcon hybrid form.

"Vivi, I need you to promise me something," Pell requested. "Never tell the King about this."

"HAHAHA!" Vivi laughed as she felt the wind rushing through her hair and enjoyed the ride.

"He made it clear that I'm not supposed to do this," Pell continued, "He told me I'm never to go flying with you on my back."

"If you're scared fine," Vivi retorted with a cute pout, "But I'll never forgive you if you stop! Hahaha! After all, didn't you say, you'd do _anything _I wanted you to? Hahahahahaha!"

Pell's falcon beak contorted as he smiled at the happy girl riding on his back. When she was happy it made him happy.

"Hey Pell?" Vivi asked as the sun began setting and they flew over the desert.

"Yes?"

"You train for battle everyday," Vivi reminded him, "Why?"

"Because I'm a guard," Pell answered. "It's my duty to protect this country. I have to stay strong."

"So who will you be fighting?" Vivi asked.

"Who?" Pell repeated as he ascended higher up into the air. **WOOSH! **"I don't know. But I don't fight. I protect."

"They're different?" Vivi questioned.

"The serve different purposes," Pell explained as they made their way back to Alubarna.

"Hmm… I don't understand," the girl admitted.

**-End Flashback-**

"I'm so proud that I've been able to serve you all these years Princess," Pell told her. "Protecting the Nefertari Family has been an honor." Pell transformed back into his hybrid form and flew towards the bomb.

"Hey, hold on," Mr. 3.5 protested, "What are you doing?"

"I am the Falcon, the guardian spirit of Alabasta," Pell stated, "It's my duty to protect this Kingdom from any enemy no matter the cost."

"Uggh… you noble types get on my nerves," Mr. 3.5 complained. "You're just like that Dalton guy back on Drum Kingdom. Your love for your country is blinding you to the obvious solution. You don't have to sacrifice yourself to save the Kingdom. I'm a Bomb Man, I can survive being blown up, you won't."

"Aaah!" Vivi gasped when she realized what Pell's plan had been. Like Dalton back on Drum Kingdom, he was going to try to sacrifice himself to save his country.

"It is my duty to protect this country, not yours," Pell stated.

"Then _help us_ save it," Mana told him. "I can make the bomb lighter and he can survive the explosion. We just need you to fly us up into the air."

"You're country needs you _alive_ to help it recover from this disaster," Mr. 3.5 pointed out, "Don't throw your life away for no reason."

"Vivi, who are these people?" Pell asked. "Do you trust them?"

Vivi stared at Mr. 3.5. Just like he had for Dalton on Drum Kingdom, the Bomb Man was offering to blow up the problem here too so it wouldn't cost a local hero his life.

"Yes," Vivi answered. "You can trust them.

"Very well," Pell finally agreed.

With thirty seconds left on the timer Mana grabbed the bomb and lowered its weight to one kilogram. She and Mr. 3.5 grabbed onto it then Pell flew over and grabbed them both in his talons. **WOOOSHH! ** Pell soared out of the clock tower with the two former agents and the ticking bomb in tow.

Vivi watched them go from the opening of the clock tower until they got so high she became a speck and was no longer visible.

Twenty seconds left… The Straw Hats and Ayako watched from the ground as the falcon rapidly pumped its wings and flew it and its cargo high up into the air.

Fifteen seconds left… Lieutenant Devo, Sergeant Major Tashigi, and the rest of the Loguetown Marines noticed the odd figure leaving the clock tower and stared up after it until it became too distant to see.

Ten seconds left… Pell flew out of the sand cloud that had been covering the square where the Rebel and Royal Aries were still fighting completely oblivious to what was going on above them.

"This is where I leave you," Mr. 3.5 announced. He adjusted his hold on the lightened bomb and pulled it away from Mana, "I've got it."

The blonde reached out and grabbed Mr. 3.5, "And I've got you," she told him. She lightened the Bomb Man's weight to two kilograms then swung him back and forth before finally throwing him and the bomb up into the air over her and Pell's heads.

"NOW DIVE!" Mr. 3.5 shouted down at them.

Five seconds left… Mana flipped onto Pell's back and the bird-man folded his wings in and pointed his beak straight towards the ground below as he dove back down into the sand cloud. Mana increased their weight to make them fall faster. **SWOOOOOSSHHH!**

Four seconds left… Mr. 3.5 coasted on Mana's throw before gravity took effect and he started falling. The two kilogram Bomb Man was left hanging off of the bottom of the one kilogram bomb, but that was just the position he wanted to be in.

Three seconds left… Mr. 3.5 clapped his feet together, "Bomb… Bomb… BLAST OFF!" **KA-BOOOM! **The Bomb Man's feet exploded and propelled him and the bomb even higher up into the air. If he looked down at this point he could probably see the entire east side of Sandy Island.

Two seconds left… _"No one blows _me _up," _Mr. 3.5 insisted. Then he did what he did best.

One second left… **KA-BOOOOM! **Mr. 3.5's entire body exploded for his Fullbody Blast and caused the bomb he was holding to go off as a chain reaction. **KAAA-BOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

The explosion from the bomb engulfed the explosion from the Bomb Man and lit up a huge three mile area in the sky.

On this day, the Straw Hats, the Loguetown Marines, the Rebel Army and the Royal Army were all saved by the most unlikely of heroes.

**-x-**

If anyone is questioning the time frame of this chapter or the other recent ones that all happened in the span of five minutes… the answer is Anime Law Number Six:

_#6 - Law of Temporal Variability- Time is not a constant. Time stops for the hero__whenever he does something "cool" or "impressive". Time slows down when friends and__lovers are being killed and speeds up whenever there is a fight._

So now the bomb's been dealt with, next chapter, the final fight between Luffy and Crocodile ends with Luffy vowing "I will surpass you!" and rain finally falls in Alabasta.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	60. Chapter 60

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:**I don't own One Piece or any of the characters. I just own Ricky and the other OC's I've written into this alteration of the story.

**A/N: Between midterm papers and homecoming I was really busy the last two weeks so I didn't get to put out a new chapter. My homecoming theme was – get this – **_**pirates**_**. It's a subject I'm fairly knowledgeable about so I was heavily involved in the set up. Guess who I dressed up as. I'll give you a hint: he's the one character in this story that I own the complete rights to. Today I'm doing a double update. This is the first of two chapters. The second will be posted this evening, 6pm EST at the latest.**

**I Will Surpass You:**

**-x-**

**KAAA-BOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

Mr. 3.5 and the bomb exploded high up in the sky over Alubarna. The bomb had been high enough in the sky to keep the two armies in the sqaure out of the range of the blast but the shockwave that resulted from the explosion surged down into the square and the streets below. **SHOOOOM!**

**KRESH! KRESH! **Windows shattered. **KRASH! THOOM! **Buildings crumbled.

"WAAAAHH!" the men fighting in the square were knocked to the ground.

**FWUMP! **"AAAH!" Tashigi let out a yelp as she fell to the ground and her glasses which already had one lens shattered from her fight with Nico Robin were knocked askew leaving her staring up at the explosion in the sky overhead in shock.

"YAAAHH!" Mana screamed as she and Pell were hit by the shockwave and slammed into the ground somewhere in the middle of the square. **BOOOM! **Mana had increased their weight to quicken their descent so even more of the soldiers were knocked to the ground as a result of their combined weight slamming into the ground in the middle of them.

"GAAAAHH!" Usopp shrieked as he was blown backwards. The other Straw Hats standing at the base of the clock tower kept themselves from going flying while Ayako ducked behind Sanji for cover.

"They… they did it…" Vivi gaped in shock as she stared up at the sky as the explosion faded. The threat was finally over. The bomb was gone. Crocodile wouldn't be able to claim the lives of everyone in the square.

"That guy…" Sanji whispered as he stared up at the sky. Mr. 3.5 was nowhere in sight but with the help of Mana and Pell the bomb man had managed to neutralize Crocodile's time bomb and save all their lives.

"He… saved us all," Nami realized.

"Ugghhh…" Usopp groaned as he pushed himself up off of the ground. The sniper stared out at the square but instead of looking relieved to see everyone in the square in still alive, he was looking out at the square in horror.

Chopper turned to check on the already heavily bandaged Usopp but then he saw what the sniper saw and he too stared at the square in shock.

The wounded and weary soldiers of both the Rebel and Royal Armies were getting back up. But they were all still clutching their weapons.

"This… can't be happening…" Usopp whimpered.

One of the rebels shakily raised his sword up into the air.

"All of you, are you out of your minds?" Tashigi demanded as she approached the rebel but was held back by one of the marines in her squad.

"Look out, Sergeant Major!" the marine warned her.

"RAAAAAAHHH!" the rebel roared. Tashigi could only stare in horror as both the Rebel Army and the Royal Army echoed the roar and went right back to fighting as if nothing had even happened.

"_I need you to keep an eye on this country and where it ends up," Captain Smoker had told Tashigi and Devo before he had set out for sea. "Whether it falls or whether it survives, the dawn of a brand new and historic age is on the horizon."_

The Straw Hats and the Marines watched in shock as the two armies viciously attacked and attempted to kill each other. Both armies were still determined to protect their country that they had no idea that the real threat had been neutralized.

"Madness…" Tashigi whispered. _"Why… aren't they stopping?"_

**-x-**

"Men!" Lieutenant Devo shouted at the marines that were with him as men from both armies started fighting all around them. "Get the nets! The bomb is gone but these fools are still trying to kill each other! We've got to keep as many of them alive as possible!"

With only one arm he aimed a large cannon-sized gun at the crowd around him and fired.** BOOM! **One of the Sea Stone nets that they used to catch pirates with Devil Fruit Powers was fired out and went flying at a cluster of rebels. **SHUWHUP! **The net snagged four rebels and brought them down to the ground but the others around them continued fighting completely unhindered.

**-x-**

The Straw Hats and Ayako watched as the violence, bloodshed, and the death continued to pan out in the square in front of them.

"**STOP FIGHTING! PLEASE STOP! STOP FIGHTING!"**

"Aah!" Nami gasped and looked up at the clock tower. Vivi was standing on the edge screaming at the top of her lungs in an attempt to stop the bloodshed that she had a perfect bird's eye view of. But the Princess was too high up and her voice was drowned out by the sounds of the battle below.

"STOP! STOP FIGHTING! PLEASE STOP! PLEASE STOP FIGHTING!"

"Vivi…" Zoro whispered as the Straw Hats stared up at their friend as she persisted with her futile and unheard shouts.

"PLEASE STOP FIGHTING! STOP! PLEASE STOP FIGHTING! STOP IT! PLEASE STOP THE FIGHTING!"

It was heartbreaking. Vivi's once melodious voice had become shrill and desperate but she was too high to be heard let alone stop them herself, she could only watch and scream as the people she cared so much about and had fought so hard to protect ruthlessly slaughtered each other.

"You fool," Nami mumbled as she fought back tears at the sight of the Princess' fruitless attempts at reaching her people. She turned around and shouted at the pirates standing around her. "YOU DOPES! WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE?" She grabbed Sanji by the collar and threw him towards the fighting. "GET IN THERE!" She shoved Zoro out after Sanji. "IT DOESN'T MATER HOW JUST STOP THE REBELLION!" Ayako quickly fished her paints out of her backpack and ran off before Nami threw _her_, Chopper quickly ran after her.

**WHAP! **Nami grabbed the mummified Usopp by the collar. "WE'VE GOTTA KEEP THE CASUALTIES AS LOW AS WE POSSIBLY CAN!" The sniper stared in shock as the navigator broke down in tears.

Vivi's frantic screams could still be heard up above them.

"STOP FIGHTING! STOP FIGHTING! STOP FIGHTING! PLEASE STOP FIGHTING!"

**-x-**

"Ugghhh…" Pell groaned as he and Mana pulled themselves out of the crater they'd landed in. "Are you alright?"

"I'll live," Mana told him. "I've hit the ground harder than that and managed to survive it."

It was then that the duo noticed the men fighting all around them.

"What's going on?" Mana asked. "The bomb's gone? Why are they still fighting?"

"They never knew about it so there was no reason to," Pell reasoned. "They're all still desperately fighting to save their country." Pell turned and stared at the clock tower. His sharp falcon-eyes enabled him to see the Princess from his spot on the ground but the fighting going on around them prevented him from hearing her obviously desperate screams.

Pell turned back to Mana, "We've got to stop the fighting," he told her. "Use any nonlethal method you can to keep them from killing each other."

"Right," Mana agreed. She lowered her weight to one kilogram and launched herself high up into the air. **SHOO! **"VALENTINE SMASH!" She increased her weight to ten thousand kilograms and slammed down into an empty patch of ground nearby. **KA-THOOOOM! **The backlash of the heavy blonde smashing into the ground created another crater as well as a shockwave the sent all the fighting soldiers around it flying. **WOOOSHH! **

Pell transformed into his Falcon-Human Hybrid Form and flew up into the air. **SHOOM! **Pell pumped his wings as he soared overhead then he dove down into the fighting masses below him. "FLYING WAVE!" **SWOOOSH! **Pell sent rebels and royals flying as he rushed through them. Even if he did try to use his position as a Royal Guardian to stop them, there were simply too many soldiers fighting and his voice would never be heard over the battle. So he had to resort to attacking the men for their own safety.

**-x-**

"KUAHAHAHAHAHA!" Crocodile laughed as he stood across the tomb from the prone form of Luffy. The potent scorpion venom in Crocodile's hook had finally brought the rubber pirate down and left Luffy lying face down on the ground. "At last, my time has finally arrived! The day my grand ambition is realized! Alabasta now belongs to me!"

"Please," Ricky scoffed as he remained seated against the wall with King Cobra and Nico Robin. "Alabasta is no more yours than it is mine. Your agents didn't set off your bomb and the timer didn't set it off either. So clearly my Nakama got to it. You're time is up Crocodile."

"You're awfully confident for someone I've beaten three times already!" Crocodile snarled. "As far as I'm concerned, you've already been dealt with. And nothing is more annoying than a beaten dog pitifully whining after its defeat!"

"You might've beat me but do you really think that venom is enough to keep Luffy down?" Ricky questioned. "After everything you've done to him do you _honestly _think he'll allow a measly poison to finish him off? Vivi's counting on him to beat you and he won't give up until he does."

"Grrr…" Crocodile growled as he turned to look over at Luffy. "The two of you don't seem to understand the concept of defeat. That's why you fools keep coming back for more."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Ricky countered.

On the ground, Luffy thought back to his words from earlier.

"_BECAUSE NONE OF US WANT VIVI TO DIE! HELPING EACH OTHER IS WHAT FRIENDS DO! And that's why none of us will leave her behind! Or quit fighting you! As long as she doesn't give up on her country neither will we!"_

Crocodile's eyes widened in shock as Luffy pushed himself up off of the ground and to his feet. The venom coursing through his body was forgotten in his latest attempt to help Vivi.

"We're Straw Hat Pirates," Ricky declared. "When it comes to helping the people we care about, we never give up because we don't know the meaning of the word 'quit'."

A faint smile appeared on Nico Robin's face as she adjusted her position so she'd be able to properly see the outcome of the fight.

An ugly glare crossed Crocodile's face as Luffy stood in front of him panting in exertion.

"You'll…" **HUFF!** "…never beat me!" Luffy gasped.

"Grrrr…" Crocodile growled, "You finally manage to speak and that's all you come up with?" Crocodile made his way towards the Luffy. Luffy got back up again so he was once again going to have to cut him down. "I suppose it's an acceptable bluff for someone who's about to die. But of course, like any bluff, it's just empty air."

Luffy stared hard at Crocodile, blood was soaking his shorts and running down his arms but he was still standing, still determined to win the fight. "Except…" Luffy replied, "I'M THE MAN WHO WILL BE KING OF THE PIRATES!"

"Listen up you damn brat," Crocodile snapped, "If you really knew anything about the sea, you wouldn't make such an idiotic statement! I told you before, there are thousands of rookies just like you, every one of them chasing their naïve little dreams. The sooner you understand the true level of the Grand Line…" **SKISH! **Crocodile surged towards Luffy and rushed him. "THE SOONER YOU'LL GIVE UP ON YOUR FOOLISH DREAMS!"

Crocodile reached Luffy and lashed out with his hook. **SWISH! **Luffy bent backwards and hook his leg around the base of Crocodile's hook as it swung over him. Luffy spun around and grabbed Crocodile's arm with both hands and used his hold and his foot for additional leverage as he smashed Crocodile's hook down into the ground, **WHAM!**

**KRACK! **Crocodile stared in shock as his poison-filled hook snapped off of the base and clattered away across the floor. **Klak-klak-klak-klak!**

"I will surpass you!" Luffy vowed.

**-x-**

**Rain Falls in Alabasta:**

**-x-**

**WOING! **Luffy stretched his bloody arm out behind him then let out a roar as it snapped back towards him, "RAAAAAAHHH!" **SHOOOOM! **Luffy's arm flew passed him and his blood-soaked fist slammed into Crocodile's stomach. **POW!**

"UGGGHH!" Crocodile groaned and spat out blood.

**SWISH! **Luffy lashed his leg up then snapped his leg back around and smashed his bloody foot into Crocodile's face. **THWHAM!**

Crocodile went sailing across the room but Luffy refused to let up and launched himself after him. **SKISH! **Luffy flew up into the air above Crocodile. **WOING! **Luffy stretched his arm out and slammed his clenched fist down into the Warlord's chest. **WHAM! **Crocodile was driven down into the ground and smashed into the floor. **KRASH!**

**WHAP! **Luffy grabbed Crocodile's collar with his extended arm and yanked him back towards him. **SHOOM! **Crocodile went flying passed Luffy and smashed through the wall. **BOOOM!**

But if nothing else could be admired about Crocodile, it was that the man could take a beating. When the dust cleared, Crocodile let out a groan and pushed himself onto his hand and knees.

"_The scorpion's poison… should have killed him by now…" _Crocodile thought to himself as he stared at Luffy who was still standing tall. _"Where does this brat get his strength from?"_

Luffy looked over his shoulder and glared at Crocodile and it was then that the Warlord finally realized how much he'd underestimated the rubber rookie pirate.

"_Mr. 5's team was taken down?" Crocodile repeated when the Unluckies informed him that Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine had been defeated in Whisky Peak. "Who the hell did it?"_

_Crocodile was presented with the Wanted Poster with a bounty worth thirty million berries that portrayed a black haired boy with a straw hat and a scar under his left eye that had a big goofy grin on his face. _

"_Monkey D. Luffy?" Crocodile read off of the Wanted Poster. "Never heard of him. Hmph. It must be a mistake."_

_Then Mr. 3 had found him at Rain Base when he was explaining the final stages of his plan to his Officer Agents. The candle man had told him that the report he received from Little Garden had been false and that he, Ms. Goldenweek, Mr. 5, and Ms. Valentine had been defeated by the Straw Hat Pirates._

"_What?" Crocodile questioned. "You're saying that they're still alive?"_

_But not only was Straw Hat alive but he was looking for Crocodile._

"_Sir Crocodile," Ms. All Sunday reported, "those pirates have arrived at Rain Base."_

Crocodile had trapped Straw Hat and his crew but they'd escaped. He'd bested Straw Hat in combat and left him to die in the desert. But Straw Hat had survived and faceD him again at the palace with a water barrel. Crocodile had won again, he removed every drop of water from Straw Hat's wretched little body and once again left him to die. But Straw Hat had _again_ survived and found him _again_ down in the mausoleum. Crocodile dealt him a fatal blow with a poison that _should have _killed him but _AGAIN_ Straw Hat had survived!

**SHINK! **A straight dagger blade shot out of the base of Crocodile's hook. The Warlord had specially designed his hook so his lack of a hand would never be a disadvantage in battle.

"YOU'RE JUST A TWO-BIT NOBODY WHO COMES FROM WHO-KNOWS-WHERE!" Crocodile snarled. "YOU CAN'T BEAT ME!" **SKISH! **Crocodile launched himself at Luffy. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?" **SWISH! **Crocodile lashed out at Luffy with his dagger blade but the rubber pirate ducked under it.

"I don't care who you are," Luffy told him, "BECAUSE IT DOESN'T MATTER! WHOEVER YOU ARE I WILL BEAT YOU! HAAAA!" Luffy lashed his leg out and kicked Crocodile up into the air overhead. **THWHAM!**

King Cobra and Nico Robin gaped in shock as Crocodile flew up into the air and seemingly floated up at the top of the tomb. Ricky sat calmly in place as his signature sly grin appeared on his face.

Crocodile glared down at Luffy as he stood on the floor below him.

"NOW FALL WITH THIS ANCIENT TEMPLE!" Crocodile shouted. "AND LET THE DESERT SANDS BURY YOU! SAAABLES!" **SSHHWWOOOO!** Crocodile created a huge tornado of extremely dense sand in his hand and threw it down at Luffy. "PASADO!"

**FWOOOOM! **The tornado of sand hit the ground in front of Luffy and exploded outward. **KRASH! KRASH! **Support columns crumbled and the tomb began collapsing. **THOOOM! RRRMMBBLRRMMBBL! KRASH!**

"He's knocked out the main support beam!" King Cobra exclaimed. "The whole tomb is set to come down!"

"We're not going to be here that long," Ricky reassured him. "This fight's over."

Nico Robin cast a quick glanced at Ricky then turned her attention back to Luffy.

**BLOOOM! **Luffy sucked in a deep breath and his body swelled up like a balloon until his swelled belly left Luffy's standing seven times his normal size.

**WOING! WOING! **Luffy twisted his swelled body around two whole times then pointed his mouth down at the ground in time for all the air he'd swallowed to come rushing out. **FWOOOOSSHHH! **Luffy was sent spiraling up into the air towards Crocodile and his body unwound and returned to its normal size.

"GUUUMMM… GUUUUUUUMMMMMM…"

"DEEESEEERRRT…" Crocodile's arm became a blade of sand and he lashed out at the pirate flying up towards him. "SPAAAAARRRDAAAAA!" **SHOOOOM! **Four razor-sharp blades of sand were launched off of Crocodile's arm and flew down at Luffy.

"STOOOOOOOORRRM!" Luffy pulled back his arms and prepared for a brand new attack. "RAAAAAAHHH!" Luffy let out a roar and shot out his arm. **WHOOM! **Luffy's fist smashed through Crocodile's attack and reduced it to a cloud of sand. Luffy spiraled upward and burst through the sand cloud and lashed out at Crocodile for a furious barrage of spiraling punches.** WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!**

Over and over again Luffy's blood coated fists slammed into Crocodile's blood-soaked body. His attack was unrelenting and he pummeled Crocodile without holding back an ounce.

**WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! **Crocodile slammed back-first into the thick layer of bedrock that separated the hidden tomb from the city streets it was underneath. **BOOOM!**

But even with his enemy pinned against the ceiling Luffy kept punching without stopping or hesitating for a second. **WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!**

"**GRRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" **Luffy screamed as he drove Crocodile into the ceiling.

**-x-**

**RRRMMMBBBRRMMMBB! **The streets above the mausoleum started rumbling and shaking. **THOOM! **The buildings shook and some even toppled over as the street below started cracking. **KRAK! KRAK! KRAK!**

**THOOOOM! **The street bulged up into the air. **KA-BOOOOSSSSHHHH! **A limp body hung over a bloody fist came flying up through the street and was launched into the air overhead.

**-x-**

Ricky, King Cobra, and Nico Robin all stared up at the broken ceiling of the mausoleum as Luffy dropped down towards them.

"Amazing!" Cobra gasped. "He punched him straight up through the bedrock beneath the city!"

"Told ya it was over," Ricky stated, "No one can win against Luffy when he's fighting for someone he considers a friend."

"…" Nico Robin stared up at the sky in astonishment.

**-x-**

Crocodile's body floated up in the air over the square but was unnoticed by the warring armies.

"Hey, bird-guy!" Mana called out to Pell, "What's that?" She pointed to something floating up above them.

Pell squinted and looked up where she was pointing. "It… it's Crocodile!" he gasped. "He's unconscious!" Pell and Mana stared at each other in shock.

"That means…"

**-x-**

The Straw Hats had launched themselves into the fight and were trying to knock out as many soldiers as they could so they wouldn't wind up killing each other.

**THWAK! **Sanji took down a royal soldier with a hard kick then looked up into the sky and spotted the unconscious form of Crocodile. "HEY YOU GUYS!" he called out to the others.

"…" Usopp paused in scratching his chalkboard and looked up.

"Aah!" Nami let out a gasped and tightened her hold on her Clima-Tact when she saw who was floating up in the air.

"Huh?" Chopper questioned. He was clutching a rebels head with both his hooves and his teeth.

"Uh…" Zoro muttered as he paused in taking down a pair of rebels to cast a glance up.

"Oh!" Ayako said as she looked up in the air while sitting in the middle of a tea party with a group of soldiers rebel and royal soldiers under the effect of her Calming Green paint.

"CROCODILE?" they all shouted at once.

Up above them, Vivi finally stopped shouting when she spotted the Warlord floating in the air above the fighting armies. Vivi thought of everything she and the Straw Hats had been through to get to this point. She'd gone from being a passenger to a part of the crew. They'd overcome so many obstacle together and bonded along the way. They became dear friends that she knew would give their lives for her, as she would for them.

"_Well this should_ _be fun,"_ _Luffy had said back at the beginning of their journey. "All we have to do is beat up that Crocodile guy!"_

"_Luffy…" _Vivi thought to herself.

Down below, the Straw Hats and Ayako were all staring up at Crocodile in surprise.

"I don't know how he got there in the first place," Sanji admitted, "but I'm sure it can only mean one thing!"

"I knew it!" Usopp exclaimed. "I KNEW IT! I never doubted it for a second! It can only mean..."

"LUFFY DID IT!" the Straw Hats cheered. "HE WON!"

But despite Luffy's triumph the Rebel and Royal Armies kept fighting. Once again they were blind to the change in their situation and were solely focused on killing each other to protect their country. Crocodile had been defeated but his manipulations were still working on the citizens.

Vivi dropped to her knees and sobbed. "Please…" she whispered, "Our enemy… is defeated… Don't shed anymore blood…" Vivi took a deep breath and screamed at the top of her lungs. "STOP FIGHTING! PLEASE STOP FIGHTING!"

But the situation hadn't changed. She was still too high. The sounds of combat were too loud. And the Princess' voice was once again drowned out.

**-x-**

But something _was_ changing. Unbeknownst to everyone down below the change was taking place up in the sky above the desert kingdom.

One of Crocodile's lasting manipulations that had led to the battle taking place in the Alubarna square was using his Sand Sand Fruit powers to create a drought on Sandy Island that took away all of the natural rain. Rain was a scarce thing for the kingdom of Alabasta but for it to not rain in three years was unnatural even for the desert kingdom. The lack of rain was the cause of much distress in the Kingdom. And when it was discovered that the King was in possession of Dance Powder to create artificial rain in the capital, the distress came to a boiling point and resulted in the rebellion and eventually led up to the battle that was now taking place between the Rebel and Royal Armies.

But now, for the first time in three years, Crocodile was unconscious. The lingering effects of his Sand Sand Fruit powers had faded and the drought had broken. For the first time in what seemed like ages, natural water fell from the sky above Alabasta.

**-x-**

Kebi, the rebel with the long ponytail and the skull cap that had found Kappa when the boy had been attacked by Mr. 1 in Nanohana, and had been with Koza for most of their charge to the Royal Palace, looked up in surprise when the wounded Rebel Leader vaulted off of the ground and made a desperate dive with his hand outstretched.

**SLASH!** Kebi took down the royal soldier he was fighting with a quick slice of his sword then looked after his leader, "KOZA! Hey, are you alright?"

Koza stared through the purple-tinted lenses of his glasses at his opened hand in utter astonishment. "Do you see it?" he whispered.

"Huh?" Kebi asked.

**Drip!** Both rebels turned in time to see a drop of water land on the barrel of a nearby cannon. But it wasn't alone. **Drip! Drip! Drip! **

It wasn't just there. **Drip! Drip!** Drops of water struck the remains of a shattered window nearby and dripped off of it.

"_Don't be so suspicious Koza!" Koza remembered Toto's warning from when his father had pleaded with him to not join the rebellion._

The water picked up speed and became a steady stream.

Koza looked up and stared at the dark cloudy sky in amazement.

IT WAS RAINING! For the first time in three years, natural rain was falling in Alabasta.

"_The rain _will_ fall," Toto had insisted._

Koza shakily held his hand out and caught the falling raindrops on his palm.

"The battle… will end…" Koza resolved.

-x-

"Rain!" Tashigi exclaimed as she, Lieutenant Devo, and the other Loguetown Marines near them stared up at the dark cloudy sky and the rain falling from it.

The Marines watched as all around them rebel and royal soldiers alike stopped their attacks and stared up at the sky.

"The madness has finally stopped," Tashigi realized. "They're beginning to hesitate."

The hesitation spread until the fighting in the square had completely stopped.

**-x-**

"Kyahahahahaha!" Mana laughed as she and Pell stood among the astonished soldiers and stared up at the sky. Mana folded her umbrella and stood under the spray with her arms held wide and a joyful smile on her face. "I love the rain!"

Pell smiled as he watched the fighting stop all around him. "I do too," he agreed. "It's a miracle."

**-x-**

"The rain is starting to clear the air," Chopper observed. The cloud of sand covering the square was fading as the rain fell through it.

"…" The other Straw Hats silently stared up at the sky.

Ayako watched as the rain washed the Calming Green paint off of soldiers she'd been having a tea party with. But as the hypnosis lifted the calm remained and the rebel and royal soldiers all around her stared up at the rain in amazement.

**-x-**

"STOOOP FIIIIGHTIIIINNG!" Vivi screamed from the top of the clock tower. "LIIIISTEEEEN TO MEEEE!"

Now that the fighting had stopped Vivi's voice carried across the square and was heard by all the soldiers that were staring up at the falling rain. The sound of the rain wasn't enough to drown out the Princess' voice. Both the Rebel Army and the Royal Army heard the Princess' voice and their attention was drawn from the sky to the clock tower.

"They finally heard Vivi's voice," Nami realized, "Finally."

Rebel soldiers and the royal soldiers lowered their weapons and stared at the Princess in shock and whispered her name.

"Vivi," Kebi whispered.

"I didn't know the Princess was back," a rebel behind him confessed.

**-x-**

**KRASH! **Crocodile's finally landed and slammed into the ground in the square. A crown of rebels and royal soldiers gathered around him and stared at the unconscious Warlord in shock.

**-x-**

**THUMP! **Luffy fell from the top of the underground mausoleum and hit the ground.

Chunks of rock and stone were falling all around them but the five eyes of the three people in the collapsing tomb were all on the rubber pirate lying in the middle of the room.

"HEY!" King Cobra shouted out in concern. "ARE YOU OKAY?"

"Nicely done bro," Ricky praised Luffy as he walked over to him. He showed the vial of antidote to his Captain. "Hang tight, I've got the antidote."

**-x-**

"Sir Crocodile!" one of the men surrounding Crocodile exclaimed. "How did he get here? What happened to him?

"Oh, so they're still calling him _Sir _Crocodile?" Usopp snapped. The annoyed sniper made his way towards the crowd. "We'll see if he's Sir Crocodile after I tell him what's what!"

**Whap! **Sanji reached out as Usopp passed him and grabbed him by the top of the head and held the sniper back. "Hold on," Sanji instructed him. "Just stay here."

"…" Zoro turned away from Sanji and Usopp and took a moment to stare out at the silent – and now quite wet – soldiers as they stood in the rain and stared up at Vivi on the clock tower.

**-x-**

"The rain has returned," Vivi said as she stared at the falling rain and the silent crowd. "And will fall again as it used to. Our nightmare is finally over. Finally."

**-x-**

"There," Ricky resolved as he pulled away the empty antidote vial. "I'm no doctor but once you recover from all your injuries, you'll be fine."

King Cobra knelt next to Luffy, "I thank you."

"Shishi," Luffy chuckled with a happy smile. "No sweat."

"He did it," Nico Robin realized causing Ricky to look over his shoulder at her. Nico Robin glanced from Luffy to Ricky. "He actually beat Crocodile… just like you said he would."

Ricky grinned, "That's why he's my Captain," he replied. "Wouldn't you want someone like him fighting for you?"

A small smile spread Nico Robin's face, "Yes," she admitted. Then smile was gone and she was serious once more. "But first, remember your promise. Once you recover from your injuries I want you to take me to the other Poneglyph that you found. I'll be waiting for you at the Spider's Café." With that, she turned and made her way out of the collapsing mausoleum, through the destroyed doors, and back to the steps that let back up to the surface.

Ricky watched her go then turned back to Luffy, "We should probably go too," he decided. "After everything that's happened I don't wanna end up buried in a collapsing tomb." Ricky went to pick Luffy up but the King stopped him.

"Let me," Cobra offered. "You're injured. After everything he's done for my Kingdom it's the least I can do."

Ricky nodded and got Luffy situated on the King's back. "Then let's go your highness," he resolved. "It looks like this place will still stand for another couple of minutes but I wanna be long gone before I find out if I'm right."

King Cobra nodded and followed Ricky out of the room while carrying the pirate who had saved his kingdom on his back. "At last, it's finally over."

The Officer Agents were taken out, the bomb was neutralized, Crocodile had been defeated, and the fighting had finally stopped. At long last, it was finally over.

**-x-**

And that's the end of that one. Next chapter, the leaders of both armies meet and the rebellion ends. And then the battle between the Straw Hats and Baroque Works is left to be cleaned up by the Marines with different views of justice.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	61. Chapter 61

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:**I don't own One Piece or any of the characters. I just own Ricky and the other OC's I've written into this alteration of the story.

**A/N: Including this one, there are four more chapters left in this story and with no other unscheduled interruptions to my weekly update schedule I should be done completely with Another Nakama II in the first week of December. That means that studying for my finals and my other final projects won't interfere with my update schedule like my midterms did. Anyway, here's the second chapter in the double update. Enjoy.**

**The Rebellion Ends:**

**-x-**

Luffy had finally defeated Crocodile and the sudden rain was enough to stop the fighting in the square long enough for the soldiers to hear Vivi's voice rom up in the clock tower.

"Our nightmares aren't over, Princess!" one of the rebels protested. "Not yet!"

"He's right!" another rebel agreed. "I wish what happened was a nightmare but it was real!"

"We want justice!" a third rebel exclaimed. "We saw King Cobra attack Nanohana with our own eyes! And those damn royals shot Koza too! You expect us to just forgive them? AFTER WHAT THEY DID?"

"Our nightmares will only be over once we've killed every Royal in this country!" a particularly blood-thirsty rebel called out.

Vivi watched in horror as the rebels raised their weapons and prepared to resume fighting.

"**ROYAL ARMY! DROP YOUR WEAPONS!" **a familiar voice shouted. The Royal Army turned and saw Chaka standing on top of the Royal Palace's outer wall.

"Up there!" a royal soldier pointed out as he drew everyone's attention to the Acting Captain of the Royal Guard.

"Chaka…" Vivi whispered.

"Is he serious?" a royal soldier wondered.

**SWOOOSH! **"CAAWW!" A falcon cried and both armies looked up in time to see Pell fly overhead and land on top of the wall next to Chaka.

"Pell…" Chaka said as his fellow Royal Guard stood beside him and reverted to his human form.

"He speaks the truth Royal Army!" Pell addressed the men in the square. "Lower your weapons and surrender now! This battle is over!"

"**Listen to them," **came a new voice. **"Maa maaa maaaaa!" **Everyone turned and stared in shock when they saw a familiar man in a fancy suit and white hair that looked like a English wig with rollers. "That goes for you too Rebel Army."

"IGARAM!" a royal soldier exclaimed when they saw the former Captain of the Royal Guard standing there with the wounded boy Kappa in his arms. "Captain!"

Up in the clock tower, Vivi's eyes went wide and filled with tears when she saw her guardian alive and well. He'd somehow survived the explosion when Ms. All Sunday blew up his ship after he'd set out from Whisky Peak.

"Igaram…" the Princess practically sobbed.

"Vivi's letter said that he was dead," Pell reminded Chaka.

"But he made it back," Chaka realized.

Vivi was instantly racing down the stairs from the top of the clock tower.

"_May we meet again in our homeland." _Those had been Igaram's final words to her. He had been dressed up as her decoy and was planning to lead the Baroque Works Agents off of their trail. But the trick hadn't worked and Ms. All Sunday quickly dealt with him and caught up with the Straw Hats. Vivi had thought he was dead and that she'd never see him again. But he was alive. Chaka, Pell, Igaram, all three of them had survived the battle with Baroque Works.

"Hey, it's that cross-dressing guy from Whisky Peak," Zoro realized as he and the other Straw Hats stared in surprise at the returning Captain of the Royal Guard.

"He's still alive!" Nami exclaimed.

"Hey, who is that guy?" Chopper asked.

"He used to be Mr. 8," Ayako informed him. "He and the Princess infiltrated Baroque Works together and became Frontier Agents. Your friends met him two islands before they met you."

Igaram now stood in the middle of the square with the rebels and royal soldiers all crowded around him. Igaram looked down and addressed the boy in his arms, "Boy, can you talk to me?"

"That's the boy from Nanohana," one of the rebels recalled, "The kid who was harmed by those Royal Army goons."

"No that's not true!" Kappa corrected him. "It wasn't them! The people who did this looked like members of the Royal Army but it really wasn't them. EVERYONE PLEASE LISTEN! This is what I saw…"

_After the royal soldiers had shot Koza and set fire to the city, Kappa had been watching from an alley and saw the King and his men running away. King Cobra took out a headband with two white puff balls on the side and slipped it on his head. _

"_OOOOOOOO! It feels so good to get back into gear!" __**Skish! **__The King touched his face with his left hand and Nefertari Cobra's regal features changed to the makeup covered face of a strange-looking Okama. The fake King and his obviously fake soldiers then pranced off and ran away from the burning city._

The rebels stared at the boy in shock when he finished his story. The King hadn't been the one to destroy Nanohana. It had been an impersonator.

"**That's right,"** came another voice. The rebels turned and saw Koza sitting on the ground with Kebi behind him. "We've all been manipulated. This battle was a plot from the beginning."

"Koza…" the rebels whispered. "Leader…"

"Royal or rebel, I'll explain it to you all," Igaram assured the men around him, "Everything that has befallen our fair country. But only if you drop your weapons."

The men in both armies stared at each other for a couple of seconds, then did as they were told. **KLANK! KLAK! KLAK! KLANK! **Everyone dropped their weapons, and this time, with Igaram, Chaka, Pell, and Koza all gathered in the square to speak the truth, the rebellion was finally over.

**KREK! **The doors to the clock tower swung opened and Vivi raced out into the square.

"Princess?" a rebel standing nearby called out.

Vivi didn't respond and instead searched the crowd for some familiar faces.

"My friends… where are they?" Vivi wondered. The Straw Hats, Ayako, and even Mana had all disappeared from the square.

**-x-**

"Nami's necklace and Zoro's swords are coming from somewhere that way," Ricky informed Cobra as the King walked behind him with an unconscious Luffy on his back.

"And how do you know that exactly?" King Cobra inquired.

"I'm a Treasure Hunter with the ability to sense treasure," Ricky explained. "Basically, that makes me the best there is." Ricky focused on his Treasure Sense and continued to lead the way to his Nakama. "It feels like they've left the square."

**-x-**

"Come on Usopp, I know you're hurt but keep up," Sanji pleaded with Usopp as the Straw Hats and Ayako made their way through a side street and left the square.

"Ugghh… I wish I could…" Usopp groaned, "but I'm coming down with 'If-I-Walk-Anymore-I'll-Die-Disease'!"

"I'll drag you then," Zoro decided.

"WAIT! GAH!" Usopp shrieked. **SKEESSSHH! **The Straw Hats continued onward with Zoro now dragging the mummified Usopp by his leg. "I'm coming down with 'If-I-Get-Dragged-Anymore-I'll-Die-Disease'!"

"Ever heard of either of those?" Ayako asked Chopper.

"Nope," Chopper answered.

"**Oh! There you are!" **They looked overhead and saw Mana floating down from the sky. **TMP! **The blonde landed in front of them. "Hey, where's Bomb Boy?"

"You mean Mr. 3.5?" Nami questioned. "We thought he was with you."

Mana shook her head, "I haven't seen him since the explosion," she admitted. "I thought he'd find you since you're the bigger group. Pell and I were moving around a lot while we tried to stop the fighting. I hope he's alright."

"He saved us all," Chopper said, "and now no one knows where he is."

**-x-**

In the middle of the rainy desert, a dark man wearing a brown coat trekked through the sand leaving extremely shallow footprints.

"Damn airhead," Mr. 3.5 grumbled. "I still weigh only two kilograms. The damn explosion sent me who-knows-where in this desert Kingdom."

The Bomb Man stopped and raised his sunglasses. "A town?" he observed when he spotted a settlement up ahead of him. "Maybe someone there'll tell me where the hell I am."

**-x-**

"Hey, there they are!" Sanji called out.

"Found 'em?" Zoro questioned. The Straw Hats and the two former agents stopped when they saw Ricky and an unfamiliar dark haired man wearing fancy ropes carrying Luffy on his back.

"Hey guys," Ricky greeted them.

"Oh, so those are you're…" Cobra started to say.

"Yup, that's the Bomb Squad," Ricky informed him.

"RICKY!" Nami exclaimed, she pushed passed the others and was instantly hugging him. It was not lost on anyone that Ricky was still shirtless.

"Careful with my sides," Ricky warned her. Nami quickly adjusted her hold so her arms were going around his back rather than around the wounds on both of his sides that Crocodile's hook had made. Once her hold on him had changed he gingerly hugged her back.

Ricky looked over Nami shoulder and noticed that Zoro, Usopp, Chopper, Mana, and Ayako were all staring at the two of them and looked almost _eager_. Sanji on the other hand, looked annoyed.

"What's with you guys?" Ricky inquired.

"Nothing!" the aforementioned observers chorused before pointedly looking away.

"Hey, that guy on your back's one of us," Sanji informed the man with Luffy, still not knowing who he was. "We'll take him of your hands."

"So you're the rest of the pirates that brought Vivi back to this country," Cobra commented.

"**DADDY!" **Vivi's familiar voice called out as the Princess ran down the street towards them. "EVERYONE!" The Princess' face lit in relief. Everyone had survived. Her father, Igaram, Chaka, Pell, Koza, Luffy, Ricky, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper even Mana and Ayako. They were all still alive!

"Hey, Vivi!" Chopper greeted her.

"Daddy?" Sanji repeated. Then it sunk in and he stared in shock at the King standing in front of him. "WHAAT? THIS GUY'S VIVI'S DAD?"

"Guess that makes you the King," Zoro reasoned.

"Yes," King Cobra answered. "And I'd be a dead King if it wasn't for the efforts of your brave friends here.

Sanji glared at Ricky, "RICKY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING MAKING A KING CARRY LUFFY?"

"He offered," Ricky protested, "And Crocodile got me in the side with his poisoned hook so I didn't think carrying him would help it."

"Poison?" Nami repeated as she finally pulled away and eyed the new wound on Ricky's side.

**SKISH!** Chopper was instantly standing beside them, "Is it still infected?"

"It's been neutralized," Ricky assured them. "He got Luffy too but we were given an antidote. No need to worry about it anymore."

"However, his injuries need to be treated," King Cobra informed them. "So do yours as well."

"We'll wait," Zoro told the King as he hefted Luffy off of his shoulders and set him down so he was lying on the ground with his head propped up against a wall. Zoro then sat down against the wall beside the Captain. "You two need to be somewhere else."

"Huh?" Vivi questioned.

"Go back to the square Vivi," Zoro instructed.

"Ahaha," Usopp laughed, "he's right, now that the war is over it's only fitting for the King and Princess to say a few words, don't you think? Ya know, tell 'em what really happened."

"Right, and I can tell them all about you guys too," Vivi said.

"Miss. Vivi dear, please don't," Sanji requested as he it up a cigarette. "We're a band of notorious pirates. The last thing we need are our faces and names known."

"Besides," Ricky remarked, "the Government would just cover up everything we did and say they did it all. Can't allow people to think that the World Government needed pirates to do things they couldn't. If nothing else, they'll say that we were the _cause _of it. So it's better that they don't have any names to distort and vilify."

Vivi expression told them that she didn't particularly like that idea but was willing to agree to her friends' requests.

"But what we do need is food," Chopper admitted.

"And rest," Nami added, "We'd like to crash at the palace… if that's okay."

Vivi nodded and then father and daughter, King and Princess, headed off to talk to the people.

As soon as the Royals were gone, Sanji's cigarette fell from his mouth, his eyes drooped and he collapsed to the ground and passed out. **FWUMP!**

**FWUMP! FWUMP! **He was followed by Usopp and Chopper and then Ricky and Nami passed out on the ground next to each other. **FWA-FWUMP!** Zoro's head dropped into his lap as he passed out while sitting against the wall leaving only Mana and Ayako standing amongst the passed out pirates.

"So do we leave now or stick with them?" Ayako asked. "We're partially to blame for the condition this country is in."

"But we also helped save it," Mana pointed out. "We beat an Officer Agent and helped deal with the bomb. The King probably thinks we're part of their crew and Pell and the Princess can back up what we did with the bomb. At the very least they'll let us rest with them at the palace for a bit."

Ayako shrugged, "Works for me." **FWUMP! **Not needing any other reason to take a nap, the artist dropped to the ground and went to sleep.

"I just wanna do one more thing," Mana commented as she stepped over Usopp and knelt down next to Nami. The blonde grinned as she repositioned the girl so she was lying mostly on top of Ricky then moved the unconscious First Mate's arms so they were wrapped around the navigator.

"Kyahahaha," Mana giggled as she stood up and looked pleased with herself. At the very least, Ricky and Nami's new position would lead to an awkward situation when they woke up. Well, awkward for them, entertaining for her. The blonde casually sat down against a wall around the corner from Zoro and finally allowed herself to pass out.

**-x-**

"Understood Captain Smoker," Lieutenant Devo said before he hung up his Transponder Snail and let his squad of Marines deeper into the square and towards a crowd of people surrounding a formerly famous public figure.

"Are you serious? Crocodile?" a rebel questioned as a bunch of people stood around the unconscious body of the treacherous warlord. "He was the one behind all this?"

"All this time, we thought he was a hero," another rebel admitted.

**Tmp!Tmp!Tmp!Tmp! **The Marines came marching in led by Lieutenant Devo. "Over there! Look!" someone called out. "It's the Marines!"

The squad of Marines saluted while the one-armed Lieutenant stepped forward and addressed the defeated Warlord lying on the ground in front of him. The rebels and royals crowded around so they could hear whatever the Marine Lieutenant was going to say.

"I've just been informed that a Baroque Works ship has been seized," Devo announced, "One that uses Dance Powder to make artificial rain. Since you're the President of Baroque Works, I've been authorized to tell you this: 'Sir Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea…"

_**WHAM! **__Crocodile held Devo by the throat and slammed him into a wall. Devo's arms went limp from the impact and his guns dropped to the ground. __**KLAK-KLAK! **_

"_Your efforts are pointless," Crocodile mocked him. "You can't hurt me so you'll never stop me. Justice will only be a distant dream for a weakling like you." __**WHUMP! **__Crocodile turned and threw Devo down onto the street and then proceeded to slice his arm off._

"The World Government hereby strips you of your authorization to capture enemy ships, as well as your title of Warlord of the Sea which was granted to you by the Government.' And finally, it's with no small amount of personal satisfaction that I place you, and all other members of Baroque Works, under arrest."

And so, justice had finally been served. Crocodile was stripped of his title and arrested by the Marines. The Marines then spread across the city and took in the Billions they'd apprehended in the square and then began searching the city for the unconscious Officer Agents. They would eventually find Ms. Merry Chirstmas, Mr. 4, Lassou, Ms. Double Finger, and Mr. 1.

**-x-**

"Huff… huff… huff…" Mr. 2 Bon Kurei panted as he staggered around a corner and hid from the Marines that were searching for him. "That's my cue to leave."

And so the Okama snuck off and managed to escape from the Marines in Alubarna.

**-x-**

Back in the square, everyone had learned the truth of what had happened to their country.

Koza sat in a cluster of his men and hung his head and allowed the rain to run off of his glasses and drop to the ground, "We rebels, we've done horrible things that can never be undone."

"Leader…" Vivi whispered as she stared through the crowd at Koza. "I don't know what to say to him… to any of them."

Cobra placed a comforting hand on his daughter's shoulder then the King addressed the people. "We all feel regret for what has happened but that's natural."

"King Cobra…" the rebels gasped. "Your Majesty!"

"We've lost so much and gained nothing," King Cobra continued. "We've been divided. But now we have a chance to take a step forward. No matter who you fought against, the battle did occur and it's over. We must put this strife behind us and become one again."

"The King's right," Koza agreed.

"Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about what's happened," the King admitted. "We cannot change the past. THERE IS ONE THING WE CAN CHANGE! AND THAT'S OUR FUTURE!"

The people gasped at the King's words. Igaram and Pell smiled. Chaka actually cried. "He's so wise," Chaka whispered.

"A FUTURE WHERE ALL OF ALABASTA IS UNITED ONCE MORE!" the King proclaimed.

The monumental battle between the Royal and Rebel Armies that will be engraved upon the annuls of history… and even more importantly, the battle between the Straw Hats and Baroque Works that will never be told… is finally over.

**-x-**

**Different Views of Justice:**

**-x-**

Off the shore of Tamarisk, a port city north of Alubarna, a Baroque Works ship sat in the rain and bobbed with the waves. The ship had all the equipment to make artificial rain using Dance Powder.

Sitting casually at the not a Baroque Works Agent, but Marine Captain Smoker. And tied to the side of the ship was Smoker's Blower Bike. This was the ship that had been seized by Marines and had been used to incriminate and arrest Crocodile.

But Smoker wasn't alone.

"Smoker, where the hell is this rain coming from?" a woman demanded. "Don't tell me you used the Dance Powder on this ship."

"Don't be stupid," Smoker retorted without looking back at the woman. He casually sat in his chair and smoked two cigars. "Believe it or not, I know better than to commit a crime. We haven't seen each other in quite some time and the first thing you do is blame me for some natural rain. And I was about to tell you that you looked good."

"You're right," the woman agreed. "It was a lousy welcome. Hina's sorry. As for the compliment, I can't believe the White Hunter would say something so sweet. My, you've actually softened up a little."

"Shut your trap, Hina," Smoker snapped as he finally cast the woman a glance over his shoulder.

Behind him stood Marine Captain 'Black Cage' Hina, a tall full-figured woman with long pale pink hair that grew all the way down her back and framed her face with two pink locks on each side. She wore a tight purple suit that proudly displayed her curves, a white collared blouse underneath and a white Marine Captain's coat over her shoulders. On her feet were a pair of dark brown shoes and on her hands were gloves of the same color. Hina had dark brown eyes and wore red lipstick.

"Is that what I get for helping you out?" Hina asked. "For the umpteenth time too, I might add. My elite unite found this ship for you. A 'thanks' would be nice. Hina's upset."

'White Hunter' Smoker and 'Black Cage' Hina had a history. They both joined the Marines at the same time and were in the same class. Over the course of their careers Hina had gotten the loose cannon Smoker out of many bad situations that could have cost the White Hunter his position in the Marines.

"Your Lieutenant is blindly loyal to you but I don't know how poor Tashigi puts up with you, Smoker," Hina commented.

"She manages somehow," Smoker replied. "I need you to take this ship into HQ. Also, Devo and Tashigi are going to be bringing Crocodile here. Kill two birds with one stone and take him with you."

"Give me a break," Hina told him, "I'm an Officer, not your personal errand girl."

Smoker pulled out a coin and flicked it up into the air. **Whap! **Smoker caught the coin and covered it on the back of hand then looked at Hina expectantly.

"It's heads," Hina guessed.

Smoker uncovered the coin, "It's tails," he informed her. "You lose errand girl."

"You're a real piece of work," Hina complained, "you know that Smoker? I thought a few years of command would change you but I guess I was wrong. Hina's disappointed."

"I'm well aware of that," Smoker admitted. "And I don't care."

**-x-**

"Negative," Sergeant Major Tashigi stated. While Lieutenant Devo was arresting Crocodile, Tashigi had taken the other square of Marines and left the square to find and capture the Officer Agents. But along the way, Tashigi and her squad had come across the unconscious Straw Hats as well as the two former agents. "That's an order."

"Sergeant Major!" Petty Officer Masshikaku protested. "With all due respect, why not? With your permission we can capture all the Straw Hats in one fell swoop."

"DENIED!" Tashigi snapped as stood in between them and the unconscious pirates that they had come to this country to capture. "I will not allow you to lay a hand on any of them! IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?"

"_Justice is only for the people who take it," Crocodile had taunted._

"_**Where's Crocodile?" **__Luffy questioned. _

"_Straw Hat!" Tashigi called out._

"_Where'd he go?" Luffy asked. "Where?"_

The Marines had failed to uphold justice. They had tried to apprehend Crocodile and Nico Robin but their attempts had ended in humiliating and crippling defeat. The Straw Hats had succeeded where they had failed. They not only defeated Crocodile and Nico Robin but they also stopped the bomb. There was no justice in arresting the ones that had upheld it.

"But we're never gonna get another chance like this again!" one of the marines pointed out. "They're sitting ducks right now!"

"Look, Sergeant Major," a third marine attempted to reason with her.

But Tashigi's glare silenced him, even with one of the lenses in her glasses cracked and broken, the look in her eyes was still formidable and showed that she wasn't moving on tise issue. NO ONE was arresting the Straw Hats. The Marine reluctantly moved on and continued their search for the Officer Agents.

On a roof overlooking the street, Pell released his sword and relaxed in his self-appointed task of guarding the Straw Hats.

"Fortunately, she's an honorable marine," the Royal Guardian commented.

Pell knew full well that if he fought the Marines to defend the Straw Hats that it would bring trouble to the Kingdom. Harboring pirates was a serious offense in the eyes of the World Government. But if it came to it, Pell knew it would be worth it. The World Government had done nothing to protect his Kingdom from Crocodile, the pirates had. And while Pell's duty was to protect Alabasta Kingdom, he had decided that he also had to protect those that had protected the kingdom when he had been unable to.

Luckily the Sergeant Major had refused to arrest the heroic pirates. So Alabasta wasn't going to be launched into another calamity fresh after the one they'd just survived.

**-x-**

Back in the square, the wounded soldiers were being helped into the palace for medical attention.

Vivi knelt next to Koza who was lying on a stretch while Kebi and the rest of Koza's most loyal soldiers stood around them.

"Hang on Leader," Vivi urged him. "We'll get you taken care of."

"Still a worry-wart as always I see," Koza remarked. "Don't worry about me. I've got my stubborn old man's blood in my veins. A sandstorm was no match for him and some bullets are not match for me. As soon as I get treated, I'll head back to Yuba and keep you updated, I'll be alright."

"Alright," Vivi replied.

**-x-**

"IT'S ACTUALLY RAINING!" a civilian cheered in Tamarisk.

"This is the first time in three years!" another exclaimed. "It's a miracle!"

"This rain will end the rebellion!" a third civilian called out. "Our foolish sons will come home!"

The people relished in the long overdue rain. The children laughed and happily danced in the miracle shower. The drought had broken and the dried out desert kingdom was alive once again.

To the west, the civilians were doing the same in Rain Base and celebrated the return of the rain and the end of the rebellion.

**-x-**

The rain was even coming down on the opposite side of the Kingdom in the ruins Erumalu.

"JUU!" the Kung Fu Jugong cooed as they frolicked in the rain and clung to the Going Merry that was still docked off the shore of the Erumalu, patiently awaiting the return of its crew.

**-x-**

In Yuba, Toto knelt in the middle of the deep hole he'd been digging when the rain started.

"_How much longer are you gonna be stubborn, old man?" Koza had demanded before he went to join the rebels. "Father look around! Yuba is finished! A ghost town! What're you gonna do here by yourself? Are you gonna dry up and die too?"_

"See son?" Toto asked as he smiled up at the sky and watched the rain fall. "Look there. The rain has come back… just like I told you. I knew that it would come back! I was right! Right as rain!"

"**Hey, old man," **came a deep voice.

Toto lowered his gaze and saw a dark-skinned man with wet black hair wearing a brown coat and sunglasses standing on the edge of his hole.

"Where the heck am I?" the stranger asked.

"You're in the Oasis of Yuba," Toto informed him.

"Shit," the stranger cursed under his breath. "The blast blew me all the way to the other side of the country."

"What was that?" Toto inquired.

"Nothing," the man insisted. "Do you have a place I could stay for the night?"

"Of course," Toto answered as he immediately offered the old Yuba hospitality. "That's what Yuba is for. It's a resting place for travelers passing through. There are over a dozen inns in the city for you to choose from but I recommend that one." Toto pointed to the inn the Straw Hats and the three Whitebeard Pirates had stayed in. "An incredible group of travelers stayed there just two nights ago. I'm certain that anyone who stays there is destined for great things."

A faint smile appeared on the stranger's face, "Thanks old man. I'll go find myself a room."

The rain that now falls in the Kingdom is more than just a physical one but also a symbolic one that washes away the bitter tears of its recent past.

**-x-**

The rain continued to fall well into the night.

Back in Alubarna, Vivi sat in a chair by the window of the Royal Palace's infirmary. The room was filled with snoring coming from the sleeping pirates that occupied a large number of the beds in the room. But Vivi tuned it out as she stared out the window and watched the rain.

**Kreeek**… The door quietly opened and Vivi looked away from the window and saw Pell peaking into the room.

"Princess, what are you still doing up?" Pell inquired.

"Oh, hey Pell," Vivi greeted him. "It's nothing."

Pell pulled the door shut and crossed the room so he was standing near Vivi.

"Can't sleep?" he inquired.

"It's not that," Vivi told him. "I just don't want to sleep right now. I'd rather watch the rain fall. It's been so long since I've seen it."

"You're right, it is a beautiful sight," Pell agreed as he sat in the chair next to Vivi and stared out at the rain.

The two were silent, the only sounds in the room were the snores of the sleeping Straw Hats and the rain against the windows.

Pell eventually spoke, "Princess, you and your friends fought valiantly to protect this kingdom. Being able to defend it alongside you was the greatest honor."

**-x-**

Early the next morning, seagulls flew above the three Marine ships that were docked off the shore of Tamarisk.

"Captain Smoker, Captain Hina!" a marine called out to the two Marine Captains, "Lieutenant Devo and Sergeant Major Tashigi are back!"

A heard of camels approached, at the head were Lieutenant Devo and Sergeant Major Tashigi. Their two squads of Marines and their Baroque Works prisoners were all in tow. s in tow.

Devo and Tashigi got off their camels and approached ship that belonged to the Loguetown Marines.

"WELCOME BACK LIEUTENANT!" Captain Hina's squads of Marines that were gathered in front of the ships chorused. "WELCOME BACK SERGEANT MAJOR!"

"Hello Lieutenant, you look well," Hina greeted Devo as she stood in front of her men.

"Hello Captain Hina," Devo returned and executed a quick salute with his remaining arm. "Obviously I've looked better." Devo passed her and Hina directed her attention to Tashigi.

"It sure has been a while Tashigi," Hina addressed the Sergeant Major.

"Hina," Tashigi quietly replied as she followed Devo passed the other Marine Captain. Remembering her manners, Tashigi stopped for a moment. "Good to see you again. If you'll excuse me, I'm a little tired so I'm going to go and get some rest."

"Hm," Hina hummed to herself as the two officers walked to the bottom of the gangplank that led up to the deck of the Loguetown Marine's ship. Smoker was casually sitting at the top casually smoking two cigars at the same time.

"We're back Captain Smoker," Lieutenant Devo reported. "Did you get my report?"

"Sure did," Smoker answered. "Thanks for your work. I heard about what happened with the Straw Hats."

"I'm sorry, sir," Tashigi apologized. "We helped the pirates. I also had an opportunity to capture them and I let it slip away. It's all my fault. My actions were shameful. I'm sorry."

"Why're you apologizing?" Smoker questioned. "Stop it. Didn't you follow your justice like I told you to?"

"We tried, but we failed," Devo admitted.

"_Your efforts are pointless," Crocodile mocked him. "You can't hurt me so you'll never stop me. Justice will only be a distant dream for a weakling like you."_

"We didn't have any other choice," Tashigi added.

"_Justice is only for the people who take it," Crocodile taunted her. "That's the kind of world we live in, girl."_

Tashigi hung her head.

"_I'll decide what to do about it once I know what it says," One Eye reasoned after he'd defeated Nico Robin. "And at least this way, if Crocodile manages to get away from Luffy again I'll be able to set up an ambush."_

"_TELL ME RIGHT NOW!" Straw Hat shouted. "WHICH WAY DID HE GO?"_

"We were tasked with bringing Crocodile in," Devo stated. "But I wasn't strong enough."

_Devo struggled to get up but was pinned down when Crocodile stepped on his right elbow. __**TMP! **__"You'll die along with the other cretins in the square," Crocodile stated. "But before that, you'll learn the price for opposing me without actually having the strength to do it." Crocodile's hand and arm became a blade of sand. "DESERT… SPARDA!"_

"I was no match for Nico Robin," Tashigi confessed, "I was too weak."

_**WHAP! **__Four arms grew out of Tashigi's body so suddenly that the Marine didn't have any time to react. Two of the arms wrenched her sword from her grasp while the other two clutched her chin and tilted it upward so the tip over own sword was pointed at her throat. __**KLAK! **__Tashigi's glasses dropped to the ground and the lenses shattered. She'd lost just like that._

"When Straw Hat Luffy asked where they'd gone all I could do was tell him," Tashigi admitted. "So there was… no justice I could follow."

"I get it," Smoker comment. "You thought you were strong enough to defeat Crocodile. But you weren't so the Straw Hats stepped up and did it instead."

Devo and Tashigi made their way up the steps to the ship.

"The Straw Hats know what you have to do to survive in this sea," Smoker said. "You either step up or you die. You did what you could but it wasn't enough. Luckily, you're both still alive. Learn from this experience."

The Lieutenant and Sergeant Major walked passed Captain Smoker on opposite sides and stepped onto the ship.

"Captain Smoker," Devo addressed the Captain, "if it's alright with you, I'm going to go to sickbay and see if the doctor can do something about what's left of my arm."

"With your permission, sir," Tashigi stated. "I'm going to get some rest. If you'll excuse me."

"Tashigi," Smoker called out then added, "Both of you. Don't cry about it." The two lower ranked officers had waited until they'd gone passed their superior to let their tears of humiliation and defeat fall. "Do what the Straw Hats did. Step up and become stronger!"

"SIR, YES SIR!" Devo and Tashigi shouted in unison.

The duo headed off and Smoker turned his attention back to the rest of his crew that were still standing on the shore. "I just wish the rest of you had the same kind of guts that they do. Now get those prisoners loaded on the ship!"

"YES SIR!" the Marines chorused.

"Captain, HQ for you on the transponder snail," a marine informed Smoker a little bit later when the Baroque Works Agents were being loaded onto the ship.

"Uggghh…" Smoker groaned in annoyance.

"_**This is Marine Headquarters calling,"**_ the voice on the transponder snail announced, _**"Can I speak with Captain Smoker please?"**_

"Smoker here," Smoker stated as he took the transponder snail. Hina had joined Smoker on deck so she could listen to the call.

"_**Congratulations on subduing Sir Crocodile, Captain,"**_ the voice stated _**"As a result, the top officials of the World Government have ordered that you, Lieutenant Devo, and Sergeant Major Tashigi be given medals for your efforts."**_

"Subduing?" Smoker repeated. "No wait, hold on a minute. We aren't the ones who took down Crocodile. It was the Straw Hats. Did anyone even bother to read the report?"

"_**Furthermore,"**_ the voice on the snail continued unhindered, _**"As thanks for your gallantry it's also been decided that each of you will be promoted by one rank."**_

The newly promoted Lieutenant Commander Devo came storming out of the door that led to sickbay and snatched the transponder snail away from Smoker.

"THIS IS BULLSHIT!" Devo shouted. "WE DIDN'T SUBDUE CROCODILE! I LOST AN ARM BECAUSE I FAILED TO!"

"Stand down, Devo," Smoker ordered. "I'll handle this."

Devo hung his head and handed the receiver back to Smoker. "I'm sorry sir," he apologized. "I forgot myself."

Smoker nodded then spoke into the receiver. "THIS IS BULLSHIT! WE DIDN'T SUBDUE CROCODILE! MY LIEUTENANT LOST ARM BECAUSE WE FAILED TO!" Devo and Hina gaped in surprise. "MY OTHER SUBORDINATE'S IN TEARS BECAUSE WE COULDN'T! WE DIDN'T STOP BAROQUE WORKS! IT WAS THOSE DAMN STRAW HAT PIRATES!"

"Stop Smoker," Hina instructed. "It's no use. It's obvious at this point that the Government is going to cover up this entire incident. Think of the scandal if word of what really happened got out. Alabasta was almost destroyed and it wasn't saved by the Government but by a group of wanted pirates."

"_**And of course,"**_ the snail continued. _**"We expect all three of you to attend the Award Ceremony where your medals will be assigned."**_

"LIKE HELL WE WILL!" Smoker roared.

"Smoker, don't be dumb!" Hina scolded him. "Accept it. If you disobey them you could get court-martialed."

"Well better that than live a lie," Smoker growled. "We didn't take Crocodile down." Smoker scowled and looked over at Devo who was waiting to see what his superior and role model would do. Smoker's eyes drifted to Devo's severed arm and he hung his head in resignation.

"Fine," Smoker resolved. "We'll go to your damn Award Ceremony." Hina and Devo stared in surprise.

"_**The World Government Officials will be pleased to hear that,"**_ the officer on the snail replied. _**"You'll be contacted later about the date and time of the ceremony. Congratulations Commodore Smoker."**_** CLICK! **Smoker clenched his teeth in anger and ended up biting the end off of the cigars he was smoking.

"It seems that you had a chance of heart," Hina remarked. "Hina's surprised."

Smoker ignored her and addressed Devo directly. "We'll play along and go to their stupid ceremony. But only long enough to get you an appointment with Dr. Vegapunk and see about getting you a replacement arm."

Devo's eyes widened in surprise. Dr. Vegapunk was the leading scientist of the Marines and was considered an unparalleled genius. He'd been the one to discover the properties of Sea Stone. He developed the method of feeding a Devil Fruit to an inanimate object. His advances in cybernetics were groundbreaking. The thought of having a new arm made by the genius scientist was incredible. And the fact that Smoker was going to ignore his blatant dislike for the World Government Officials so Devo could get his new arm was even more incredible.

"SIR! THANK YOU SIR!" Devo exclaimed.

Smoker nodded, "But remember, once you're back at full capacity, we'll chuck those damn medals and tell those old geezers TO GO TO HELL!"

**-x-**

And there it is. The war is over, evil is punished, and Devo's gonna get a new high-tech arm. Next chapter, Ricky lives up to his promise to Nico Robin and the two set out as tomb raiders.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	62. Chapter 62

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of the characters. I just own Ricky and the other OC's I've written into this alteration of the story.

**A/N:** **I'd like to state that this chapter is all me. So be sure to review and tell me what you think because the first arc of Another Nakama III is going to be an original story arc done by yours truly. But that's later… for now, enjoy.**

**Tomb Raiders:**

**-x-**

Out at sea, about a day's travel off the coast of Sandy Island, a metal carrier ship sailed onward on a course for the New World. Ace, Han, and Ollie stood on deck and collectively let out a sighs of relief when Luffy and Ricky's Vivre Cards return to normal.

"Whatever happened, it looks like they're okay now," Ollie noted.

"Told you they'd be fine," Ace said. "If I had to guess, Luffy beat Crocodile and Ricky's taking the time to learn the full extent of his plans."

"No one's arguing that," Han told him, "Of course they won. It's just that things looked pretty grim there for a moment."

"Knowing those two, this'll probably be a regular occurrence," Ace commented as he made sure the two Vivre Cards were still secured to the brim of his hat then put it back on his head. "So I'd suggest not worrying until the card's down to an eighth of its original size."

"Worrying about it and acting on it are two different things," Ollie pointed out as she stuffed her part of Ricky's Vivre Card back into her shirt. "The next time it happens we won't have the advantage of knowing what they're involved in. I know that they can handle themselves but having met them it'll be hard to imagine the kind of trouble they find themselves in next."

"Then keep your eyes out for the headlines," Han suggested. "If Luffy is going to be King of the Pirates it's only natural that he'll accomplish many incredible feats along the way. Even if the Government tries to disparage them in the news, if their actions are as monumental as I think they'll be the Government won't have a choice in at least admitting what they did."

"Right then," Ace resolved, "I'd best be going. Scorpion said that Blackbeard was sighted west of Alabasta so I need to get back on his trail." Ace stepped onto the Striker. "Launch me?"

"Good luck Ace," Ollie said as she ran to the helm. "Burn that bastard once for me."

"Don't be too reckless when you finally find him," Han advised as made his way to the crank at the front of the ship. "You have no idea what his new powers can do so you'd better be careful."

Ollie pulled a lever and a metal panel popped out of the track behind the Striker. **SHUNK! **

**Chuka-chuka-chuak! **Han turned the crank and lowered the railing at the front of the ship. "You're all clear!"

"Guys, I'll see you again once I've dealt with Blackbeard," Ace addressed his crew. "Give the old man my regards."

With nothing more to be said, Ollie pushed the lever back the other way. **SHOOOM! **The Striker was launched off the front of the ship.

Ace saluted his crew, then his legs lit up. **FWOOSH! **The motor churned on the flame-powered ship and the Striker raced off.

**Chuka-chuka-chuka! **Han raised the railing then turned back to Ollie. "Now let's get back to Whitebeard," he decided.

Ollie nodded, "He'll want to hear about Ricky."

"And it's about time you got back on active duty," Han told her.

And so the three Whitebeard Pirates parted ways. Ace traveled west in his search for Blackbeard while Han and Ollie continued along the Grand Line to reunite with the rest of their crew.

**-x-**

At one twenty-two PM, the same day Devo and Tashigi turned Crocodile over to the Marines, Ricky awoke in the Royal Palace's infirmary.

"Ugghh…" Ricky groaned as he woke to find himself in a strange bed. He his sides felt sore and when he felt them through his white hospital gown he could tell that they'd been bandaged and that his injuries had been treated.

"You're awake!" Ricky looked to the side and saw Nami sitting up in the bed on his right. She closed the book she'd been reading and slipped out of the bed and hopped over to his. Ricky noted her bandaged foot as she sat down on his bed next to him. "Are you feeling okay? You've been out for twenty hours."

"My sides are a little sore but I'm fine," Ricky answered honestly. "What's going on?"

"Vivi and her father are letting us stay in the palace as honored guests," Nami explained. "Most of us just needed a good night's sleep to recover. Sanji, Chopper, Mana, Ayako and me all woke up early this morning."

Ricky looked further down the room and saw that only other occupant of the room that was awake was Ayako who was painting a canvas that had been set up next to Usopp's bed. The artist paused in her painting and waved to Ricky, he nodded in response then turned back to Nami to hear the rest of her status report.

"Chopper's been taking care of us and is helping the doctors treat the wounded soldiers," Nami continued. "Vivi's giving Sanji a tour of the palace and Mana's talking with the King about something. Usopp actually woke up a few hours before you but his injuries were rather severe so he's still being treated. He's just resting for now. Luffy and Zoro are still unconscious since they were injured the worst out of all of us. And Carue's recovering in here too." Ricky looked to the other side and saw the spot billed duck sleeping with his head tucked under his bandaged wing in one the other beds. "He was protecting Vivi and got trampled by the Rebel Army."

"How 'bout you?" Ricky inquired. Nami was wearing a pale yellow hospital gown – and her sapphire necklace – so he couldn't tell the full extent of her injuries.

"Well I fought Ms. Double Finger in Alubarna," Nami told him. "She ate the Spike Spike Fruit and caught me off guard when she stabbed one of her spikes through the wall I was leaning against and straight into my shoulder." Nami held her hand to her right shoulder. "Chopper says that it'll heal without leaving a scar and the bandages can come off tonight."

Nami propped her injured left foot up on his lap. "As for this," she said, "I kinda let her stab me through the foot so I could finish her off. I made it worse with all the running around when we were trying to find the bomb. It was mostly the adrenaline and the tense situation that kept me from feeling it. So Chopper told me to stay off it and that it'll hopefully be healed tomorrow."

"Good to hear you're recovering then," Ricky commented. "When do you think Chopper's getting back? I've got a few things I need to do now that I've recovered."

"Where are you going?" Nami inquired.

"A few places," Ricky informed her, "I'm going to investigate that block I found in the desert and then on the way back I'll swing by Rain Base to pick up the money I won from Crocodile."

**KA-CHING! **Nami's eyes were berri signs as she took a deep breath and hollered, "CHOPPER! GET IN HERE RIGHT NOW! RICKY'S AWAKE!"

**WHAM!** The doors flew opened and Chopper ran into the room, "BIG BROTHER!" he cheered. "YOU'RE AWAKE!" Sanji, Vivi, Mana, and King Cobra followed him in.

"Hey everybody," Ricky greeted, "Hey little brother. Would you mind checking me over so I can get out of here? I promised I'd meet Nico Robin to investigate something once I recovered."

King Cobra nodded knowingly but the others looked confused.

"You mean Ms. All Sunday?" Vivi questioned.

"I mean Nico Robin," Ricky insisted. "She doesn't work for Baroque Works anymore and she never was much of an enemy to begin with."

Vivi thought for a moment, "Igaram survived when she blew up his ship," she reasoned. "And Pell's fully recovered from the injuries he got fighting her back at Rain Base."

"Luffy told me that she saved his life when Crocodile left him in the desert to die after he'd lost to him," Ricky recounted. "And she was also the one that gave us the antidote to the poison in Crocodile's hook, so she saved my life and Luffy's again. After doing all that I think she's more than deserving of a second chance."

"Ooooh Miss. Robin," Sanji swooned, "A woman of mystery!"

"And I've got a pretty good record when it comes to redeeming Baroque Works Agents," Ricky pointed out.

"Yup! Three-for-three," Mana chirped.

"Three?" Ricky repeated.

"I convinced Mr. 3.5 to help us take care of the bomb," Mana explained. "He had a dream of being a firefighter that went out the window when he got his Bomb Bomb Devil Fruit Powers. But he got his chance to be a hero when he saved everyone from the explosion. I'm sure he survived, but no one's seen him since the bomb went off."

"I had Chaka send out a report to look for him," Vivi informed him, "but no one's sighted him."

"What are you meeting her to investigate?" Chopper inquired as he prodded at Ricky's sides.

"Remember that block we found when we were lost in the desert?" Ricky asked. "She can read it. In exchange for the antidote to Crocodile's poison I promised to take her to see the block."

"And we all know that you never go back on your promises," Nami said with a fond smile.

"I was going to take her to see it anyway," Ricky admitted, "but from what I've gathered she's been alone and relying on herself for most of her life so I doubt she would've trusted me if we didn't have some kind of deal going into it. She's interesting."

"She thinks you're interesting too," Ayako piped up. "She came all the way to the Spider's Café to learn about you. Under the threat of bodily harm I told her some things about you. She didn't just want to know how to beat you in a fight."

"Speaking of the Spider's Café," Ricky remarked as he looked over at Ayako and Mana, "Can one of you take me there? That's where I'm meeting her."

"I'll go with you," Mana quickly volunteered. "I was actually just talking to the King about it. Y'see, the Marines arrested Crocodile and stripped him of his titles and property, that included the Spider's Café. The property was given back to Alabasta so I was asking the King if he'd give me the deed to it so I can turn the place into a legitimate business."

"She helped save the kingdom so I will be more than happy to sign it over to her," King Cobra stated. "It also helped that the chocolates she presented to me with her pitch were delicious."

**WHUP! **Mana glomped the King, "THANKS YOUR MAJESTY!"

"Is she allowed to do that?" Sanji wondered.

"That's great, congratulations," Ricky congratulated her. "Now you can live your dream."

"And I have you to thank," Mana replied, "If I weren't for you, I would've died on Little Gardne from the Five Day Sickness. You not only saved my life but you turned it around. So… thanks."

"Happy to help," Ricky told her.

"Can I stay there and paint like you offered after you beat Mr. 3.5?" Ayako inquired.

"Of course," Mana agreed before she turned back to Ricky. "But it'll be a long trip. I floated all night to get here from the Spider's Café and I had to rest on top of a building for a couple of hours before I was ready to find you."

"**Quack!" **Everyone turned to see that Carue had woken up. "Qua-quack! Quack quack quack!"

"Carue says 'you can take two ducks from my squad'," Chopper translated. Carue continued quacking and Chopper continued his translation. "'Spot-billed ducks are the fastest animals in the Kingdom. The only reason it took me days to reach Alubarna with Vivi's letter is because I had to wait out a huge sandstorm'."

"Hm, transportation like that would cut the day long journey down to several hours," Ricky reasoned. "Can someone tell me where my pants and boots are?"

"All our stuff in that corner there," Nami said as he pointed to a pile in the corner that consisted of Zoro's sash and swords, Nami's Clima-Tact and Log Pose, Usopp's overalls and arsonal, and Ricky's pants, boots and sword.

"I'll see that you are given some travel clothes," King Cobra decided, "From what I've heard the Spider's Café is in the badlands on the other side of the island. It will be night by the time you finally return so you will no doubt need them."

"Could you get something for Nico Robin?" Ricky requested. "Nothing I've seen her in is decent for long-distance desert travel."

"I'll see what I can do," King Cobra agreed.

"You've been unconscious for a day," Sanji reminded him. "I'll stop in the kitchen and cook you and Miss. Mana something to eat before you go. How long's your trip is gonna be? I'll pack you meals accordingly."

"The Spider's Café is on the other side of the island," Mana stated. "The portion of the badlands it's in the middle of is actually a little off the southern shore."

"It took us days to cross the desert," Ricky recalled, "but we were on foot, hit that filler, and are not nearly as fast as a spot-billed duck. So crossing the desert from the Sandora River to the Spider's Café will probably take about half a day. It'll be late at night when we finally arrive. Then we'll have to find the block, deal with it, and then return to the café. I plan to check on the Merry at Erumalu, spar with Doug and my other Dugong students, and pick up the stuff I left behind at Rain Base. With all that we probably won't be back for almost two days."

"That's a long trip considering you've just recovered from some serious injuries," Chopper commented. "My diagnosis is that you'll be fine as long as you're careful. Your injuries are almost completely healed so as long as you don't strain yourself and make them worse you're free to go."

"Miss. Mana, are you sure you'll be alright traveling alone with him for that long?" Sanji asked. "Would you like me to come along and look after you?"

"I'll be okay," Mana told him. "Besides, I'm going along to protect _him_. I can use my Devil Fruit Powers to counter hers just in case she tries anything."

"You won't need to," Ricky assured her.

"Either way, I'll cook you up something that'll give you plenty of energy," Sanji resolved.

"I'll send for the Super Sonic Duck Squadron," Vivi offered.

"See if you can get me Cowboy again," Ricky requested. "Thanks for your help everybody."

"Just be careful out there," King Cobra advised with a pointed look. And then he, Vivi, and Sanji left the room to carry out their tasks.

Mana went to the corner and grabbed Ricky's pants and boots then came back and tossed them on his bed. She took a couple seconds to eye Ricky's white hospital gown

"Are you wearing anything other than bandages under that thing?" she inquired with a wink and a slightly perverted grin.

Nami flushed at the thought while Ricky shook his head and said, "None of your business."

"Kyahahahaha!" Mana laughed, "Relax, I'm just messing with you." She headed out of the room. "Come get me when you're ready to go."

"I wonder if you'd be safer traveling alone with a former enemy," Nami remarked.

"Don't worry about her," Ricky reassured her. "She's flirty but she's harmless. Now would you mind getting off my bed so I can change?"

**-x-**

An hour later, Ricky and Mana were fed and changed and had left Alubarna on the backs of Cowboy and Bourbon Jr. of the Supersonic Duck Squadron. Ricky was wearing a black cloak lined in red and a red shemagh on his head. Mana was wearing a hooded yellow cloak that was lined in purple and had fancy purple heart designs on it. Cowboy's saddle bag had been fitted with their food, supplies and extra clothes. Ricky had spent the first leg of their long journey explaining to Mana how he'd found the underground Poneglyph in the first place.

Another hour later, they had reached the Sandora River but now found themselves stopped by an unusual barricade.

"JUU!" chorused Doug and the four other Kung Fu Dugongs that had become Ricky's students.

"Doug, you guys," Ricky greeted them. "You're still here."

"JUU!" Doug and the other dugongs chanted as they got in a fighting stance.

"Oh, right," Ricky said. "I did agree to face you." Ricky got off his duck and pulled his cloak off leaving him in a thick black t-shirt. "My doctor wouldn't like this, but a deal's a deal."

The five dugongs pulled off their heavy shells and spread out so they had Ricky surrounded.

**SKISH! **Doug struck first and leapt at Ricky for a straight-on flying tackle. **SWISH! **Ricky spun to the side and avoided the missile. Then turn around in time to block the tail of another attacking dugong. **Whap! **Another Dugong came at him from behind but Ricky lashed his leg out behind him and connected with a back kick. **THWAK! **The dugong went flying and Ricky ducked under a double tail whip from the two remaining dugong. **SWA-SWISH! **Ricky slowly turned around and watched the dugongs regroup and prepare for another attack.

"JUU!" Doug let out a cry and once again he attacked first. But this time the other four dugong came rushing in after him. **SKISH! **Doug leapt up into the air and swung his tail around at Ricky's head. **WHAP! **Ricky caught Doug by the tail then swung him around and used him to knock the others away from him. **KER-BLOOSH! **Ricky spun around again and released Doug, the dugong went flying and ended up going head-first into the sandbank. **SKUSH! **

"Juu!" the dugongs pulled themselves back up and bowed to their master.

"You overextended most of your attacks," Ricky lectured his students. "Especially you with that last one Doug. When you attack your opponent make sure your move is sharp and quick. As you all learned, when you overextend your attacks that allows your opponent to counter."

"Juu!" the dugongs chorused and once again bowed to their master.

"Now… I've got some business on the other side of the kingdom," Ricky informed his students. "Do you guys think you could help me out?"

**-x-**

"I DON'T LIKE THIS!" Mana screamed as she clung to Ricky. "I DON'T LIKE THIS!"

"Yeah, but we're cutting our time in half," Ricky pointed out.

Doug and the other dugong had rounded up Clark the catfish and had persuaded him to give them all a ride down the Sandora River.

"Spot-billed ducks are the fastest _land_ creatures in the Kingdom," Ricky explained. "Clark can swim nearly twice as fast as they can run. Since you said the Spider's Café is a little ways off the southern shore we can take Clark down the river and head west along the coast and then just go north to reach the café. We may be going the long way but with our increased speed we'll easily cut our travel time in half. Instead of a half a day this'll only take a few hours!"

"BUT I CAN'T SWIM!" Mana exclaimed. "This fish is slippery! It's going really fast! And there's no way to secure ourselves on its back! If I fall off and drown you had BETTER dive in after me!"

"Don't worry," Ricky reassured her, "As long as I'm with you, you'll be fine."

**-x-**

"LAAND!" Mana cheered as she leapt off of Clark and dove onto the sandy shore. "I love you! MWAH!" Mana leaned in and kissed the land that she'd missed so much during their speedy trip down the Sandora River. **PTOOI! **"BLAH! I just ate dirt…"

Ricky and the ducks joined her on the shore and Ricky offered her a small water barrel he'd gotten out of Cowboy's saddle bag. "Here, wash it out," he advised. Mana took the barrel while Ricky turned back to the dugongs that were still on the giant catfish. "We passed it on the way here, but I'll meet you guys at my ship at some point tomorrow. Then we'll head north again."

"JUU!" the dugongs chorused and saluted. **SPLOOSH! **Clark dove into the water and swam off.

Ricky turned back to Mana, "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, thanks," Mana said as she handed back the water barrel.

They got on their ducks and then raced off across the desert towards the Spider's Café.

**-x-**

The desert sun was setting when they finally reached the Spider's Café.

"There it is!" Mana called out as she pointed at the café up ahead, "Told ya we'd find it."

"Hmm… it's awfully inconspicuous," Ricky remarked, "no one would ever think that a little place like that'd be a meeting place for agents of a secret criminal organization."

"I guess Crocodile wanted something subtle," Mana reasoned. "But it's not an agent meeting place anymore! Now it's mine!"

"Well it looks like you've got some company," Ricky pointed out once they got close enough for them to see the Accelagator that was sleeping outside.

"You sure you trust her with this?" Mana asked.

"Yeah," Ricky answered. "Besides, I managed to find a way to counter her abilities too. So if she tries anything I'll be able to stop her."

They got off their ducks and Ricky took the saddle bag off of Cowboy. "You guys wait out here and eat up," Ricky instructed the ducks as he pulled some food out of the bag and laid it down in front of them.

With the ducks' immediate needs tended to Ricky and Mana headed into the Spider's Café.

They two of them stopped and stared in surprise at the sight that greeted them.

Nico Robin was sitting on one side of the room drinking a cup of tea. Mr. 3.5 was sitting at a table on the other side of the room and was nursing a bottle of rum. The two were uneasily glaring at each other and it was clear that they didn't trust one another. The atmosphere in the small café was awkward to say the least.

"Mr. 3.5!" Mana exclaimed. "What're you doing here?"

"What do you think?" The Bomb Man snapped. "I _still_ weigh only two kilograms! That bomb's blast blew me halfway across the Kingdom! I remember you mentioning that you planned on taking this place over after you and Ms. Goldenweek beat me so I came here hoping you'd eventually show up and fix my weight."

"Here, I'll take care of it now," Mana offered as she crossed the room and laid her hand on the Bomb Man's shoulder.

"Would you two relax?" Ricky asked the two occupants of the café. "Crocodile's been arrested and Baroque Works no longer exists. It's safe to say that the two of you left the organization before it was disbanded so there's no need to be so hostile. We're all on the same side now."

"We may not be Baroque Works Agents anymore," Nico Robin admitted, "but we're still two trained assassins stuck in a strange room together. Naturally, we're a little uneasy."

"You'll find that life's a lot more enjoyable when you trust people," Ricky stated.

"In my line of work, trusting people gets you killed," Nico Robin replied.

"I hate to break it to you," Ricky commented, "but you're employer's been arrested. You're not an assassin anymore, at least not an employed one. But you'll always be an archeologist."

Ricky turned to the other man in the room, "And since you're not an assassin anymore, I guess that makes you a hero," he remarked. "Obviously, I heard about what you did with the bomb. And I know that no one got a chance to thank you for what you did. So, on their behalf… thank you. Your actions saved the lives of almost a million people. The Kingdom of Alabasta is in your debt."

"How'd you do it?" the Bomb Man asked. "When we got on your ship the three of us couldn't believe how foolish you were to be so trusting of people that had been trying to kill you. But now look at us, we're all dreamers that put our lives on the line to protect people we didn't even know. You converted us. How'd you convert us?"

"I just showed you that there was another way," Ricky answered. "That you could achieve your dreams of you fought for them. How'd it feel to use your destructive powers to _help_ people for a change?"

"It felt incredible," the bomb man admitted. "Oh, and since I'm no longer part of a criminal organization… call me Jun."

"Nice to meet you, Jun," Ricky 'greeted' him.

"So… do you wanna make a thing of saving people?" Mana inquired.

"It'd sure beat killing them," Jun agreed, "But how?"

"Come with us back up to the palace," Mana suggested. "Pell and the Princess can put in the good word for you and you could become a Royal Guard. Protecting the Kingdom could become a career. Alabasta's in a fragile state now after Crocodile's War, it could use a protector like you."

"While you think that over, I brought food," Ricky announced as he walked across the room and set the saddle bag down on the counter. "I don't know how much this café has stocked up but I'm sure you two could do with a good meal after your long trips down here." He opened the bag and pulled out four box lunches that Sanji had backed for him and Mana. "Sanji packed us two days' worth of meals but on the way down here we cut our travel time in half. There's plenty for everyone."

Nico Robin opened her mouth to object but her empty stomach spoke before she could, **Grumble! **

Ricky's signature sly grin appeared. Now there was no way she could honestly say she wasn't hungry.

"Have something to eat," Ricky offered, "then we'll go find the Poneglyph."

"How do I know it's not poisoned?" Nico Robin challenged him.

"I need you alive to read the Poneglyph, don't I?" he pointed out.

"Maybe its slow-acting and I'll die a few hours after I translate it," Nico Robin countered.

Ricky motioned to the four meals, "Pick any one you want and I'll eat some of it with you. But I promise you it's not poisoned. And since I'm here fully intending on going tomb raiding with you, I'd hope you'd think my word is at least worth something."

Nico Robin rose from her seat and made her way over to the counter. She raised an eyebrow as she surveyed the four box lunches.

"Why is it that two of them look so much fancier than the others?" she inquired.

"My ship's cook Sanji prepared them," Ricky explained. "He thinks he's a lady's man so the ones he made for Mana look better and are probably healthier than the ones he made for me."

Nico Robin picked one of Mana's fancy meals and offered it to Ricky, "If it really is not poisoned then you'll have a basis to compare it with one of yours."

Ricky took the box lunch and turned to Mana and Jun, "Come and get some grub," he instructed before he took a seat on one of the bar stools. "It's awkward dinner time."

**-x-**

**Obligation:**

**-x-**

A couple hours later, they had all been suitably fed.

"Right, do either of you ladies have a problem with going at night?" Ricky inquired.

"I'd actually prefer it," Nico Robin replied. "I don't want to put this off."

"Where are you going?" Jun asked.

"We're going to investigate a secret block that only she can read," Mana explained.

"You can come along but I want the two of you to stay on the surface when we go down to investigate," Ricky said. "It's not that I don't trust you, but Crocodile orchestrated a civil war to learn the information on one of these blocks. You don't want the kind of attention knowing it can bring you. This way you can honestly say you don't know anything."

"Are you sure _you_ want that kind of attention?" Mana questioned.

"After everything that's happened here, Luffy and I are bound to get bounty increases," Ricky pointed out. "if the World Government is going to be after our heads I figure we might as well cause them enough unrest to give them a legitimate reason."

"Do you think bringing them along is a good idea then?" Nico Robin queried. "Just knowing its location could cause them trouble."

"They have no way of finding it again," Ricky countered. "What are they going to say, 'there's a mystery block buried somewhere in the middle of the desert'? I have a way to find the location again. They don't. And this way once we're finished we can go our separate way. The three of us can take the ducks to my ship off the shore of Erumalu and you can take your gator and go wherever you want."

"I suppose that works for me," Nico Robin agreed.

Ricky went over to the saddle bag and pulled out a folded white bundle of cloth and offered it to Nico Robin. "This is for you," he told her.

Nico Robin blinked. "Why would you give me this?"

"I don't have to tell you what the desert climate is like," Ricky reminded her. "That'll keep you warm tonight. And in the morning it'll provide you with sun protection."

Nico Robin stared at the robe in unveiled surprise, "I repeat, why would you give this to me?"

Ricky shrugged, "I didn't want you to get sun burned."

Nico Robin's mouth worked but no words came out. She looked shocked that he was expressing concern for her.

"Put that on and let's get going," he instructed as he headed for the door. Jun shrugged and followed him out of the café.

Mana stared at Nico Robin, "He legitimately cares for others," she informed her. "On Little Garden I got bit by this extinct tick called a Keschia. I would've died in five days if it wasn't for him agreeing to take us off the island on his ship. When I got sick, he took care of me. Granted, his not-girlfriend was sick too but he never left our side. We got to Drum Kingdom and he carried me on his back to the doctor. They faced a heard of gorilla-sized abominable snow rabbits, they outran an avalanche, and he climbed up the side of a mountain to get us there. He claimed that he did it because I was his responsibility. But I know now that he would've done that for anyone."

"When we were being treated we met this reindeer," Mana continued. "He's the most adorable little guy. He ate the Human Human Fruit so he can transform and do anything that a human can. And he'd been trained in medicine by a witch with a century's worth of medical experience and a quack that believed in miracles and that no disease that was incurable. Everyone else on the island thought Chopper was a monster but Ricky saw him and thought he was incredible. He supported that little reindeer's dream of becoming the miracle cure, a doctor that can cure anything, and he not only asked him to join his crew… he made that little reindeer his little brother. He sees people for who they really are and he supports their dreams no matter how impossible or crazy they may seem."

"Do you know what that quack managed to do?" Mana asked. "It's something I'll never forget for as long as I live. He made a miracle. He made cherry blossoms bloom in an island of snow. It was the most beautiful sight I've ever seen. It was then that I realized the power that dreamers like Ricky and his crew have. I knew then that Baroque works didn't stand a chance against people like them." Mana headed for the door. "I'd never tell someone how to live their life. But Ricky obviously sees your potential and is giving you a second chance. I suggest you make the most of it."

Nico Robin stared after her for a moment then pulled off her white fur coat and slipped into the white desert robe that Ricky had provided her with. It fit her well and it felt warm. She grabbed her white cowgirl hat which she had grabbed on her way out of the collapsing royal mausoleum and put it on. And with Mana's words still ringing in her head she left the café and joined the others outside.

**-x-**

**ZZZZZOOOOOM! **The moon shone overhead as Ricky sat on the neck of Nico Robin's accelegator and focused his Treasure Sense. He sensed the seventeen billion berries he had stashed up north at Rain Base. The incredibly large sum was almost over powering. He also sensed the treasure he had stashed on the Going Merry back at Erumalu. But when he concentrated Ricky found thirty-five million berries that was somewhere between the two large amounts and was considerably closer.

"A little bit more to the right," Ricky instructed the gator and it altered its course accordingly. Nico Robin sat a bit behind him in the seat on the accelegator's back. Jun and Mana rode alongside them on Cowboy and Bourbon Jr.

**ZZZZZOOOOOM! **As they raced across the sand, the Accelegator and the Spot-billed ducks left a wave of sand in their wake.

"So what did the Poneglyph in the Royal Mausoleum say anyway?" he questioned the woman sitting behind him.

Nico Robin stared at the back of his head for a moment. If they were going on this adventure together she probably owed him an honest answer. He had been honest with her so far. He'd met her at the café, the food hadn't been poisoned, and he was taking her to the Poneglyph that she had somehow missed in the years she'd been living on the island.

"It was all about the Pluton," Nico Robin eventually answered,** "**The description, the location. But that wasn't what I was looking for."

"Then what _are _you looking for?" Ricky asked.

"Like I told you back in the mausoleum," Nico Robin replied, "I'm looking for information on the Void Century. The histories spanning before and after the Void Century don't tie up. The Poneglyphs are supposed to provide a way to tie the threads of history together."

"I see," Ricky said. "So you never planned to give Crocodile the information about the weapon. You came to this island to learn the truth."

"That's right," Nico Robin agreed. "Just chasing a dream I suppose. But all the information I've managed to find has been about a deadly weapon. Before you mentioned this other Poneglyph I was about to give finding the truth up as a lost cause. But now… I'm just hoping this one will hold what I'm looking for."

Nico Robin didn't know why she was telling him all of this. Maybe Miss. Valentine's words were having an effect on her. For some reason he was easy to talk to. But now she found herself opening up to him. She didn't like it. It made her feel vulnerable. In the lonely life she'd led she couldn't afford to let people in. If she did they'd end up betraying or hurting her.

But those fears were suddenly quelled when Ricky looked over his shoulder and smiled at her. "You're lucky you met me. Nothing's a lost cause as far as I'm concerned. Most people believe that finding the One Piece is a lost cause. No one's found it in over two decades, some people question whether it ever existed in the first place. But only the truly passionate persist in the pursuit. I don't care how many people say it's not real. And I don't care who tells me I'm crazy and searching for something that doesn't exist. I'll travel to the ends of the Earth to find that treasure and I won't give up until I've seen it with my own eyes."

The Archaeologist stared at him. In a sense their dreams were very similar. There were those that thought their dreams were foolish. Many believed finding the One Piece was a fool's dream. And even more didn't think there was a way to fill the century-long blank left in the history books.

There were those that were trying to prevent their pursuit. The Marines were actively trying to subdue the pirates that were searching the Pirate King's treasure. And the World Government had made it so she was the only one left in the world who could even read the Poneglyphs.

Then there were those that sought similar things to them. She'd met many pirates in her lifetime that were seeking the One Piece if only to use the accompanying title of King of the Pirates as a symbol of power. And there were people like Crocodile who desired the great weapons that were buried within the annals of history.

But then she remembered the last thing he'd said.

"Don't you mean _eye_?" she narrowed her eyes and corrected him.

There was a pause, long enough for him to whisper a curse under his breath.

"Sure," he quickly agreed.

"'_One Eye' Ricky… you've just become even more interesting," _Nico Robin thought to herself.

**-x-**

It was after midnight when they came across the familiar crag. It stood alone out in the middle of the desert and Ricky knew that below it was the underground dome, the Poneglyph they were looking for, and the treasure he had left there to find the way back.

"There it is!" Ricky announced to the others as the accelegator raced up to the crag. "The Poneglyph's in a dome underneath the crag."

**SKUUUSSHH! **The accelegator and the two ducks skidded to a stop underneath the crag and Ricky and Nico Robin got off.

"What's with these holes?" Mana wondered as she eyed the two man-sized holes in the ground.

"How do you think we got down there?" Ricky countered. "Zoro and Chopper were both wearing the weights you gave us. We fell right through."

"Wait… why weren't _you_ carrying your weights?" Jun inquired.

"I was… unconscious," Ricky confessed. "Luffy drank some weird cactus juice and we broke off from the group and were trying to subdue him with a tranquilizer but in the confusion I ended up getting shot. Zoro's got no sense of direction, Luffy's impulsive, and Chopper's clumsy. There was no way we _wouldn't _have gotten lost."

"Hm," was all Nico Robin said as she lowered herself into one of the holes. An arm grew out of her hand and grabbed onto the edge then another sprouted in between the two. In no time, Nico Robin had made a chain of arms that lowered her down into the hole and down to the ground.

"**You can use the chain to climb down if you'd like,"** she called up from underground.

"You guys wait here," Ricky instructed. "This information could get you killed."

"Call us if you need anything," Mana offered.

Ricky nodded then lowered himself into the hole and climbed down the chain of arms and eventually joined Nico Robin down in the dark dome.

"It's very dark down here," Nico Robin noted. "How do you expect me to see, let alone read anything?"

"When we came here last it was during the day," Ricky recounted. "Then we at least had some light coming in through the holes in the ceiling. Now since it's so dark out all we've got is moonlight. Fortunately, I came prepared." Ricky pulled out two torches and lit them up then offered one to his companion.

The one dark room was filled with warm orange glow of the torches and they were finally able to take in her surroundings.

"Incredible," Nico Robin whispered. They were standing in the middle of a wide opened dome with various short columns that didn't reach the ceiling scattered around the perimeter.

"The ominous feeling from when I first came here is back," Ricky remarked, "The other Poneglyph… when it mentioned the location of the Pluton… did it happen to say it was somewhere in the desert?"

"The exact words were 'buried beneath the sand'," Nico Robin stated. "Then it gave a set of coordinates."

Ricky slowly looked down at the sand under his feet. "That's what I was afraid of." He shook his head and led the way onward, "The Poneglyph is this way. But I have a feeling I already know what it says."

"Well since I _am_ the archaeologist here why don't I confirm it," Nico Robin suggested.

"Of course," Ricky agreed. They eventually came across as set of three steps that led up to a familiar – for Ricky – cube shaped block. "There it is."

Ricky watched as Nico Robin fought to keep from _running_ up to the Poneglyph. She stood in front of it and casually scanned the characters on the surface. He followed her and picked up the bag of treasure that he'd left on the ground in front of the block the last time he'd been there.

"So… what does it say?" Ricky prompted as he shouldered the bag.

"It's a warning," Nico Robin answered. "It says 'It was a time of great and terrible war that ravaged the entire world… This time saw the emergence of the Pluton… a great warship possessing such devastating power that it could lay waste to anything set in its sights… The Pluton has been buried here in the hopes that the weapon's terrible power will never be unleashed upon the world again… To those reading this we beg you for the sake of the world leave the Pluton where it rests in the hopes that it never sees daylight again…'"

When she finished Ricky had gone pale.

"We were… standing… on top of it…" Ricky whispered.

"Indeed," Nico Robin agreed, "Although the information seems incredibly vague. If a weapon like the Pluton exists it can be assumed that there was a great war during the Void Century. The archaeologists on Ohara believed that the war eventually ended with the World Government being formed."

"Ohara?" Ricky repeated, "Never heard of it."

"Of course you haven't," Nico Robin replied. "The World Government had it destroyed twenty years ago to ensure that no one could read the Poneglyphs and learn what really happened."

Ricky turned and stared at her, "Then that means… you didn't do it. You never destroyed all those ships."

"Obviously," Nico Robin dead-panned, "I thought you'd realized that already?"

"But I never knew _why_," Ricky told her. "It was a set up. The World Government's desperate to keep the truth hidden. I doubt even _they _know what really happened. But more importantly, they didn't want the rest of the world to know that you had a way to learn the truth. They framed you so they could put a huge bounty on your head and depict you as some kind of monster child."

"It made it impossible to trust anyone," Nico Robin confessed though she didn't understand _why _she was telling him this. "I spent the majority of my life on the run. I hid within various criminal organizations while keeping an ear opened for anyone who had spotted a Poneglyph. I eventually met Crocodile and the rest is… history."

Why was she saying this? NO ONE knew this much about her. And she was giving up the information voluntarily. Something about him was compelling her to talk to him. And that terrified her. He'd betray her and use the information against her. It had happened before and she couldn't afford to let it happen again. He knew too much.

Nico Robin clenched her fists and resolved herself to what she had to do. 'One Eye' Ricky had to die. He'd tightened his muscles to prevent her from breaking him during their fight. But it was doubtful that he could do the same with his neck. That cinched it. Since breaking his bones wouldn't work, she'd have to strange him. Then when he'd just about passed out and didn't have the strength to tighten anything she'd break his neck. An added benefit of strangling would be that he'd be unable to call for help from the two above them.

She turned to face him with her attack on her lips, "Dos…" But he interrupted her.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'm sorry your life was so horrible." Nico Robin stared owlishly at him utterly shocked. "I'm sorry you can't trust anyone. And I'm sorry you were so alone." Her arms dropped to her sides but she stiffened when he took hold of her hand in his. "But you don't have to be alone anymore." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze then released her.

She stared at him, utterly unsure of what to make of him. Could he really be… different?

Miss. Valentine seemed to think he was.

"_Ricky obviously sees your potential and is giving you a second chance. I suggest you make the most of it."_

Deep down, she _wanted_ to trust him. At Rain Base she'd seen how carefree his crew was. Even though they were locked in a cage while the water was rising, seemingly faced with certain death, they still believed in the others and didn't doubt for a second that they'd been rescued. They trusted each other with their lives and that trust hadn't been misplaced.

She'd seen the little reindeer back at Rain Base. If he was willing to not only befriend the creature but make it his brother, what would he do with her now that he knew the truth? Well… most of it anyway.

But all her life she'd been unable to trust anyone. It was impossible suddenly start now.

She watched as he turned and surveyed the opened room where they now knew the Pluton was buried. Deciding to test the waters, Nico Robin quickly came up with something to say.

"So are you interested in conquering the world?" she asked. "If the Pluton is as powerful as the Poneglyphs seem to say we could easily take Marine Headquarters."

Ricky's eye went wide at her morbid comment and he shook his head. "No. No one should have this kind of power. It's our obligation to ensure that the Pluton stays buried and that another maniac like Crocodile won't be able to find it and unleash its power upon the world."

He was honorable. He'd been presented with surefire way to take over the world and he'd turned it down. Instead he saw it as his obligation to _protect_ the World. Were there really people like this in the world? Maybe he really _wouldn't _betray her.

"What do you want to do then?" Nico Robin queried. "I must insist that you keep the Poneglyph intact. I hold those who destroy history with the utmost contempt."

"Then we'll make it harder to find," Ricky decided. "There's no harm in laying down another layer of protection." Ricky walked back into the center of the room and stood underneath the hole they'd come down through. "HEY YOU TWO!"

Mana stuck her head in the hole. "What's up? Need anything?"

"Yes actually," Ricky answered. "Could you smash the crag up there into pieces, make the pieces lighter, and then toss them down here?"

"We _are_ great and demolishing things," Mana admitted, "How big do you want the pieces?"

"Bigger than you," Ricky replied.

"Sure thing," she agreed. Then she was gone and they eventually heard loud explosions and crashing coming from above them.

"Here's one!" Jun called out as he tossed a man-sized chunk of rock down the hole. **SHOOOO!** "It only weighs ten kilos."

**WHAP! **Ricky caught the rock then put it down on the ground. "Keep 'em coming!"

Deciding to make herself useful, Nico Robin stepped in, "Veinte Fleur!" A web of twenty arms grew out of the ground and caught the next rock. **WHAP! **"I'll catch them, you arrange them."

Ricky nodded and took the new chunk of rock and laid it out next to the first one. With the four of them working together, they eventually had large rocks of varying shapes and size covering the majority of the floor.

"Alright Mana!" Ricky called up to the surface. "Come down here and make 'em heavier."

Mana floated down through the hole and landed lightly next to him. "That's a lot of rocks," Mana noted. "How heavy do you want them?"

"As heavy as you can make them," Ricky answered. "I want what's under them to stay buried. A layer of ten thousand kilogram rocks should put a damper on anyone digging it out. Then I want you to make that big cube shaped block over their weigh ten thousand kilograms so it's more durable."

Mana surveyed all the rocks she was expected to make heavier, "I'll do it," she told him. "But it'll take a while."

It did take a while, but when Mana completed the daunting task on each of the rocks, she tended to the Poneglyph, without bothering to ask the other two what it said then Nico Robin created another chain of arms and the three of them climbed out.

Once they were back on the surface, Ricky addressed Jun, "Now I need you to blast in the top so it's suitably buried and no one will just fall in and find it again."

"Let's get clear then," Jun suggested. "And do you have anything to drink? I've been told that using snot as explosives disgusts people. This'll take a lot of spit."

They cleared the animals out of the area and Ricky gave the Bomb Man a water barrel then the explosions started. **KA-BOOOM-BOOOM-BOOOOM!**

When it was all said and done, they were left standing on the edge of a deep hole. At the bottom was a layer of sand and rubble.

"With how much the Poneglyph weighs now it should've withstood anything that fell on it," Ricky reasoned. "So now it's just hidden and not destroyed."

"Don't you think the hole is rather noticeable?" Nico Robin pointed out.

"In this landscape, not really," Ricky replied. "The wind'll blow more sand into it. In a few days' time someone will be able to stand there and won't suspect anything."

"I guess that's everything then," Nico Robin resolved. "Thank you for taking me here. I didn't learn much but it was something. Apparently, there are two Poneglyphs, the first one points towards the second and the second one depicts some history. Maybe someday I'll be able to find two more."

Ricky nodded then pulled a box lunch out of Cowboy's saddle bag, "Take this," he instructed. "We're heading back for my ship so we can get something to eat there. I don't know where you plan on going but at least you won't be hungry."

Ricky turned to Jun and Mana, "Get on the duck and head south-east towards Erumalu," he instructed them. "I'll catch up."

Mana smiled knowingly as she and Jun climbed on Bourbon Jr. and raced off.

"I suppose you have a reason for wanting me alone?" Nico Robin stated.

"I meant what I said before," he told her. "You don't have to be alone anymore. We'd be happy to have you." Nico Robin blinked. "We won't be leaving for another couple days so at least think about it." Ricky got on Cowboy and smiled at her, "Whatever you decide, take care."

**-x-**

At two thirty, almost exactly twenty four hours after they'd left. Ricky and Mana walked back into the infirmary in the Royal Palace. Ricky was wearing his black cowboy hat and the two of them had large sacks of treasure slung over their shoulders.

"WE'RE BACK!" Mana exclaimed.

The Straw Hats and Ayako greeted them and they noted that Usopp had recovered and Zoro had woken up at some point while they were gone. The only Straw Hat that was still asleep was Straw Hat Monkey D. Luffy himself.

"You're back early," Nami noted.

"Doug and my other students cut our travel time in half by getting us a ride down and back up the Sandora River," Ricky explained. "The hardest part of the journey was riding the ducks from Rain Base to Alubarna while carrying all this treasure. Speaking of which… Catch." **WHING! **Ricky tossed the black money bag to Nami.

"Oh, and look who we found!" Mana announced.

Jun walked in holding another treasure sack. "Hello everybody, I'm Jun," the Bomb Man reintroduced himself. "Miss me?"

"Where've you been?" Ayako inquired.

"Because of the blast and my decreased weight I ended up in the desert outside of Yuba," Jun explained. "I met the other two at the Spider's Café and joined them for their desert adventure and the trip back."

"Thank you for what you did with the bomb two days ago," Vivi said. "The people of Alabasta will forever be in your debt."

"He was actually wondering if you'd let him join the Royal Army as a Royal Guard," Mana informed her. "He wants to make a habit of using his power to protect people."

"Oh, of course," Vivi agreed as she joined them at the door. "I'll take you to see father."

"Take this with you," Ricky instructed as he handed her the large treasure sack he'd been holding. "All together there's seventeen billion berries there, all Crocodile's money. Tell your father to use it to rebuild Nanohana and the rest of the country."

Vivi dropped the bag and hugged him. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about it," Ricky reassured her. "Just make sure there's a feast ready for whenever Luffy wakes up."

"Of course," Vivi agreed. She picked up the treasure bag then she, Mana, and Jun left the room.

Ricky looked across the room and saw Nami glaring at him. "You… gave… away… seventeen… _billion_… berries…" she hissed through clenched teeth.

"DIVE FOR COVER!" Usopp screamed as he, Chopper, Ayako and Carue dove behind Usopp's bed on the other side of the room.

Zoro and Sanji slowly backed away from Nami hoping to get out of range of the impending explosion. The only one who was still near them was Luffy who still unconscious in the bed nearest to them.

"Nami, before you get mad, why don't you check that bag I tossed you," Ricky advised.

Usopp, Chopper, and Ayako peeked over the bed while Nami opened the bag. **Zzzzzzzzzip! **"One hundred million berries of that is my ten percent part of our fee for bringing Vivi home," he told her. "I'd be a poor excuse for a Financial Manager if I didn't take _anything_. The Going Merry's taken on a lot of damage since we've come to the Grand Line and we both know that feeding Luffy costs nearly a fortune. So please leave that for me, the rest is yours."

"This doesn't look like a billion berries," Nami observed.

"It's not," Ricky admitted. "But _honestly_ what would you do with a billion berries? As Financial Manager, I buy you all the supplies, clothing, and food you need. My treasure hoard is coming along nicely. What I gave you there is more than enough to pay for anything else you could possibly need."

"I guess you're right," Nami admitted. "With you paying for everything I'm living like a Princess. I really don't have any use for that kind of money."

"Is it safe to come out now?" Chopper asked as he 'peeked' out from behind the bed which meant most of his body was on top of it while an eye, ear, and antler were hiding behind it.

"Ah, he's so brave!" Usopp sighed.

"She was ready to explode," Ayako noted, "He faced her head on and calmed her down."

"That could've gotten ugly," Zoro muttered. "At least _someone _on this crew can handle her."

"Oi, Mossball!" Sanji snapped. "Did you just call Miss. Nami ugly?"

"Maybe that dartboard brow of yours is messing with your ears, pervy-cook," Zoro retorted.

"Watch it, shitty swordsman!" Sanji growled, "I'll kick your ass!"

"Bring it on dumbass cook!" Zoro challenged him. "I'll cut you in half like that steel guy!"

"It's good to be back," Ricky commented as he tuned out their argument and walked over to his bed, he pulled off his hat and desert cloak then collapsed face-down onto it.

"You okay?" Nami asked.

"I've been up twenty-five hours straight," Ricky told her. "Despite drastically decreasing the duration the trip was a pain. We stayed up all night dealing with that Poneglyph. Jun and Mana took a nap this morning when we stopped the Merry but Doug and my other students wanted to spar again. Now I'm tired and looking to relax."

"Here, I'll help," Nami offered as she got out of her bed, climbed onto his, and then straddled his lower back. She pushed his shirt up and started kneading his back.

"Uugghhh…" Ricky let out a low groan as Nami massaged him.

"Just relax," Nami instructed. "You just gave me two hundred million berries, it's only fair that I do _something_ in return. We'll consider this one on the house. Any others are gonna cost ya."

"So… does this mean they're together now?" Chopper asked Usopp and Ayako as they watched from behind Usopp's bed.

"No, not quite," Usopp answered.

"Then what's the difference between that and how they are now?" Chopper questioned.

"It's complicated," Ayako told him, "You see it works kind of like this…"

With Crocodile gone and the lingering threat of the Pluton discretely dealt with, the Straw Hats settled down to enjoy the remainder of their time at Alabasta.

**-x-**

And that's it. Let me know what you thought of my original adventure. Next chapter, Luffy wakes up and the Straw Hats receive the V.I.P. treatment.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	63. Chapter 63

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of the characters. I just own Ricky and the other OC's I've written into this alteration of the story.

**V.I.P.s**

**-x-**

"Eighty-eight… eighty-nine… ninety…" Mana's counting, Zoro's grunts, and Luffy's snores were the only sounds in the infirmary.

"Alright, I'll bite," Ricky relented as he lowered the book he'd been quietly reading in bed. "Why are you doing that?"

"Chopper doesn't want Zoro training," Mana explained from a few beds over. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was being held up in the air. "Ninety-one! Zoro refuses to listen of course. Ninety-two! So I offered to help him out. Ninety-three!"

The swordsman was lying on his back wearing only his green sash and his dark green pants. His hands were supporting the blonde by the back and the back of her legs as he held her up above him like a human barbell. "Ninety-four! Six more seconds Zoro! You can do it!" The metal bed frame had been folded flat so Mana's weight on the mattress didn't destroy it.

"Uggh… I may have cut that steel guy before," Zoro grunted as he held Mana up above him, "but until I can bring out that power whenever I need it I can't consider myself any stronger. I need to improve my concentration."

"Ninety-nine!" Mana counted. "One hundred! Great job Zoro!" She lowered her weight and Zoro brought the much lighter blonde down so she was now lying horizontally across his chest. "Take a rest then I'll increase my weight by another three hundred kilograms and you can start again."

"Okay, maybe I should rephrase my question," Ricky reasoned. "Why are you doing that _here_? Chopper could come back at any time and catch you."

"Don't worry, I've got an alibi!" Mana assured him.

"You do?" Zoro asked.

The door started opening so instead of answering Mana scrambled so she was lying on the bed next to Zoro. Chopper came in accompanied by Vivi and an Alabasta doctor. The doctor wore a tall dark blue hat, a full body turquoise robe, round glasses, and had a long white beard.

"Your medicine making skills are so innovative!" the Alabasta doctor was praising the Straw Hat doctor. "And practical! You're a genius, my boy!" Chopper couldn't help the giddy grin that appeared on his face. "Where in the world did you learn such techniques?"

"Tony was a practicing doctor back at Drum Kingdom," Vivi explained.

"HE WAS?" the Alabasta doctor exclaimed. "You mean the same Drum that was once renowned for its advanced medicine? No wonder this little fellow is so talented! I've been a doctor for forty years and even I don't know the techniques and remedies that you do!"

"SHUT UP!" Chopper shouted as he pulled out a chair from nearby desk and motioned to it. "Stop saying that! I can't stand it! Get out of here if you're gonna talk like that!"

The doctor looked over at Vivi in confusion, "He's offering me a chair despite what he's saying… does he want me to stay?"

"He certainly does," Vivi told him.

"Well in that case, show me more of your incredible talents," the doctor requested.

"I said shut up!" Chopper snapped… while doing a happy dance. The reindeer stopped and surveyed the room. Vivi was tending to the still sleeping Luffy, Ricky was reading in bed, and Zoro and Mana were together in another bed. Wait… what? "WHAT'RE YOU TWO DOING?"

"Time to use that alibi," Zoro whispered.

"Why're you two in bed together?" Chopper demanded. "Why isn't Zoro wearing a shirt? And why's he out of breath and sweaty?"

"Well, I think that'd be obvious," Mana replied. "We just had sex."

"WHAAAT?" Chopper, Vivi, the Alabasta Doctor, and Zoro all shouted.

"Wow, Zoro," Ricky lowered his book and grinned. "You did that with me in the room? I would've given you some privacy if you wanted. Or you two could've gone somewhere less public. Unless of course, you're some kind of exhibitionist…"

"SHUT YOUR TRAP!" Zoro yelled. "WE DIDN'T HAVE SEX AND I'M NOT AN EXHIBITIONIST! I WAS TRAINING DAMN IT!" He'd rather have Chopper mad at him than everyone think he was some kind of sexual deviant.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Chopper hollered. "YOU WERE TRAINING! I TOLD YOU NOT TO!"

"So what, I didn't need your permission!" Zoro argued.

"OF COURSE YOU DID!" Chopper snapped. "I'M YOUR DOCTOR! NOW WHERE ARE YOUR BANDAGES?"

"It was too hard to move with them on!" Zoro complained.

"Hmph, see if I cover for you next time," Mana said as she relocated to another bed. "Where's everybody else anyway?"

"No idea," Ricky answered. "With all the traveling we did, I'm happy to just finish my book."

Vivi shook her head at her friends' antics and smiled fondly down at Luffy. The sleeping pirate's injuries had all healed and now they were just waiting for him to wake up.

**-x-**

Alubarna's market district was filled with the sounds of reconstruction. Everywhere anyone went they could see people attempting to repair the damage done to the city during the battle.

"Does anyone have any more lumber?" a man asked.

"I have some left," another man replied. "Take whatever you need."

"Look, everyone's coming together," Usopp observed as he, Sanji and Ayako walked down the street together. Sanji had a grocery bag, Ayako was hugging another to her chest and Usopp was holding two bags of supplies.

"Its cause their Princess is cute," Sanji told him.

"Oh please," Usopp scoffed.

"DAMN IT!" someone shouted. Their attention was drawn to a man standing in front of a wall. A huge man-sized hole had been smashed through it. But that wasn't all. A series of similarly sized holes went all the way through that building and the ones behind it. It looked like tunnel going through the houses "HOUSE AFTER HOUSE IS LIKE THIS! HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED? IT'S LIKE SOMEONE KICKED A HOLE THROUGH THEM!"

Sanji flinched. He'd been rushing to find the bomb… _"GAAH! THERE'S NO WAY I HAVE TIME TO GO ALL THE WAY AROUND!" __**THWHAM! **__The cook kicked a huge hole in the wall in front of him. "There! A shortcut!" Sanji continued smashing his way to the square._

"How awful!" Usopp remarked as he and Ayako surveyed the hole. "Who'd do such a thing?"

Ayako traced the odd shape at the edge of the hole. It looked like half a foot. Ayako glanced from the hole to Sanji's foot. It was almost exactly the same size and shape.

The cook had gone pale, "So uh… as I was saying…" Sanji attempted to change the subject. "People will do anything for a cute girl."

"Yeah right…" Usopp retorted.

"Usopp… I'm tired," Ayako complained. "Carry me?"

"Ugghh… fine," Usopp agreed. He bent down and Ayako lifted herself onto his back.

**-x-**

"Wow! They're all such interesting books!" Nami exclaimed as she scanned the shelves of the King's personal library. "Is it really okay to take some with me?"

"Absolutely," King Cobra replied. "Take any you'd like, I've read all of them."

"Thanks so much!" Nami smiled at the King. "I'll definitely take you up on that offer! Hehehe!"

**-x-**

"QUACK!" Carue called out as he paced down a hallway. "Qua-qua-quack quack!"

"Quack!" the other ducks in the Super Sonic Duck Squadron chorused as Carue walked passed.

"Grumph!" the new recruit grunted. Eyelash the camel stood at the end of the line of ducks. He'd been made an honorary member for helping the Straw Hats in the desert.

**-x-**

**KLANG! **In the palace courtyard Jun used his sword to parry an attack from Chaka's sword.

"Uuggghh…" Jun grunted as he managed to push the Royal Guard away from him. "I'm a Bomb Man. I use guns and I blow stuff up, why am I fighting with a _sword_?"

"You want to be a member of the Royal Guard don't you?" Chaka asked. "Then you need suitable training."

"But why am I training in _swordsmanship_?" Jun questioned. "If someone's causing trouble can't I just shoot them?"

"When you're a guard, you're goal is to _defend_," Chaka explained. "But when you use a gun you're attempting to _kill_. When you're a guard you can't go around killing people that are giving you trouble so I want you to be well versed in different forms of armed combat."

"Killing people?" Jun repeated. "After facing the Straw Hats I can't even remember the last time one of my bombs actually killed someone."

"Still, it can't hurt to know another form of combat," Chaka pointed out. "Come on, try again!"

**-x-**

Further outside, Pell was dealing with a group of Marines as he stood on the steps leading up to the entrance to the Royal Palace.

"I'll tell you again, there are no pirates here," Pell addressed the Marines. He was refusing to aid them in their search for the Straw Hats.

"Lying to us will only harm your country," one of the marines warned him. "Harboring pirates is a major felony."

"Hey Pell!" Sanji greeted the Royal Guard as he made his way up the steps carrying the grocery bags and Usopp's supply bags. Usopp was trailing behind him struggling to carry Ayako up the steps. Despite her small size, the artist was quite a bit heavier the supplies he'd been carrying.

"Welcome back," Pell returned, "Did you find everything you needed?"

"Yes… thanks for your help…" Usopp replied, sounding short of breath.

Pell nodded and turned back to the Marines, "There are no pirates here," he insisted as the two pirates went passed. "If you're going to linger in this country then why don't you do something useful and help the people rebuild?"

"Hey, do you think Luffy woke up yet?" Ayako asked as they approached the doors.

"I doubt it," Sanji answered. "Things would be noisier if he had."

**-x-**

"I SLEEEPT GREEEAAAT!" Luffy shouted as he finally woke up and sat up in bed. The Straw Hats, Vivi, Carue, and the three former agents had all gathered in the infirmary. The rubber pirate had just woken up an already he was making a great deal of noise. "Hey, where the heck is my hat? I'm starving too! When's breakfast? My hat! My breakfast! My hat! My breakfast!"

"You just woke up and you're already making a racket," Sanji complained. "And it won't be breakfast, it'll be dinner. It's evening."

"You're hat's right over there Luffy," Usopp said as he pointed to the corner, "Lucky for you, a soldier found it near the front of the palace."

**SHUWHUP! **Luffy stretched his arm out and grabbed his hat then yanked it back to him. "I missed ya," he told his hat as he put it back on his head.

"I'm so relieved that you finally got well, Luffy," Vivi commented as she sat at Luffy's bedside.

"Got well?" Luffy repeated. "What do ya mean? I was never _not_ well."

"You dummy," Nami scolded him as she sat next to Ricky in his bed and read one of the books she'd gotten from the King's library. "You were in really bad shape and had a high fever. Vivi and Chopper have been taking care of you all this time."

"Really?" Luffy asked. "Aw! Thanks you guys!"

"It's about time you recovered," Ricky said as he lowered his own book. "Good to see ya bro."

"Hey Ricky!" Luffy greeted him. "Long time no see!" But then his face scrunched up. "Wait a minute… 'long time no see'? Why'd I say that?"

"You've been asleep for three days," Chopper informed him.

"Three days?" Luffy echoed. "Three whole days? I MISSED FIFTEEN MEALS!"

"Kyahaha," Mana laughed, "He counts fast when it concerns food."

"He counted five meals a day," Ayako pointed out.

**KREK! **The doors swung opened and a woman stood there. She wore a dark pink blouse and a pale purple dress. She was tall with broad shoulders and her hair that was in rollers like an old English wig. In short, aside from her bust and makeup SHE LOOKED JUST LIKE IGARAM!

"I heard the Captain's awake!" the woman called out in a voice that sounded like a higher-pitched version of Igaram's. "Dinner will be served shortly, I hope you're all hungry!" A man followed her in pushing a cart that was loaded with food.

Luffy smiled. "Hey! Old roller haired guy! You're still alive!" he rubber pirate cheered.

"So that cross-dressing thing _wasn't _just an act!" Zoro gasped.

"No everyone, you're mistaken," Vivi corrected them. "This is Terracotta. She's Igaram's wife and is the palace's head chef."

"Thank you for helping Vivi and my husband," Terracotta addressed the Straw Hats.

Zoro sweat-dropped, "I've heard of wives resembling their husbands but this is _too_ weird!"

"I heard the Captain eats a lot," Terracotta continued. "So I had my staff put together a little snack to hold you and your friends over."

"Thank you," Luffy replied. **SHOOM! **In one quick bite the entire cart that had been piled high with fruit and bread was left completely empty.

"GREEDY PIG!" Zoro and Sanji yelled at the Captain.

"I'm gonna eat three whole days worth of food, lady," Luffy informed Terracotta.

"Oh, a challenge?" Terracotta inquired. "I'm looking forward to it! Eat to your heart's content!"

**-x-**

Roughly an hour later, the seven pirates, Vivi, Carue, the three former agents, King Cobra, Igaram, Chaka and Pell were sitting around a long table in the royal dining hall. Vivi had come through on her promise of food and now the Straw Hats were literally eating like Kings.

King Cobra sat at the head of the table with Igaram sitting at his right, Luffy was next to Igaram followed by Nami, Usopp, Mana, Zoro and Pell. Vivi sat at the other end of the table across from her father and on her right was Carue, followed by Sanji, Chopper, Ayako, Ricky, Jun, and finally Chaka who was sitting at the King's left.

**MUNCH! MUNCH!** Luffy gnawed at a meaty leg that was bigger than his head – which was three times as wide from all the food stuffed in his cheeks. But he wasn't the only one enjoying the meal. The other Straw Hats were also eating with incredible enthusiasm. They'd only been eating small meals in the days they were waiting for Luffy to wake up and compared to what they'd eaten when they were crossing the desert the banquet was incredible.

"Geez, I've seen pigs eat less," one of the guards lining the room muttered as they watched the pirates gorge themselves. "This is the royal dining hall, not a trough!"

As the pirates devoured the food the plates piled up and Terracotta kept cooking. "Come on Captain!" Terracotta exclaimed as she stirred a pan in the kitchen. "Keep it up! I can handle it!"

"This smells good," Zoro remarked as he speared a hunk of meat on his fork and brought it to his mouth. **YOINK! **The swordsman gaped as the meat was yanked right off his fork.

"Ahahaha!" Usopp laughed as he prepared to eat the lobster on his plate. **SHOOM! **The lobster was snatched off his plate and was stuffed into the rubbery mouth two seats down from him. "LUFFY! YOU JUST SNATCHED MY FOOD, DIDN'T YOU?"

"Nuh-uh!" Luffy mumbled around his newly acquired mouth full of food.

**POW!** Nami punched Luffy in the cheek. "YOU LIAR!"

As usual, Luffy didn't limit himself to the food on _his_ plate. Everyone at the table was suffering from Luffy's wandering hands and huge appetite with the only exception being Ricky. **Whak! **The First Mate used his fork to smack Luffy's hand away from his plate then went back to cutting his food. But Luffy's reach wasn't stopped, only deflected. **YOINK! **Ayako frowned as her food was stolen right in front of her.

"Steal my food will ya," Mana growled as she grabbed her food and increased its weight. "Now, it won't go anywhere." **SHWUP! **"GAAAAH!" Her heavy food was snatched and stuffed into Luffy's mouth. Mana glared down the table at the rubber food thief. "I hope it gives you indigestion!"

**SLURP!SLURP! **Chopper sucked down a large mass of noodles. Sanji looked at him with concern.

"Slow down or you'll choke," Sanji warned the reindeer.** YOINK! **The cook had been paying more attention to Chopper and his plate fell prey to Luffy's reach. "YOU RUBBER BASTARD!"

"Eat this…" Jun growled as he leaned over and spat on his food. **PTOI! **As expected, Luffy snatched it off his plate and stuffed it in his mouth. **SHOOM! **Jun grinned and then the spit exploded.** KA-BOOM! **Luffy's already swelling stomach blew outward but then shrank down.

Luffy stopped eating and stared down at his stomach. "Hm… my belly feels empty again… MORE FOOD!" And then it started all over again.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Mana screamed. "NOW HE'S EVEN _HUNGRIER_!"

**Whak!** Ricky casually deflected the rubber pirate's stretching hand. Luffy's deflected hand once again snatched food off of Ayako's plate. **Klak! **The artist got fed up and threw down her fork. There was only so much the lazy artist could take.

"RICKY! STOP HIM!" Nami complained.

**Whap! **Ricky caught Luffy's wrist. **Whup!Whup! **Luffy stretched his other hand out and attempted to free his other one from his brother's grip.** WOOING! SHWUP!** Everyone watched as Ricky stretched Luffy's arms out and tied them around the base of Ayako's chair.

"That better?" Ricky asked. "Eat while his hand're tied." That prompted everyone hurriedly to dig in at the spread of food before Luffy could get free.

"HEY! THAT'S NO FAIR!" Luffy whined as his crew ate without him."GIMME FOOD!"

"That's what you get for stealing our food," Nami scolded him.

"The rest of 'em are no better than the Captain!" one of the disgusted guards pointed out.

"What do you call that dish there?" Sanji asked one of the Alabasta cooks.

"It's called Kanafa," the cook explained. "Noodles baked in a brick oven."

"GACK!" Chopper wheezed as he choked on some noodles.

"Hey, can we get some water over here!" Sanji requested on the reindeer's behalf.

"Here's more!" Terracotta called out, "Eat up!"

"NOOOO!" Luffy shouted as more plates were put out and he could do nothing to eat them. Luffy struggled and flailed in an attempt to pull his arms free from Ayako's chair. "Uuuuggh!"

**WHING! **"Yaaah!" Ayako let out a yelp as Luffy's monstrous strength prevailed and the girl and her chair were yanked across the table. **WHAM! **Ayako slammed face-first into Luffy's and they both went tumbling to the ground. **THUD!**

"LUFFY!" Usopp shouted as he shot up from his seat. "WHAT'RE YOU DOING?" Usopp pulled Ayako off of the prone Captain.

Ayako blushed as she touched her lips then turned to Usopp, "I thought he was gonna eat me…"

Nami looked over at Mana, "Did they just…"

"I think so," Mana clarified. Ayako had slammed face-first into Luffy for an inadvertent kiss.

"Take this Luffy!" Usopp called out as he drew his slingshot. "HOT SALSA STAR!" **WHING!**

**FWOOOSSH! **"WAAAAAH!" Luffy screamed as he spat out flames.

"Heh heh!" Zoro laughed, "Serves ya right Luffy!"

As the feast returned to normal the laughter proved to be contagious and soon everyone was laughing out loud as they shared the lively celebratory meal. Even the guards who had been lining the room looking disgusted at the pirates' eating habits started chuckling but soon the chuckles turned into full blown laughter.

Vivi, who had previously been so worried about the fate of her country sat in her chair and laughed along with the others as she was thoroughly amused by her friends' antics.

**-x-**

After the hearty meal, the group had moved on to the royal baths. The bath was a large marble room with a wall that ran through the middle and separated the sides by gender. The actual bath was a round tub in the middle of each section. On the men's side, water flowed out of the mouths of the two golden lion statues that were in the middle of the round bath.

"WHOA!" Luffy exclaimed as he surveyed the large opened room.

"This is the palace's royal bath," King Cobra explained to the male Straw Hats and Jun. They were all wearing towels on theirs wastes except for Luffy and Usopp who were running naked through the bath. "Normally we only use it during the rainy season."

"Then why use it now?" Jun inquired.

"Tonight's a special occasion," the King replied. "This is an important celebration."

"I'm royally impressed," Usopp remarked. "It's gorgeous! I'M GOING FIRST!" Luffy and Usopp raced across the marble floor to the bath.

"Real mature guys," Sanji muttered.

"Well, that was some dinner tonight wasn't it?" Cobra asked as he sat on the edge of the bath while Luffy and Usopp played in the water. Since he was only standing in the water so his inability to swim wasn't a factor here. "I thought an after dinner bath would be a more sedate affair. But it seems anything you lads become involved with becomes a party very quickly."

"They're a lively bunch," Ricky admitted as he knelt behind Chopper and washed his younger brother's back.

"Hey Zoro! Look!" Luffy called out to Zoro who was relaxing in the bath with his eyes closed. "Look at what we're doing!" Luffy and Usopp stood naked under the spray of the lion fountain and pretended to be meditating.

"We're training!" Usopp joked.

"Real funny," Zoro retorted.

Sanji grinned and elbowed Igaram, "Hey, where's the women's bath?" he inquired.

"YOU'RE NUTS!" Igaram snapped. "WHY WOULD I TELL YOU THAT? THAT'S WHERE THE PRINCESS IS!"

"I know!" Sanji agreed with a lecherous grin.

"Its right behind that wall," Cobra pointed out as he motioned to the wall that divided bath.

"Thanks old guy!" Usopp exclaimed as he and Sanji ran over to the wall. "You're the best!"

"Uhh… perverts," Ricky sighed as he joined Zoro in the bath.

Chopper looked over at the others who were rushing over to the wall then back at the other two who were casually sitting in the bath.

"I'm not interested in human females," Chopper chirped as he joined the older two in the bath.

**-x-**

The women's side of the bath was almost identical to the men's except the golden statues in the middle of the bath were long-bodied serpentine dragons instead of lions.

"This feels so good," Nami sighed. "I wonder if a ship with a big bath like this exists." She, Vivi, Mana, and Ayako were sitting on buckets in the opened floor washing each others' backs.

"I'm sure one does," Vivi replied as she sat behind Nami wearing a white towel and scrubbed the orange haired girl's bare back. "The sea's full of surprises. Think of what we've seen…"

"Giants, dinosaurs, abominable snow rabbits, cherry blossoms blooming in a winter land," Mana listed as she sat beside Vivi wearing a yellow towel and scrubbed Ayako's back.

"If those things exist there must be plenty amazing things out there in the sea," Vivi commented.

"By my count you've only been to four islands so far," Mana pointed out. "The Grand Line's got nearly a hundred."

"And each one has its own environment and ecosystem," Ayako added. She snuck a peek at the well-endowed girl sitting beside to her and pouted. Her chest was easily the smallest on that side of the bath, in fact, even _Zoro's _muscular chest was bigger than hers.

"My turn," Nami called out, "Switch." But before they could switch off the girls realized that they weren't alone.

"EEP!" Ayako squeaked as she pulled her pink towel back on.

Luffy, Igaram, Sanji, Usopp, Cobra, and Jun were all hanging on the top of the wall blatantly peeking into the women's side of the bath.

"WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING OVER THERE?" Vivi demanded.

"Peeping," Nami answered. She closed her eyes knowing that the voyeurs weren't going to leave them alone until they'd seen something. Nami pulled her pink towel back on and resigned herself to doing something about the peeper problem. "Alright… it'll cost 100,000 berries each…"

Nami turned around to face the boys, "Happiness… PUNCH!" Then she unleashed her ultimate attack and pulled opened the towel and flashed them.

"WAAH!" came the collective gasp as blood squirted out of the noses of the peepers and all six of them fell down to the floor. **THUD!**

"NAMI!" Vivi shrieked while Ayako blushed. Nami smiled and winked.

"Kyahahaha!" Mana laughed. "You took 'em all out with one attack!"

"**I'm not paying for that,"** Ricky's voice sounded from the other side.

"Well… if _they're _allowed to peep," Mana reasoned as she stood up and adjusted her towel. **SKISH! **She lowered her weight and jumped up to the top of the wall and sat on top of it. She looked down and saw Luffy, Usopp, Sanji, Jun, Cobra and Igaram all lying prone on the floor. "Aww! They're towels stayed on! Hey guys!"

"Hey Mana," Ricky replied as he casually sat in the bath with Zoro and Chopper. "I don't suppose you'd go away if I asked you nicely?"

"Nope!" Mana chirped.

"Didn't think so," Ricky said then glanced at Zoro. "It's not gay if we don't look at each other."

"Fine," Zoro resolved, "if it'll get her to go away." Mana's eyes went wide as the two stood up and turned to face her. The only clothing they wore between them was Ricky's eye patch.

Mana's face went bright red then her blue eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted. The blonde fell off the wall and dropped down to the floor on the women's side. **THUD! **Her towel came loose during her fall and ended up fluttering down on top of her.

"They knocked her out!" Ayako exclaimed as she stared at the blonde. A delirious smile was etched on the unconscious blonde's face.

"No charge," Ricky stated as he and Zoro sat back down into the bath.

"Humans are weird," Chopper decided.

**-x-**

Nami, Vivi, and Ayako had relocated to the bath while Mana was still out on the floor.

"Can't make up your mind?" Nami asked the Princess. Vivi and Ayako stared at her in confusion. "Better think quick, I was thinking we might actually leave tonight."

"Really?" Vivi asked.

"We need to go while the going's good," Nami explained. "I know that the Marines are looking all over for us and that means that the ship is in dangers."

**-x-**

A stream of blood dripped out of Cobra's nose as he and the other male peepers finally recovered from Nami's devastating attack. "Thank you."

"Pervert," Luffy, Usopp, Sanji and Jun chorused.

"NOT FOR THAT!" Cobra snapped, "For the country." The King sat cross-legged on the floor then bent down into a low bow that saw his face almost touching the floor.

"It's not that we don't appreciate it," Zoro said, "but is a King supposed to do that?"

"That swordsman is right your Majesty," Igaram stated. "You're this land's sovereign ruler. You should bow to no one."

"Listen Igaram," Cobra instructed, still bowing to the pirates. "Authority is something that you wear over your clothes. But we're in the bath now and there is no such thing as a naked King, is there? I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart as both a father and a native of this land. Alabasta will forever be in your debts Straw Hats." Luffy chuckled. "Thank you all very much. I can not tell you how much we appreciate you."

**-x-**

Night fell and water stopped flowing from the statues. The Straw Hats and the former agents returned to the infirmary and changed into their night clothes.

"Tonight?" Usopp questioned.

"Yup," Nami answered.

"We have to leave?" Chopper asked.

"The Marines know we're here," Zoro pointed out. "More will be coming. I agree with Nami, we need to get out now."

"Me too, and not just because she's got a pretty face," Sanji added. Although it hadn't been her 'face' that had knocked him off the wall earlier.

"After taking down a treacherous Warlord while they just stood by and watched the World Government's going to be gunning for us," Ricky reasoned. "They've probably raised our bounties already."

"COOL!" Luffy exclaimed.

"THAT'S NOT COOL!" Nami snapped at him. "Now even more people will be after us!"

"Do you think we should leave, Luffy?" Usopp inquired.

"Yeah," Luffy replied, "But only after we've had some more yummy food!"

"No, _now_ you idiot!" Zoro scolded him.

"Then let's get our supplies together," Ricky resolved. "We don't have much time otherwise."

Vivi, Mana, Ayako, and Jun silently listened as their friends planned their departure.

**-x-**

"This could be trouble," Pell observed as he, Igaram, and Chaka stood together in a room and surveyed three wanted posters.

"What should we tell them, Igaram?" Chaka asked. "We have to let them know right away."

"You're right, I agree," Igaram agreed. "Well, word of what's happened here must've traveled fast. They've already released new wanted posters. Their bounties are quite large."

"'Pirate Hunter' Roronoa Zoro," Pell read, "60,000,000 berries."

"'One Eye' Ricky," Chaka noted, "80,000,000 berries."

"'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy," Igaram recited, "100,000,000 berries."

The pictures on Luffy and Ricky's posters were the same – offensive pose and all – but Zoro's picture for his new bounty looked like it had been taken while he was searching for the bomb because there was dried blood on his temple and going down from his mouth. The background behind him was a cloud of sand.

"That's 240,000,000 berries all together," Chaka counted, "Incredible."

"With bounties like that Marine Headquarters must have a keen interest in capturing the Straw Hats," Igaram pointed out. "You're no longer a mere pirate Luffy, not since you took down one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."

**-x-**

**Operation Escape Alabasta:**

**-x-**

Igaram ran down the hallway and burst into the infirmary, "WE'VE GOT TROUBLE!" But the Captain of the Royal Guard was surprised to find that the ones remaining in the infirmary were Vivi, Carue, Mana, Ayako, and Jun. Vivi was silently staring out the window while Mana stood beside her and placed a reassuring hand on her back.

"Vivi… where are they?" Igaram asked.

"Oh, Igaram, what is it?" Vivi inquired.

"Luffy and the all others," Igaram clarified, "Where are they?"

"The sea," Vivi answered. "They _are _pirates."

Igaram dropped the three wanted posters he'd been carrying to the floor.

"I'm gonna miss 'em," Ayako admitted while sitting on a bed hugging her knees to her chest.

"We all are," Jun told her.

"But we can accomplish our dreams by staying here," Mana reasoned. "Big dreams like theirs can only come true if they continue their miraculous adventures at sea."

**-x-**

"Listen up you guys!" a marine called out. He had long gray hair and had a beard that looked like a mushroom stalk. He wore familiar heart-shaped sunglasses but also a bucket hat with 'Marine' written on the front and a green button-down shirt with big purple spots all over. "Pirates are nothing but scum! Everyone one of them!" This man was **Petty Officer Jango 'the Traitor'**. Somehow, after being left behind by the Black Cat Pirates following their defeat at the hands of the Straw Hats, Jango the Hypnotist had joined the Marines.

"Hey wait," the marine next to him protested. He had purple-gray hair and a scar running down his face under his left eye. He wore a Marine cap a blue t-shirt and had iron bolts attached to his knuckles. This was **Petty Officer 'Iron Fist' Fullybody**. "Come on, don't you remember? You used to be one."

"YOU'RE RIGHT!" Jango shouted. "HOW COULD I FORGET?" The two Petty Officers were on board a pirate ship. But all the pirates were unconscious.

"Now that we've finished taking down this pirate ship for Captain Hina…" Fullbody said before striking a pose, "LET'S DANCE!"

"OH BABY!" Jango exclaimed then he and Fullbody proceeded to dance right there on the deck of the pirate ship.

**-x-**

"It looks like those two subdued the enemy ship," a large arine observed as he stood on the shore and stared at the dancing Marines through a pair of binoculars.

"Took them long enough," Hina commented as she stood beside the marine. "Don't tell me… they're dancing now, aren't they? I trusted those two to finish off that ship that tried to escape us and this is what they do. Hina's disappointed. Have you finished deploying all the ships?"

"That's affirmative Captain," the large marine reported. "Every harbor in this dust ball of a country is now blockaded. But ma'am…"

"Hm?" Hina questioned.

"There's one thing I'm concerned about," the large marine admitted. "It's the Straw Hat's ship ma'am. It was confirmed to be near Erumalu but now… it's gone."

"Don't tell me they left the country already!" Hina gasped. "Hina's upset."

"No, I doubt that ma'am," the large marine replied.

"Then go search for it!" Hina ordered. "Scour the entire coast!"

"Yes Captain!" the large marine agreed as he ran off to relay the Captain's orders.

"**Miss. Hina!"** Fullbody called out, he and Jango had finally made it back to shore and were approaching the Marine Captain, "We're back …"

"Oh no," Hina muttered as she turned to face away from the two Petty Officers.

"Sorry it took us so long," Fullbody apologized.

"Aren't you gonna ask us _why_?" Jango asked eagerly.

"Why'd it take so long?" Hina humored them.

"Because we were picking these flowers for you!" Jango and Fullbody produced two large bouquets of flowers. Fullbody's were red roses while Jango's were yellow chrysanthemums.

"No thanks," Hina immediately dismissed them. But her two admirers didn't have time to mope. "Man your positions right away, we're going after the Straw Hat Pirates."

"THE STRAW HATS!" Dango and Fullbody shouted. Both of them had history with that particular pirate crew.

**-x-**

The Straw Hats raced across the desert towards the Sandora River on the backs of the Supersonic Duck Squadron. Luffy was on Ivan X, Ricky was on Cowboy, Zoro was on Kentauros, Usopp was on Stomp, Sanji was on Hikoichi, Chopper was on Bourbon Jr. and Nami brought up the rear on Eyelash. Driven by pervert power the camel was able to keep up with the speedy ducks. The pirates all wore white cloaks that fluttered behind them as they raced across the sand.

"_I wonder if she decided to come…" _Ricky thought to himself. He was leading the group and was wearing his black and red cowboy hat.

"Not bad," Zoro remarked as they sped towards their destination.

"So a final farewell, oh Kingdom of the Sand!" Usopp exclaimed as tears ran down his face. He glanced beside him and saw Luffy eating a chunk of meat. "Luffy, aren't you full yet?"

"These Alabasta dishes are great, aren't they Sanji?" Luffy asked the cook riding next to him. "You should make 'em sometime."

"Yeah, I liked 'em too," Sanji agreed, "So I got some recipes from Terracotta. I also got some of their local spices."

"Um… what's wrong Nami?" Chopper asked as he looked at the glum-looking girl riding next to him with concern. "Are you sick?"

"I'll give you a piece of this if you want," Luffy offered, "But just a small one."

"Miss. Nami," Sanji called back to her. "If you're thinking about Miss. Vivi again, I understand. Listen, moping around about it won't help. I know it must be really hard for you, you two got close. Just keep your chin up, okay?"

"It's not that," Nami said. "I'm just sad… we didn't take the reward… the one billion berries…"

"WAAAAH!" came the collective shout from the pirates.

"YOU'RE MOPING ABOUT THE MONEY?" Sanji demanded.

"AAH! USOPP FELL OFF!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Aw, you shouldn't mislead people like that, Nami!" Zoro snapped.

"What did you think I was upset about?" Nami asked. "We just walked away from a huge payday that we _actually _earned."

"Nami, we've already been over this," Ricky stated. "What would you have done with all that money? I already took one hundred million berries for the crew's expenses from Crocodile's treasure and I gave you two hundred million. Plus, there's that six hundred thousand you earned from your show in the bath."

"Well, yeah," Nami admitted, "but I finally realized what we could've bought with it. We could've outfitted our ship with a big bath like the one in the palace. I don't know about you guys but I'm tired of pumping water every time I wanna use that tiny shower we've got now."

"Like you ever pump it yourself!" Zoro snapped.

"GUYS! USOPP FELL OFF!" Chopper reminded them.

"Then tell his duck to go get him," Ricky instructed. "He can catch up. But we can't stop, we're in a hurry."

**-x-**

Back at the palace, Igaram was still trying to stress the situation to Vivi and the others.

"Carue, wake up!" Igaram ordered, "You're needed!"

"Quuaaa?" Carue sleepily asked.

"It's no use Igaram," Vivi told him.

"But the World Government has released new bounties on their heads!" Igaram reported as he held up the three wanted posters. "We should at least warn them!"

"I had the Duck Squadron take them," Vivi informed him. "Even if Carue could catch up to them it wouldn't change anything."

"Why's that?" Igaram asked.

Mana came forward and picked up the three wanted posters, "Ricky already expected something like this," she admitted.

Ayako came over and peeked over her shoulder at the new bounties, "This'll actually make them happy. They'll be tickled pink."

"But Princess!" Igaram protested.

"Trust me, they'll be fine," Vivi assured him. She got up and pushed the large man out the door. "Now out you go, I've got to get some rest. I've got a big day tomorrow, remember?"

"Oh that's right," Igaram realized. "Your Coming of Age Ceremony is tomorrow at ten."

"Uh-huh," Vivi said as she headed for a bed in the infirmary, "Now come on Carue, let's get some sleep…"

**-x-**

Igaram walked down the hallway with Jun at his side. "Something wrong, Captain?" Jun asked.

"Something's bothering me," Igaram admitted as he scratched his head and tried to think. _"She's awfully calm. Strange. Very strange."_ He was so caught up in his thoughts that he missed the knowing smile on Jun's face.

**-x-**

The infirmary had become a girl's dorm. Vivi had pushed her and Carue's beds together and was lying awake in hers while Mana and Ayako laid in beds on either side of them.

"It's really quiet, isn't it?" Vivi asked. The only sound in the large room was Carue's snores. "We haven't had a night this quiet in a long time. The cook who guards the refrigerator from a late night raider is gone…"

"So are the swordsmen that train every night…" Mana added.

"And the marksman who talks in his sleep…" Ayako recounted.

"The navigator who throws pillows when she's asleep…" Vivi continued. "They're gone."

**-Farewell Flashback-**

"A snail call?" Nami repeated Pell who had come to see them in the infirmary. Vivi, Carue, Mana, Ayako, and Jun were all watching as the Straw Hats packed their supplies and prepared to leave. "From who?"

"I'm not sure," Pell admitted, "He called himself 'Bon'."

"Just Bon?" Sanji asked. "That's it?"

"Never heard of the guy," Usopp said.

"That's strange," Pell commented. "He insists that you're all good friends."

"Friends with us?" Sanji questioned.

"_**Heellooo! Heeey old friends! It's meee!" **_a familiar high-pitched man's voice called out. _**"Gaaa hahahaha! I bet you never thought you'd hear from me again, did—" **_**KLAK! **Sanji promptly hung up.

"Was that…" Ayako stared to ask.

"Mr. 2?" Jun questioned.

**RRRRING! RRRRING! RRRING! **The transponder snail frantically rang again. **Shu-whup! **Luffy stretched his arms out and took the phone from Pell.

Luffy picked up the receiver and spoke into it, "So you escaped, Mr. 2? What do you want?"

"_**STRAW HAT! I'd recognize that voice anywhere! You're right I escaped. Aand I wanna keep it that way so don't call me Mr. 2. If the Marines intercept this call they'll be able to ascertain the location of both me AND you!"**_

"Thanks a lot you jerk!" Chopper shouted.

"Tell us what you want," Zoro ordered.

"_**Oooh, it's not what I want, **__**it's what I HAVE! YOUR SHIP!"**_

"STOP JOKING!" the Straw Hats snapped.

"I'm gonna kick your butt for saying that!" Usopp threatened. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

"_**On your ship, the Going Merry!"**_

Ricky got up and took the receiver from Luffy, "How could you have our ship?" Ricky asked. "I just saw it in Erumalu the other day."

"_**Well now **_**III **_**have it! You won't find it anywhere near Erumalu, I'm all the way up near Rain Base!"**_

"I should've kicked him harder!" Sanji growled.

"_**Heeeey! Calm down! Pleeeaase! I mean… we are friends, right? RIGHT! GAA HAHAHA!"**_

**-x-**

"He's at the upper part of the Sandora River," Luffy stated. Pell had left and the Straw Hats were discussing what to do about the Okama that had their ship.

"Can we trust him?" Sanji asked.

"We did become friends that one time," Luffy pointed out. "But…"

"That was before we knew he was part of Baroque Works," Zoro continued for him.

"You want us to help you take care of him?" Jun offered.

"No," Ricky answered. "I think… we're gonna have to trust him."

"I guess we have no choice," Chopper reasoned.

"You're right," Sanji agreed, "He has our ship. If he tries to trick us, I'll be more than happy to kick the crap out of him again."

"Then let's get going," Ricky resolved.

"Yeah, before he changes the ship's figurehead to a swan," Usopp added.

"In that case…" Ayako said as she got up and held out a rectangular package to Usopp, "This is for you… um… don't open it here or I'll be embarrassed."

"Oh, thanks," Usopp remarked as he took the gift. "But I didn't get you anything…"

"You didn't need to," Ayako assured him with a small smile. "You and your crew did enough for me to last a lifetime."

"If this is goodbye… then I want a hug from each of you," Mana requested. She scooped up Chopper and hugged him like he was a living plushy. She went around the room hugging each of the Straw Hats in turn. She let out a faint giggle as she pressed herself fully against Ricky and Zoro then finally ended with Nami and whispered something in her ear that caused the navigator to blush bright red and sneak a glance at Ricky.

Once Mana was done Jun stood and addressed the pirates, "All of you, thanks for everything," the Bomb Man bowed to the Straw Hats. "Just knowing you has changed me for the better."

"Hey… you guys…" Vivi spoke up from the couch where she'd been sitting silently, "I uh… I don't… I don't know what to do. If you were me… what you would do?"

"Vivi, we can give you twelve hours to make a decision," Nami told her. "We'll travel down the Sandora, after teaching Ballerina Boy why he shouldn't steal from us, and by noon tomorrow we'll draw by the eastern harbor. I doubt we'll be able to drop anchor though. If you _do _decide to join us, that's gonna be the only chance for you to come aboard, twelve o' clock, on the dot. It's your choice, you can stay a Princess… or become a pirate."

"I'm sure being a pirate doesn't compare to being a Princess," Sanji admitted as he stood by the opened window that they'd dropped a rope out of. "But we'd sure love to have you."

"Yeah, so why wait?" Luffy asked. "Come with us now, Vivi!"

"Knock it off, Luffy," Usopp scolded him.

"Yeah, come on," Zoro urged him.

"Why?" Luffy questioned. "Don't you guys want her to join us?"

"Of course," Ricky answered, "but it's a life-changing decision. And it's something she has to decide for herself."

**-End Flashback-**

"Twelve o' clock on the dot," Vivi recited as she laid in bed beside Carue. _"If it's the eastern harbor it'll take four hours to get there on Carue. If I left here by eight I'd make it on time. Life as a pirate, huh? Adventures on the high seas… surrounded by loyal friends… If I miss this chance I know I'll never get another one like it for the rest of my life."_

"_On the other hand,"_ Vivi thought to herself, _"I have duties here as a Princess. And at a crucial time since this land is at a rebirth." _"What should I do?"

"I would've liked to go with them," Ayako admitted, "they're bound to see and experience things that are impossible to imagine. Some of those sights would make amazing paintings." The artist frowned, "But then… I'm lazy. They're all so strong and enthusiastic… I'd never be able to keep up."

"They're an incredible group of pirates," Mana remarked. "But I just got the deed to my café. I can live my dream from here." She looked over at Vivi, "You need to decide where you belong. Whatever you decide, we'll help you if you need us."

**-x-**

"FINALLY!" Mr. 2 Bon Kurei exclaimed to the newly arrived Straw Hats as he stood on the edge of the crow's nest of the Going Merry. "LONG TIME NO SEE MY FRIENDS! Did you guys miss little old me?"

"Not a bit," Zoro dead-panned.

"Let's unload," Sanji instructed. "Later ducks, thanks for the lift!"

"Yeah!" Usopp called out. "You ducks take care of yourselves!"

"Have a safe trip," Zoro said.

"…" Ricky silently saluted Cowboy while the relaxed looking duck saluted back.

"Say goodbye to the King, the old tube haired guy, and the others for us!" Luffy requested.

Even Mr. 2 waved goodbye as the ducks and the camel departed. "Farewell! May you ugly ducklings turn into beautiful swans!"

"JUU!" Ricky approached the river and was greeted by five familiar dugongs. Their heavy shells were a bit bigger than before.

"Hey guys," Ricky greeted them. "You wanna help us get our stuff on our ship?"

"Juu!" Ricky's students chorused. They all made their way over to the Straw Hats' supplies and picked up boxes.

"WAIT HOLD ON!" Mr. 2 shouted. **SKISH! **The Okama jumped down to the railing

"Yeah, what?" Sanji asked.

"Don't 'yeah what' me!" Mr. 2 snapped. "That's just rude! You should learn some manners pretty boy! Friends aren't supposed to talk to their friends that way!"

"Quit saying that, weirdo," Luffy ordered. "We're not friends, we're enemies. You lied to us."

"NO I DIDN'T!" Mr. 2 argued. "I just didn't mention that I was a member of Baroque Works!" The strange man sat down on the railing and dangled his hairy legs off it, "Besides, that matter anymore now, does it? Baroque Works is done for now. And that means that we are no longer enemies."

"Hey move it," Zoro complained as he carried a stack of boxes up the ladder Mr. 2 was sitting next to. He was followed by Ricky and a line of Dugongs.

"Oh, my bad," Mr. 2 said as he slid to the side and allowed them all to bring their supplies onto their ship.

"Well if we're not enemies then why the heck did you steal our ship?" Luffy demanded.

"Oh, how dumb are you?" Mr. 2 asked. "LISTEN! If I hadn't taken your little ship from where it was moored… WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD'VE HAPPENED TO IT?"

"The Marines probably would've seized it," Nami stated.

"WAH!" Luffy gasped.

"Change the 'probably' to a 'definitely', honey!" Mr. 2 replied. "The Marines have been looking all over for you guys and your ship. Every port in the country's been blockaded! LOCKDOWN!"

"Hold on," Luffy said, "are you telling us that you took the Going Merry so the Marines wouldn't?"

"How come?" Chopper demanded.

Mr. 2 smiled and flashed them a thumbs up, "'Cause you guys are my friends!"

A moment later, Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, and Mr. 2 had joined arms and were dancing on the deck together.

"We may have had to fight on opposite sides of the war but our friendship will last throughout all of eternity!" Mr. 2 cheered.

Nami turned away from them and looked over at Sanji, "Need help loading?" she offered.

"Nope," Sanji replied."This is the last of it. Ricky's students were a big help."

"JUU!" the dugongs chorused as they stood around Ricky and bowed to him.

"You're not planning on bringing them with us, are you?" Nami inquired.

"No," Ricky admitted, "but we still have time for one last spar before we say goodbye."

"Tell the truth twinkle toes," Zoro addressed Mr. 2 as he continued dancing with Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper. "You and your crew don't have a chance of getting through that blockade. But you might if you had us as allies, right?"

"GAAH!" Mr. 2 shrieked at Zoro's accurate guess and jumped away from the dance line.

"BON KUREI!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper exclaimed.

"That's right, you got me," Mr. 2 confessed, "but in trying times such as these we have to band together under the flag of friendship! IF YOU BELIEVE IN TRUE FRIENDSHIP SAY 'AYE'!"

"AAAYYYYYEEE!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper shouted.

"Uhh…" Nami groaned.

"**AAAAYYYYEEEE!" **Mr. 2's ship the Swanda appeared out of nowhere with his loyal men all on board. "HEY STRAW HATS!"

"WHERE DID YOU GUYS COME FROM?" Zoro demanded.

**-x-**

"Captain Hina, we've spotted the Straw Hats' ship!" a marine reported early the next day. "It's in the upper reaches of the Sandora River! What do you think we should do, Captain?"

Hina pulled on her gloves, "Attack of course," she answered.

Marine Captain 'Black Cage' Hina was standing in the Straw Hats' way of escape.

**-x-**

Phew, lots of dialogue in that chapter so it seems extra long. Nine thousand words, according to my Doc Manager that's about average.

Next chapter, the Straw Hats have to contend with 'Black Cage' Hina and Vivi comes to her decision while the Kingdom learns of Vivi's adventure.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	64. Chapter 64

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of the characters. I just own Ricky and the other OC's I've written into this alteration of the story.

**Vivi's Decision:**

**-x-**

"Igaram I _will_!"Igaram stared at the skull featuring a blue ponytail and a small crown going around the base. "I _will_ become Queen of the Pirates!" Igaram caped at the princess dressed in pirate garb. She a green spotted bandana to tie her long blue hair back and a purple pirate hat with an fancy pink feather and the aforementioned Jolly Roger on the front. She wore a red and white horizontally striped tank top and a long purple captain's coat draped over her shoulders. She had a tribal tattoo on her right arm and was wielding a pistol in one hand and a sheathed sword in the other.

"WAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Igaram screamed in terror. The Captain of the Royal Guard sat up and found himself in bed and still wearing his night clothe and night cap. It was early in the morning and the sky had just started lighting up. Terracotta's side was empty but Igaram barely paid it any mind as he tried to recover from the horrible nightmare.

A minute later Igaram was running down a hallway towards the Princess' room hoping against all hope that the Princess hadn't decided to become a fugitive. "VIIIVIII!" **WHAM! **Igaram burst into the Princess' room. "VIIIIVIIII!"

Igaram stopped in his tracks and stared in surprise. Vivi was standing in the middle of the room while her arms held out while Terracotta and Mana helped fit the Princess in a gown. The top half hung down by the dress portion while Terracotta tended to the corset that Vivi was to wear under the gown. The Princess' long blue hair fell freely down her back and chest. Ayako was I the corner picking out jewelry and other accessories from a chest.

"Oh, good morning Igaram," Vivi greeted him. "What's the matter? You're sweating?"

"Enough!" Terracotta scolded him. "Where are you manners? You can't just barge in here! The Princess needs her privacy! NOW GO!" Terracotta tugged on the ribbon that was lacing up the pale violet corset and made Vivi wince as it squeezed her.

"Please forgive me!" Igaram apologized. "I… uh… just wanted to say… uh… good morning…"

"Is that all?" Vivi asked.

"Uh no… I mean yes," Igaram stammered, still shocked that the Princess was still here instead of going to sea to become a pirate as she had in his nightmare.

"QUIT BLABBERING!" Terracotta snapped. "WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE?" **KRAK! **Igaram's loving wife threw a bowl and it hit him square on the forehead. "I TOLD YOU TO GET OUT!" When Igaram didn't immediately follow the order Terracotta threw more at him. A book, a pillow, a plate anything within arm's reach was thrown at the Captain of the Royal Guard until he stumbled out of the room and back into the hallway.

**WHAM! **The doors slammed shut and Igaram was left standing outside with a lump on his head.

"I guess it was my imagination…" Igaram reasoned. He turned around and spotted King Cobra staring out through one of the arch ways that were on top of the railings that lined the hallway. "Oh, your majesty! I didn't see you there. Good morning."

"Yes, good morning," the King returned. "You too, huh? Terracotta can be quite scary." Cobra turned to face Igaram and revealed that he was sporting a large lump as well.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Igaram exclaimed. "Try to say hello?" Like Igaram, the King had felt Terracotta's wrath when he had entered the Princess' room without permission.

**-x-**

Back in her room, Vivi let out a light groan and asked, "Terracotta… isn't this too tight?"

"This is how formal attire is supposed to fit upon a Princess," Terracotta informed her. Vivi was left struggling to breathe as the top of her dress was pulled up over her corset.

"The square's already full of people," Ayako reported as she looked away from the chest and peeked out the window.

"Really?" Vivi asked.

"When it was announced that your speech would begin promptly at ten everyone started getting anxious," Terracotta explained. "Your Coming of Age Ceremony should have been held two years ago when you were fourteen… since it was delayed so long it's made the people even more excited for the special event."

"But I don't have any pressing information to share with them," Vivi pointed out as she sat down and in front of a vanity mirror.

"Kyahahahaha!" Mana laughed as she came up behind the Princess with a hairbrush. "Are you serious? You just went on the biggest adventure of your life and even helped save the Kingdom! Do you really think you don't have _anything_ to tell them?"

"They're coming because they love you," Terracotta told her as she cleaned up the clothing. "You don't have to say one word. All you do is show up and let everyone see how much you've grown. The Coming of Age Ceremony is held to celebrate you becoming an adult, it's not about speeches, and you should be mindful of the King's feelings in taking the time for it."

"Then again," Mana said as she ran the brush through Vivi's long blue locks. "I hear your speech today is gonna be broadcasted throughout all of Alabasta on Transponder Snails and amplifiers."

Vivi stared at the blonde in the mirror. "What are you saying?"

"Nothing!" Mana chirped. "But if you decide not to go… you'll be able to send them a farewell message that they'll be able to hear off the shore."

"Then again," Ayako countered, "It's only seven thirty. If you leave in half an hour you'll be able to make it to the eastern harbor for your noon appointment with the Straw Hats… hypothetically, of course."

**-x-**

"I received a report that a battle broke out in the harbor," Chaka informed Igaram.

"I see," Igaram replied.

"In light of this," Chaka continued, "you realize that we can no longer get involved."

"Don't worry about the Straw Hats," Jun advised as he approached the other two. "They may seem like a motley crew but I know from personal experience that they can get out of anything."

"What are you doing here anyway, soldier?" Chaka inquired.

Jun stopped and saluted Igaram, "Reporting for duty, Captain. What are your orders?"

"Find Pell and keep a close watch on the square," Igaram ordered. "We already have a big turnout, there are people coming from all over the Kingdom to see the Princess' Coming of Age Ceremony. Make sure that any Baroque Works Agents that the Marines missed don't get it in their heads to try and disrupt the ceremony."

"You think the Marines missed some?" Chaka questioned.

"Not all of the Baroque Works Billions wore clothing with the logo on it," Jun supplied. "And the Millions are even better at dressing like civilians. Of the two thousand employees there's bound to be some left."

"The Marines didn't even notice anything until Princess Vivi and the Straw Hats uncovered the organization and their plot," Igaram reminded Chaka. "All of the Officers may have defected or been eliminated but we can't afford to lower our guard in the case that the Marines missed some of them in their haste to capture the Straw Hats."

"I'll keep my eyes peeled," Jun assured him before heading off.

**-x-**

Off the shore of Sandy Island a shout rang out, "FIRE! FIRE!" **BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! **The cannons on the Marine battleships fired at the Going Merry and the Swanda.

"DAMN IT!" Luffy complained. "SHOOT CANNONBALLS! I CAN'T DEFLECT POINTY THINGS!" **SHUNK! SHUNK! SHUNK! **Instead of cannonballs, big black spears were fired from the battleships and sank into the starboard side of the Going Merry.

"Seriously!" Bon Kurei agreed, "Gimme a break!"

"If we take any more iron spears to the bottom of the ship it'll only be a matter of time before we sink!" Sanji pointed out.

"Then defend your side better!" Ricky retorted as he stood on the railing of the unblemished port side of the Going Merry.

"THEY'RE FIRING AGAIN!" Usopp screamed. **BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! **Another volley of spears was fired at them from all directions.

"**JUUUU!" SPLISH! **Five dugongs came rocketing up out of the ocean and smacked the sides of the big spears and knocked them off target.** KA-SPLOOSH!** The spears sank into the water and left the starboard side of the Merry unharmed.

"Keep it up guys," Ricky encouraged his students. "And keep those shells on! You'll need all the protection you can get."

**SHUNK! SHUNK! **The other side wasn't as well defended and another two spears pierced through the wooden side of the Merry.

"HEY!" Chopper shouted as he came out from the men's quarters holding a hammer and a bundle of wooden boards. "I can't keep fixing these holes you guys!"

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE!" Nami yelled at the Straw Hats. "DO SOMETHING!"

"What more can we do?" Sanji replied. "With all our effort we can barely defend this one side. We can't defend the bottom of the ship from the water like Ricky's seals are. Two ships versus eight isn't a fair fight!"

"If this was hand-to-hand combat we'd have a better chance," Zoro added. On the ship the swordsman was essentially useless. All he could do was slash his swords at the high flying spears coming at their right side. "Whether we chase them or run away, they won't change their formation."

The Straw Hats were in a real pickle. There were two battleships in front of them, two behind them, and two on each side of them. With the Marines surrounding them and shooting them from all sides it was only a matter of time before the Straw Hats were sunk.

Jango and Fullbody stood on the two battleships to the south on their right side.

"The Black Spear Formation, it's a work of art," Jango commented.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Fullbody laughed. "IT'S THE BLACK CAGE UNIT'S SPECIALTY!"

"HEY! HYPNOTIST!" Luffy exclaimed when he spotted the familiar man on the enemy ship. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE A PRIATE!"

"I AM!" Jango snapped. "NOW WHY DON'T YOU SHUT UP! My reasons are my own!"

"Where do I know that guy from?" Sanji wondered as he stared at the marine on the other ship.

"It took a long time but I finally found 'em," Fullbody remarked. "That annoying crazy cook and his gang of violent cut throats! Here today, I vow to sink 'em!""

Jango pulled out one of his chakram and swung it in front of him. "Stare at this ring," the hypnotist instructed. "You're about to help me finally prove that I'm not a weirdo, in fact, my services alone will pave the way to victory!"

While Chopper and Bon Kurei ran around on the deck carrying boards to fix the damage already done to the ship, Usopp cranked a cannon and aimed it at the enemies on their side to prevent _more_ damage from being done.

"One… two… JAAAN—" **KA-BOOOOOM! **The hypnotist was cut off by an explosion that rocked his ship and sent it toppling over to the side.

"JANGO!" Fullbody shouted in alarm. **CRUNCH!** Jango's battleship smashed onto his and caused ships to sink into the water. **SPLOOSH!**

"Whooaa…" Luffy gasped he looked away from the wreckage and over to the rear deck and saw Usopp standing behind the smoking cannon with a shock expression on his face. "USOPP! Did you do that? AMAZING!"

"Huh?" Usopp just gaped at Luffy, still shocked at his highly-effective shot… but he promptly forgot that when he realized this was a chance to gloat. "YES! JUST AS I CALCULATED! IT WAS ME! THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS TO ENEMY SHIPS WHEN USOPP'S ON THE JOB!"

"THAT WAS AMAZING NOSY!" Bon Kurei cheered. "The ships at the south have both sunk! NOW NOTHING CAN PREVENT US FROM BREAKING THROUGH!"

One of Bon Kurei's men suddenly gaped in alarm. Something was coming to prevent them from breaking through.

"BON KUREI WE'VE GOT TROUBLE!" the lookout shouted. "BLAAACK CAAAGEEE!"

"What's going on?" Luffy inquired.

"'Black Cage' Hina!" Bon Kurei shrieked. "We're in her jurisdiction! She's a real pain! We need to hurry up and fly the coup!"

"YES SIR, MR. BON KUREI SIR!" the Okama's men chorused as they readied the Swanda.

**-x-**

Off in a distance, Captain 'Black Cage' Hina approached on her personal ship from the north with her two remaining ships that weren't in the Black Spear Formation flanking her.

"It seems we've weakened them a bit," Hina observed.

"No ship is a match for our Black Spear Formation!" one of Hina's crew bragged.

"Don't get to confident," Hina scolded him. "Underestimating criminals such as these can come at the expense of one's own life." Hina paused and tugged on her brown gloves to ensure they were on properly and prepared for combat. "Now remember, once we arrive you guys are to stay back or you might get in my way and then Hina would be annoyed."

"Yes ma'am," the Marines agreed.

**-x-**

"This is gonna be trouble," Ricky stated. "There are three more ships coming to replace the two Usopp sank."

"YOU GUYS NEED TO WAKE UP!" Bon Kurei shouted. "We have to run! If we can pass through that point to the south we can escape! But, if we don't change course immediately they'll take us down for sure!"

"If you wanna go, go," Luffy told him. "We can't go that way."

"AND EXACTLY WHYYY NOOOOT?" Bon Kurei demanded.

"Mr. Bon Kurei we need to set sail while we still can!" Akumai called out from the Swanda. "There's no more time, sir!"

"Noon at the eastern harbor," Nami stated, "We've got an appointment. There's no time to go around. We have to go straight through."

"WHAT?" Bon Kurei shrieked. "SUICIDE! It's ludicrious! Is there some treasure you're not telling me about that's worth throwing away your lives? FINE! RUN OFF AND DIE!"

"We have to go get one of our friends," Luffy informed him.

"GAAA!" Bon Kurei gaped and stared at the small but determined group of pirates in shock. "So… it's for your pal that you risk it all?"

**-x-**

"Vivi, I'm coming in, okay?" King Cobra called through the door of Vivi's room.

"Sure, the door's opened," Vivi replied.

Cobra entered the room dressed in formal robes and was flanked by Igaram, "Sweetie, what did you want to talk…" the King trailed off. His eyes fell on picture of a woman with graying blue hair tied in an elegant bun dressed in royal robes. The woman's face was exactly the same as Vivi's. The picture was of his deceased wife Queen Nefertari Titi. Cobra gasped as he stared at his daughter because at that moment she looked just like her mother did twenty-two years ago. "Vivi, amazing! I mistook you for the Queen in her youth!"

"It's an uncanny resemblance, and just as beautiful," Igaram supplied.

"A vision of elegance," Cobra added.

Vivi stood in the middle of the room wearing her full formal attire. Her white gown was tight and low cut to show the Princess' developing sixteen year old figure. But now it was no logner plain white, it had been properly accessorized. A fancy golden belt started just under her bust and split to wrap around her back, crisscross and then join together in a point at her waist. Also around her waist was a string that supported a pale purple sash. The sash was used to add color to the white gown and the ends were tied at her waist and dropped down and rang along the bottom hemline of the gown. A matching pale purple cape was tucked into the back of the gown by her neck and hung loosely down to the Princess' ankles. Completing the outfit were gold wristbands, a gold necklace, fancy earrings, and a headband that went around the back of her head and kept her long blue hair tucked behind her while still allowing a few select locks to frame her beautiful face. At this moment Nefertari Vivi looked every bit the Princess that she was.

"Nice, huh?" Mana asked as she and Ayako sat nearby. "For our first time decorating a Princess' outfit I think we did good work."

"Have a seat daddy," Vivi requested, "No, _father_, Igaram, I have an important matter to discuss."

**-x-**

"GREAT BON KUREI!" Bon Kurei's men shouted from the railing of the Swanda. Bon Kurei stood proudly on the railing of the Going Merry facing his men while his back was to the priates.

"Running now would go against everything Bon Kurei stands for," Bon Kurei proclaimed. "If we abandon allies who are risking their lives to pick up a friend… could we live with ourselves tomorrow?" The Okama's men gasped. "Listen guys! Straw Hats too! What I must say is of great importance…" And then he told the Straw Hats his plan.

**-x-**

A moment later, Hina and her squad watched as the two ships split up. The Swanda made a break for the south while the Going Merry maintained its eastward heading.

"CAPTAIN HINA! THE ENEMY SHIPS ARE SPLITTING UP!" one of the marines reported as he stared through a pair of binoculars. "The Swan ship is headed south."

"The swan is probably meant as a decoy," Hina stated.

"Well… actually…" the marine replied, "it appears the entire Straw Hat crew is on board the swan ship Captain! It looks like it's the sheep ship they're using as a decoy."

Hina pulled out a telescope to confirm what the marine was saying. The Straw Hats were all there on the Swanda: Luffy's messy mop of black hair under a straw hat, Ricky's red hair and eye patch, Zoro's short green hair, Nami neck length orange hair, Usopp's curly black hair and long nose, Sanji's yellow hair parted so it covered one of his eyes, Chopper with antlers and a pink top hat.

"Follow the swan!" Hina ordered. "RETURN TO FORMATION IMMEDIATELY!" In a matter of second's Hina's entire battalion of seven battleships had changed course and was pursuing the southbound Swanda.

The Going Merry continued onward towards the east while Hina's ship and the two battleships flanking her caught up with the Swanda.

"Prepare to attack!" Hina commanded.

"SHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed when he spotted Hina. "So tell me… I _am _the Straw Hat you idiots are looking for… right?"

Hina gaped in shock. Straw Hat Luffy was wearing Bon Kurei's ballerina outfit and his straw hat was just an ordinary straw hat. On the fake Luffy's right side: Nami was a muscular dark skinned man, Usopp had a fake nose strapped to his face, Chopper was a hairy man with an obviously fake top hat, and on Luffy's other side: Zoro was a silly looking man with three katanas strapped to his back, Ricky was a tanned-shinned man with a cutlass and sunglasses, and Sanji was clean shaven while his hair was parted to cover his right eye instead of his left.

Luffy touched his face to reveal the make up covered face of Bon Kurei. "…Or am I?" the okama crowed.

"Captain Hina!" the lookout marine exclaimed. "The sheep ship is getting away! It's heading to the east!"

"GAAAAAA HAHAHAHAHA!" Bon Kurei laughed loudly. "You must feel pretty stupid right now for falling for such a stupid trick! See, we're masters of disguise…" Bon Kurei leapt into the air and did a spinning pirouette before landing on the railing of the Swanda. "…as well as friends to the Straw Hats!"

"Grrr…" Hina growled as she glared at the Okama as he struck a dramatic pose.

"One may stray from the path of a man!" Bon Kurei proclaimed. "One may stray from the path of a woman! But one can never stray from the pat of… A HU_MAN_! If my brethren and I are to fall, we will fall together, clinging to our freedom and watching our friendship bloom – by Bon Kurei." Bon Kurei's crew cried and applauded his moving speech while Hina glared at him with barely suppressed rage. Bon Kurei turned to face the Marine Captain and stared her dead in the eye. "Bring it on, sister!"

"They're all fakes…" Hina whispered, "Hina's… humiliated."

"Don't feel too bad Miss. Hina," fake Sanji remarked. He pulled off his yellow wig to reveal red hair and an eye patch over his previously hidden right eye. "Not _all _of us are fakes."

"One Eye!" Hina exclaimed.

Fake Ricky tossed real Ricky the cutlass he'd been holding then caught the three katanas that fake Zoro was holding before pulling off his red wig and his eye patch to reveal green hair and two working eyes.

"Roronoa Zoro!" Hina gasped.

"Since you wanted to capture us so badly, we figured that we'd give you a chance…" the real Roronoa Zoro stated, "…face-to-face."

"Men, attack!" Hina called out. "Capture them all but the two Straw Hats are the priority."

"Alright boys!" Ricky addressed his own troops. "Let's take this fight to them!"

"JUU!" Doug and the other four shell-less Dugong chorused as they stood ready behind Ricky. "Charge!" **SKISH! SKISH!** Ricky and Zoro leapt from the Swanda to Hina's battleship and were quickly followed by Ricky's five students, **SKI-SKI-SKI-SKI-SKISH! **"ATTACK!"

And like that, the fight was on: Hina and her seven battleships worth of Marines versus Ricky, Zoro, five dugongs, and Bon Kurei and all his men.

**-x-**

**BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! **Off in distance, the remaining Straw Hats watched from the deck of the Going Merry as Hina's battalion of battleships opened fire on the Swanda and skewered the swan-shaped ship with a volley of iron spears.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Chopper asked.

"Back at Whisky Peak Zoro took on a hundred bounty hunters by himself," Usopp informed him. "With Ricky and the others helping them it'll be no problem."

"If feel sorry for the Marines," Sanji confessed. "Those two were extra restless when they couldn't do anything while we were being attacked. The only problem we'll have to worry about is Mosshead's shitty sense of direction keeping them from catching up with us."

"But even then he's got Ricky there to help him," Nami reasoned. "They'll be able to catch up."

"RIGHT!" Luffy agreed. "FULL SPEED AHEAD! LET'S GO GET VIVI!"

**-x-**

**Vivi's Adventure:**

**-x-**

"JUU!" five brown blurs rocketed across the deck of Hina's ship at such an incredible speed that the Marines didn't even have a chance to dodge before the seal-shaped missiles slammed head-first into them. **WHA-WHA-WHOMP! **The marines went flying and crashed down to the deck in an unmoving heap.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" one of the other marines exclaimed. "Kung Fu Dugongs aren't supposed to be this strong! They're almost keeping up with One Eye and the Pirate Hunter! THEY'RE MON—"** WHOMP! **The marine was silenced when Doug the Dugong whipped his tail around into the marine's face and knocked him to the ground. **THUD!**

"Hey Ricky!" Zoro called out. "Check out this technique I learned while facing that Mr. 1 guy." Zoro raced towards a crowd of marines and swung all three of his swords in a circle. "Three Sword Style: ONE HUNDRED EIGHT CALIBER PHOENIX!" **SLA-SLA-SLISH! **Zoro sent three circular air blades flying at the crowd of marines. **BOOOM! **The marines were all blasted backwards by the cannon-like blast and went crashing through the wall behind them. **WHAM!**

"Impressive," Ricky remarked, he spun around and raced at another group of marines. "Red Storm… HURRICANE!" **SLA-SLISH! **A spiral-shaped blade of red-tinted air rushed at the marines. But instead of blasting them backwards like Zoro's attack, Ricky's air blade slashed them all as it went passed and sent them crashing to the ground in a heap. **FWUMP! **Ricky turned to face Zoro, "But I thought you said you learned how to cut steel."

"I did," Zoro replied. "He turned to face the three cannon turrets of the battleship and closed his eyes. "I can sense the rhythm in that steel." **SKISH! **Zoro lunged at the cannon and slashed all three of his swords, "DEMON SLICE!" **SLA-SLASH! **Zoro's three swords sliced through the steel and the cannon barrels broke into pieces. **KRASH!**

"Now _that _was cool," Ricky insisted. He raced at the main mast and slashed his sword. "Red Blade… EXPLOSION!" **KA-BOOOOOOM! **A huge chunk was blasted out of the mast and it started falling backwards. "Tiimbeer!" **Krek… krek… **The mast toppled over and crushed the main cabin that had been behind it. **KER-RASH! **

"Jun was nice enough to allow me to borrow some more blood before I left," Ricky stated before he turned to face Zoro. "I bet old mono-brow was freaked when you cut him."

"Heh heh," Zoro chuckled. "He asked if I planned to cut diamond next."

"You interested?" Ricky inquired. "I know a guy."

After seeing the master's success using his sword one of the Kung Fu Dugongs tried to pick up the sword that had been dropped by the marine it had just knocked out. **KLAK! **But the sword clattered to the ground due to the Dugong's lack of thumbs and left it at the mercy of an armed marine.

"Javelin KICK!" **CRUNCH! **Ricky came out of nowhere and drove his foot into the marine's jaw and knocked him out cold.

"JUU!" the dugong cried and bowed to its master.

"Stick to unarmed combat," Ricky instructed. "You don't have the thumbs needed to wield a sword properly. Actually… you don't have _any _fingers."

The dugong glanced over at Zoro then picked the sword up using its teeth. "Juu?"

Ricky sweat-dropped, "Well if you're so insistent…" **THWAK! **Ricky paused to knock out the marine charging him from behind. "…go ask him to teach you a few things."

"Aff!" the dugong barked as it bounded over to Zoro.

"A seal using a sword, that'll be a sight to see," Ricky commented.

"**Hina's not amused."**

Ricky turned around and found Marine Captain 'Black Cage' Hina standing behind him. Ricky reached down and nicked the marine lying at his feet with his sword then sheathed his red blade as it absorbed the blood.

"'One Eye' Ricky, First Mate of the Straw Hat Pirates:" Hina recited, "Formerly known as the Jack of Spades of the Spade Pirates and a former member of the Division Two of the Whitebeard Pirates. Due to your past ties and known accomplishments of tricking former Warlord Sir Crocodile, and defeating 'One Two' Jango, 'Saw Tooth' Arlong, and 'Demon Child' Nico Robin the World Government has given you a bounty of eighty million berries. By the authority of –"

"My bounty went up to eighty million?" Ricky questioned. "Cool, it quadrupled. And do I need to point out that one of those three fugitives currently serves under you… and that the other is twenty-eight and is no longer considered a child?"

"Don't interrupt me," Hina scolded him. "Jango was cleared of all charges. By the authority of the World Gov—"

"Hey Zoro!" Ricky called across the deck. "Listen to this! She's got our rap sheets memorized!"

"Really?" Zoro asked as he came over and left the dugong to finish the few remaining marines.

"Do him next," Ricky requested.

"Hina's humoring you," Hina stated.

"What's with the third person?" Zoro whispered.

"No idea," Ricky replied. "She probably never learned to talk properly. The Marines will take anybody who'll follow orders without a thought."

Hina gritted her teeth in annoyance. "I know what you're doing. You're trying to make me angry so I'll attack without thinking. Hina won't fall for it."

"Wow, a marine with common sense," Zoro noted, "That's rare." Ricky nodded in agreement.

Hina's ire was now transferred to Zoro, "'Pirate Hunter' Roronoa Zoro, member of the Straw Hat Pirates: known for defeating one hundred bounty hunters at Whisky Peak as well as the invincible assassin Daz Bones. The World Government has placed a bounty on your head worth sixty million berries."

"Heh heh," Zoro chuckled, "That beats your first bounty _One Eye_."

"Just remember, mine's still higher than yours," Ricky countered.

"By the authority of the World Government, you're both under arrest," Hina concluded.

"Of course we fully plan to resist you," Ricky reminded her.

"Hina was expecting that," Hina stated. She rushed at Ricky and Zoro while they slipped into fighting stances.

"**HEY WAIT A MINUTE!" **Bon Kurei – who had been standing on the deck of the Swanda surrounded by the countless marines that had breached his ship from the other battleships – suddenly leapt from the Swanda onto Hina's decimated battleship. **SKISH! **Bon Kurei landed in between the pirates and the marine and turned to face Captain Hina, "THIS ONE'S MINE!"

"Fine," Hina said, "I'll arrest you first, then I'll deal with those two." Hina changed her stance slightly and prepared to fight the Okama, "Hina's ready."

Bon Kurei lunged at Hina and lashed out his leg. "SWAN ARABASQUE!" **THWAK! **Hina brought her leg up to intercept Bon Kurei's powerful kick. Ricky, Zoro, and especially Bon Kurei were all shocked when the Okama's leg went THROUGH Hina's leg. It came out the other side wrapped in a purple ring that was the same color as Hina's pants. The ring remained attached to Hina's leg and no matter how much Bon Kurei kicked his leg he couldn't it free. "WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?"

"I ate the Cage Cage Fruit," Hina answered. "I use my body to trap criminals like you in iron cages. Now I've got you and you're not going anywhere." Hina started spinning and Bon Kurei was forced to spin with her as his trapped leg was pulled along with hers.

"Quarterstaff… SWEEP!" **THWAK! **Ricky came from behind and swept Hina's other leg out from under her using the bottom of his boot. **WHUMP! **Hina went crashing to the ground and pulled Bon Kurei down with her. **Whomp! **Ricky stood up straight and pressed the Sea Stone bottom of his boot down into Hina's stomach. "Looks like _Ricky's _got you."

Hina glared at Ricky as she was rendered powerless by the Sea Stone and her captive came free.

"HEEEY!" Bon Kurei complained. "I said she was mine!"

"And I never agreed to it," Ricky pointed out. "You just jumped in. Besides, it didn't look like you were going to win that fight."

"Oh, I suppose you're right," Bon Kurei admitted. **SWISH! **He touched his face and suddenly Nami was standing in his place with a grateful smile on her face. "Thanks for saving me!"

"How 'bout you never do that again?" Ricky requested. "Nami hates it when you wear her body and it creeps me out too."

"That's even scarier than regular Nami," Zoro added. "Find some other girl to copy."

**SWISH! **Bon Kurei was back, "Some other girl?" he repeated. Then his eyes fell on Hina. He bent down and touched the helpless Marine Captain's face with his right hand then touched his own. **SWISH! **There was suddenly two Hinas on the deck. One on the ground still trapped under Ricky's Sea Stone boot and the other standing next to Zoro wearing a swan-themed ballet costume. "Hina thanks you for saving her."

"Hina's…" the real Hina started to say.

"…humiliated?" Ricky finished for her. "Yeah, I gathered. Be grateful he kept his clothes on. I warned you to back down… any Marines that come after me and my crew are gonna end up with egg on their faces. You learned that first hand." Ricky turned to Zoro and the Hina standing next to him. "Get me some rope, we'll see how she likes being bound."

A moment later, 'Black Cage' Hina tied up among her ship of unconscious men. Ricky, Zoro, Bon Kurei (in his real form) and the Dugong stood over them.

"I think we've caused these Marines enough trouble," Zoro resolved. "We have the others a big head start. If we don't leave soon we'll never catch up."

"Right," Ricky agreed then he looked back at Bon Kurei. "With their Captain disabled you and your men should be able to give the rest of the Marines the slip. We're Straw Hats, we always ensure that our friends are safe. I might have doubted it before but there's no doubt now: you'll always be a friend to the Straw Hats. Get going. We'll make sure the Marines don't follow you."

Bon Kurei swan-saluted the two pirates, "I know we'll meet again someday," he proclaimed. "And when we do it will be as trusted allies and valued friends. Goodbye for now, my friends!" **SKISH! **The Okama leapt from Hina's totaled battleship back to the Swanda.

"So… how're we gonna stop the other s hips from chasing them?" Zoro asked.

Ricky looked down at the five dugongs, "Ever been surfing before?"

**-x-**

**SPLOOOSH! **A soaking wet Ricky and Zoro surfed up to the Going Merry on the back of two dugongs. The other three followed in their wake.

"Looks like they pulled the spears out," Ricky noted. The Going Merry was riddled with holes that had been patched up from the inside. They reached the ship and jumped up onto the railing. **SKISH!**

"RICKY AND ZORO ARE BACK!" Chopper cheered. "Are you guys okay?"

"Fine, fine," Ricky assured him, "Its those marines you should be worried about."

"We took out the Captain's ship," Zoro reported, "And then stuck around long enough to ensure that Swan-boy got away safely."

"How much time to you think you bought us?" Sanji asked.

"About an hour's head start," Ricky answered. "How long until we get to the meeting point on the shore?"

"Not for another two hours." Nami reported.

"JUU!" **SPLOOSH! **The five dugongs jumped onto the railing and joined them on the Going Merry.

Ricky turned and addressed his students, "You all fought bravely, I'm proud to call each of you my students. In fact, I think it's time to name the rest of you." Ricky looked over at Zoro, "You taught one of them how to use a sword, right? You wanna name that one?"

"Uh... maybe," Zoro replied. "I've never named a seal before."

"Well I'll get started," Ricky resolved, "You're Diego, you're Derrick, and you're Davey."

"Good grief," Nami complained.

"Arf!" 'Derrick' barked.

"She says 'I'm a girl'," Chopper translated causing Ricky's eye to widen.

"Oh... alright, I'll call you Debra then," he decided.

"Juu!" 'Debra cooed and nodded.

"Hmm... I guess I'll call mine..." Zoro glanced over at Nami. "Daniel."

"Are you _trying_ to piss me off?" Nami growled.

"Yes," Zoro admitted. "But I figured I wanted to fit the naming scheme."

"The five of you will henceforth be known as... the D Squad," Ricky announced. "You've all come far but this is where we part ways."

"JUUUUU!" the dugongs whined.

"No, we can't take you with us," Ricky replied. "Think of how strong you've all gotten from just a few days of training. If you keep that up there'll be nothing in all of Alabasta you can't beat. You need to do the responsible thing and pledge your strength to your homeland. So I'm afraid this is where we part ways."

"ARF!" the D Squad chorused before they bowed to Ricky.

"BYE TURTLES!" Luffy called out.

"Luffy, they're not even wearing shells anymore," Usopp pointed out.

"Uh... take care," Zoro advised.

"We'll meet again some day," Ricky assured his students. "And when that day comes I want you to impress me with how strong you've become."

"JUUU!" the dugongs chorused and saluted. Then they turned and dove into the water. **SPLA-SPLOOSH!**

"Hopefully they don't gain more students," Nami said, "Otherwise you're gonna run out of d-names real quick."

"But you should've seen those little guys take on the marines," Ricky told her.

"Heh heh," Zoro chuckled, "The poor bastards thought they were monsters."

"LET'S GO GET VIVI!" Luffy shouted. "Ricky and Zoro are back! FULL SPEED AHEAD!"

**-x-**

Back at the palace, Igaram thought of Vivi and the crazy plan she had concocted. Thinking of that made him think of another crazy plan that had ultimately led up to this one.

**-Igaram's Flashback-**

"We mean we don't know who the ringleader is?" Vivi asked four years ago.

"Right," Igaram answered. "It's an underground organization. Even its members know absolutely nothing about the identity of their boss."

"So… this country's enemy has no name," Vivi realized.

"It's impossible for us to gather information on them from the outside," Igaram told her. "Further investigation might put the country at risk."

"But we do have a lead," Vivi reminded him. "Isn't that correct?"

"Yes," Igaram admitted.

The Princess leaned forward. Her expression showed that she had crazy idea. And just the thought of the crazy idea made Igaram flinch.

"Igaram… do you know what I'm thinking right now?" Vivi questioned.

"N-NO!" Igaram stammered as struggled to back away from the Princess. "I-I don't! Leave me be! I have to go back to my work!"

"Igaram!" Vivi exclaimed.

"NO! STOP IT!" Igaram shouted. "THIS ISN'T A GAME!"

"All the more reason to be honest with me!" Vivi argued. "I CAN'T SIT AROUND AND DO NOTHING!" In the end, Igaram had caved to the fourteen year old Princess' determination.

"Then Vivi… let me ask you just one question: are you prepared to live at all costs?"

The crazy plan let to the two of them infiltrating Baroque Works and working their way up the ranks until they became Officer Agents and finally managed to learn the boss' identity.

**-End Flashback-**

The Princess emerged from the palace and walked passed the guards that were lining the red carpet. She eventually came to the decorative balcony that overlooked the square from high overhead.

"LOOK! IT'S VIVI!" one of the civilians down in the square exclaimed. "SHE'S A VISION!"

"WE LOVE YOU!" a woman shouted.

"SHE'S ALL GROWN UP!"

"PRIIINCEEEESSS!"

The clocktower that overlooked the Alubarna square showed that it was nearly noon when Vivi took hold of the receiver of the transponder snail next to her and began her speech.

"_**It all started on that day… I went on a little adventure…" **_The transponder snail and the amplifiers spread Vivi's voice all around the Kingdom.

**-Nanohana-**

"Princess Viv's speech has started!" a man called out as everyone gathered around the tower that had been set up. The town was still under repairs but right now the reconstruction was on pause as everyone stared up at the snail and the speakers it was attached to. "Hurry up!"

"I've been waiting so long!" a woman gushed.

"I know!" another woman agreed. "It's so exciting!"

**-Rain Base-**

"The ceremony in Alubarna is finally started!" a man announced.

"It was delayed by two hours," another man added. "What happened?"

Everyone was so caught up with the Princess' speech that they didn't notice the bespectacled man with his black haired styled to look like a wick-like three.

**-Royal Palace-**

King Cobra sat in his library with Mana and Ayako as they listened to the speech.

"I can only hope it won't cause a commotion," Cobra commented.

"Of course it will," Mana replied.

"But Vivi thought it was well worth the risk," Ayako added.

**-Yuba-**

"COME AND LISTEN KOZA!" Toto shouted in the window of an inn where Koza was resting. Now that the drought was over, the Yuba Oasis was once again abuzz with people. Currently, everyone was gathered in the middle of town to listen to the speech. "HEY! COME ON! VIVI'S SPEECH HAS ALREADY STARTED!"

"The amplifiers and cranked all the way up," Koza replied as he laid back with his arms folded behind his head. "I could be underground and still hear every word ."

**-x-**

"_**A journey to cross the dark sea,"**_ Vivi continued. _**"But what I found was a grand adventure. The sheer vastness of the ocean was overwhelming. And it brought me to a series of islands so unbelievable… they defied imagination with such wondrous environments inhabited by strange creatures."**_

Vivi's speech echoed across the Kingdom and the citizens all listened enamored at the Princess' words. _**"At times, the melody of the waves was quiet, swaying gently as if easing my soul. And there were other times when the melody was violently laughing at me, as if threatening to rip my very heart in two." **_

"_**In that dark, dark storm I encountered a single, small ship,"**_ Vivi said as she thought of the Going Merry – whose crew was still racing towards the eastern meeting place. _**"The ship spoke to me while pushing me onward. It said with a clear singular voice 'Can't you see the light?' This wondrous ship which never strayed off course, even through pitch black darkness, danced its way across the huge waves. The mighty ship kept its stem pointed straight ahead. Thwarting every obstacle the ocean could throw at it. Finally, as the ship roused my spirits it said 'Look, there is a light'." **_

Vivi paused again and thought of the friends she'd made on her journey. _**"History will one day catalogue this experience as an illusion. But… I will always remember it as a singular truth."**_

"What's she talking about?" one of the civilians wondered.

"The secret battle she fought against that group of criminals," a man answered.

"_**And…"**_ Vivi started to continue. But she trailed off and smiled when she spotted something.

**-x-**

"Vivi…" Chopper whispered as he and Luffy hung on the railing of the Going Merry. They could even hear her speech off the shore.

"Forget about it," Zoro advised. He and Ricky had come back ago by surfing on the backs of the dugongs. "You heard the speech. That was Vivi's voice without a doubt."

"They're just broadcasting the ceremony that's in Alubarna," Sanji reasoned. "Vivi's already made up her mind not to come here."

"…" Ricky placed his hand on Nami's shoulder as the two of them sat silently on the steps leading up to the rear deck. Usopp sat above them on the top step.

"No!" Luffy spoke up. "I don't buy it. I say she's here. This is the place we were supposed to meet her, right?"

"Yeah, that's it," Zoro confirmed.

"Let's go," Sanji resolved. "It's past noon."

"There's no way she wouldn't have come!" Luffy insisted. "She's definitely here! Let's get out and look for her!"

Usopp suddenly stood up and stared off the side of the ship in alarm. "THIS IS BAD GUYS!" the sniper exclaimed. "The Marines are after us again!"

"How many ships do they have?" Ricky inquired.

"They're down to three," Usopp reported.

Ricky and Zoro shared a grin, "I think its safe to say we made a dent," Ricky remarked.

"We've still gotta move," Zoro decided.

"Give it up Luffy," Sanji advised the Captain who was still leaning despondently on the railing. "Vivi's course is on a route far different from ours."

Luffy's eyes narrowed. He didn't like that. He didn't like the thought that their friend had decided not to join them.

**-Alubarna Square-**

Down in the square, the citizens suddenly realized that something was amiss.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" a man demanded. The people started throwing things at the palace.

"SHOW YOUR FACE!" another man shouted. "WE KNOW YOU'RE AN IMPOSTER!"

"Should we stop them, Captain?" Jun inquired as he stood at the head of line of guards.

"Maa… maaa… maaaa… No, no need for that," 'Princess Vivi' replied.

"IT'S IGARAM!"

The Captain of the Royal Guard was once again dressed as Vivi. This time the large man wore a similar gown to Vivi's with similar looking accessories. He wore red lipstick and a long blue wig and had a hood obscuring the top half of his head.

"We heard her voice!" a civilian exclaimed. "If she's not here then where the heck is the Princess speaking from?"

"At least Vivi is safe," Igaram resolved. **WHING! **A plaid bag whizzed passed his head but he was then clocked by a tiny barrel thrown by an angry citizen. **KONK! **"They can throw far."

**-x-**

"**EVERYONE!" **a familiar voice yelled out to the Going Merry from the shore.

Luffy turned around and there she was. Vivi was standing on the shore still in her formal gown. Carue stood next to her with a transponder snail on his head.

"VIIIVIII!" Luffy shouted. "SHISHISHI!"

"CARUE!" Usopp cheered.

The Princess and the duck waved to the pirates from the sandy shore.

"Vivi!" Nami exclaimed as she shot up and joined Luffy and Usopp by the rear railing.

"See? She came!" Luffy pointed out.

"MIIIISS. VIIIIVIIIII!" Sanji swooned.

"We need to go back!" Usopp realized, "Better hurry!"

"The Marines are right behind us too," Chopper added as he stuck his head through the bars of the railing and waved both hooves at Vivi. "We've gotta go fast!"

"I CAME TO SAY GOODBYE!" Vivi called out to them.

"Shishi… huh?" Luffy's laughter trailed off. "What'd she say?"

"Carue, handset," Vivi instructed.

"Quack," Carue quacked as Vivi took the receiver off of the transponder snail.

"_**Sorry!"**_Vivi spoke into the snail. Her apologize was broadcasted all across the kingdom, but more importantly was heard by the Straw Hats off the shore. _**"But I can't go with you. Thank you so much for everything."**_

"Who's the Princess talking to?" a civilian wondered.

"No way!" one of the marines on the three remaining ships gasped as he stared through a pair of binoculars at the eastern shore. "I think I just spotted Princess Vivi! She's supposed to be at the ceremony in Alubarna."

"_**I'd like to go on more adventures,"**_ Vivi continued. _**"But I can't ignore the needs of my country which I love more than anything. I have to stay. I hope you understand."**_

"I see," Luffy said. Now at least he had an explanation.

"_**Thank you,"**_Vivi's reply was carried across the kingdom.

"_Our sign needs to be an 'x'," Luffy insisted as they enacted Zoro's plan to tattoo a symbol on their arm so Mr. 2 couldn't copy them._

"_How come?" Nami asked._

"_We're pirates!" Luffy answered._

"_You know that its literal translation means death to one's opponents, right?" Usopp inquired._

"_That's fine," Luffy replied. "It must be an 'x'! It looks cool! Right, Vivi?"_

"_Yeah, I like it," Vivi agreed._

"_It doesn't matter what it is," Zoro complained. "That's not the point!"_

"_Hey, if we're all gonna tattoo the same thing on our arms I think we should at least agree on what it is," Ricky reasoned._

Tears leaked out of Vivi's eyes and ran down her cheeks as she resolved herself to bidding farewell to her friends.

"_**I will… I…" **_Vivi cried into the snail. _**"I will remain here and fulfill my duty."**_

"_This'll do," Luffy decided as he showed off the 'x' tattoo on his left forearm. They all quickly tied a bandage of their uniform tattoo then stood together in a circle on the deck. _

"_**If we ever meet again, no matter how much time has passed… will you still call me 'friend'?"**_

"Did you hear that?" Hina's lookout marine called down from the crow's nest. "The Princess has some kind of bond with the Straw Hats!"

"Yeah," another marine replied, "Princess Vivi considers those pirates her friends?"

Luffy smiled and shouted, "YOU'LL FOREVER BE—" **WHAM! **He was cut off when Nami clamped a hand over his mouth and drove him down to the deck.

"IDIOT!" Nami snapped. "Don't reply, got it? The Marines now know about Vivi and us. If they can prove that she has a connection to us… it's all over. She'll be considered a criminal." Nami stood up and turned away from the rear railing and the shore. "Turn away, not another word."

Luffy stood up and stared down at his left forearm.

Back on the shore, tears were streaming down Vivi's face as she watched her friends sail off without replying.

"Qua…" Carue suddenly quacked.

Vivi stared through her tears and saw Zoro, Chopper, Usopp, Luffy, Ricky, Nami, and Sanji all standing on the rear deck facing away from her and the rear railing. But their left arms were all raised up in the air proudly displaying the 'x' shaped tattoo that was on all of their forearms.

Vivi's tears stopped and a smile lit up her face. She and Carue thrust their left arm and wing up into the air and displayed their own tattoos to their departing friends.

"_No matter what happens on that island, remember: this thing on all our arms is a sign of our friendship."_

And so the Straw Hats sailed away from Alabasta with three marine ships chasing after them. The people they met and the country itself will be forever changed due to the lasting impact of the Straw Hats Pirates.

**-x-**

Sixty-four down, one more to go. In the final chapter, the Straw Hats leave Alabasta behind and then have to deal with a stowaway.

'Till Next Time…

Peace!


	65. Chapter 65

**Another Nakama II**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any of the characters. I just own Ricky and the other OC's I've written into this alteration of the story.

**Closure:**

**-x-**

Off the coast of Sandy Island, Black Cage Hina and the remains of her crew were recovering while the three remaining battleships under Hina's command chased after the Straw Hats. But even Hina knew now that catching the Straw Hats was a moot point. The hard blow dealt to her forces by 'One Eye' Ricky, 'Pirate Hunter' Roronoa Zoro, those monster seals, and the Okama ad his men would take a while for her to recover from. The worst part that she didn't have anything to show for it.

"That's right," Hina confessed over her transponder snail as she smoked a bitter tasting cigarette. "I didn't even manage to catch that Bon Kurei character's ship. Hina's disappointed."

"_**So you let them escape,"**_ the familiar voice of Commodore Smoker came over the snail.

"I had the Swan ship caught," Hina recounted. "But the Straw Hats that my lookout thought he saw were imposters. At first I thought that it was just a simple trick… but then two of the imposters turned out to be One Eye and the Pirate Hunter."

"_**They're a sneaky pair," **_Smoker remarked. _**"Back at Loguetown the two of them snuck right into our Marine Base and snuck back out just as easily."**_

"Yes, well, those two boarded my ships and laid waste to it and my Marines," Hina continued. "One Eye cut down my main mast and the Pirate Hunter cut up my cannons. One Eye had a group of Kung Fu Dugongs with him, the five of them took out about as many of my men as the two pirates."

"_**Your trained men lost to a bunch of **_**seals**_**?" **_Smoker questioned.

"They were well trained," Hina told him. "Their strength and speed was too much for my men to contend with. I tried to capture the two pirates myself but then that Bon Kurei character got involved. He insisted that I fight him but when I had him caught One Eye got involved. Did you know that he's in possession of Sea Stone?"

"_**He probably got it from Crocodile," **_Smoker reasoned. _**"That traitor had an entire cell made out of the stuff. One Eye out maneuvered Crocodile and orchestrated a jail break but then stayed behind while the rest of us escaped… that's probably when he got it."**_

"And that's not the worst part," Hina added. "One Eye, the Pirate Hunter, and his monster dugongs stuck around so Bon Kurei and his men could escape. Those two rode on the backs of two of the dugongs and sank _five _of my ships from the water before riding off after the other Straw Hats who had long since gotten away. Hina's failed."

"_**Running away is what those Straw Hats are best at," **_Smoker remarked. _**"And they never look back to see the damage they've left in their way."**_

"_**And let me guess..." **_a new but still familiar voice chimed in. _**"One Eye did it all with condescending casualness that made you doubt all your years of training and feel like an insignificant pest that had merely gotten in his way."**_

"That would be correct Lieutenant Commander," Hina replied.

"_**I hope my new arm comes with a built-in laser cannon or something," **_Devo stated, _**"because with the way One Eye and those other Straw Hats are getting stronger with each passing day… it'll take some incredibly advanced weaponry to take them down."**_

"That still might not be enough," Hina retorted. "Hina's angry."

"_**Angry at your own incompetence?"**_ Smoker teased her.

"No, that's not it," Hina answered.

"**MISS HINA!" **an annoying voice called out. **"WE'RE BACK!"**

"**Thank you for stopping for us!" **another one gushed.

Hina glanced over at Fullboy and Jango who were staring at her adoringly. She hadn't stopped for those two buffoons. With the exception of three ships, her entire fleet had been destroyed. She disregarded them and turned her attention back to her snail-called.

"I'm mad at _you_ Smoker," Hina explained. "Hina's mad."

"…" Smoker was silent for a moment before finally asking, _**"Care to elaborate on that?"**_

"It's just that… you actually seem to be happy," Hina commented, "About the Straw Hats getting away."

"_**Hm? Me?" **_Smoker questioned. _**"Why would I be?"**_

"Who knows," Hina eventually said.

**-x-**

Back in Alubarna, King Cobra was giving his own speech to the Kingdom, although his speech was a lot more casual than his daughter's. _**"At which point my dearest Vivi said to me in a very formal manner 'I have something important to talk to you about, daddy – I mean **_**father**_**'. At that moment I remember thinking to myself 'King of no, it makes no difference, no man gives up the title 'daddy'." **_The people gathered in the square laughed at the royal father's comments.

"Watching children grow is a bittersweet experience," King Cobra continued from up on the balcony overlooking the square. Igaram stood beside him and had taken off the blue wig but was still wearing the formal gown.

"Is this really who we work for?" Jun asked Chaka as they stood further behind the King and the Captain of the Royal Guard, "A father and a cross-dresser?"

"King Nefertari Cobra may seem like just a caring father," Chaka stated, "but he's as wise as they come in matters both personal and political. And Captain Igaram may look foolish dressed like that, but it just shows that he'll do absolutely anything to protect the Princess. With Princess Vivi's natural caring and concern for the citizens thrown in, you couldn't ask for better leaders."

"I see I still have a lot to learn," Jun realized.

**-x-**

"WOOOOO!" Mana cheered as she and Ayako rode and Pell's back as he soared over the Kingdom in his falcon form.

"By flying this fast, this high we'll be there in no time," Pell assured them.

"We're going too fast…" Ayako whimpered as she held onto the blonde from behind as if her life depended on it. "I'm gonna be sick…"

"Better not do that from all the way up here," Mana chided her. "You never know what we're flying over from this high up. Pretend you're somewhere else."

"I'm at home in bed… I'm at home in bed…" Ayako whimpered as she buried her face in Mana's back.

**-x-**

**BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!** The three battleships fired their cannons from behind the Going Merry.

"Mine!" Sanji called out. He leapt off of the rear railing that he been standing on with Ricky and Zoro and kicked one of the approaching cannonballs in midair. **THWAK!** The cannonball flew backwards and smashed into one of the others. **KA-BOOOOM! **"Ha! That's nine Mosshead!"

"Just wait 'til they fire the next round, eyebrow!" Zoro vowed as he gripped his swords. "You're only one ball ahead!" Zoro looked over at Ricky and grinned, "And you still only got that first one! You're falling way behind."

"Yeah," Ricky agreed. "Looks like I'm no match for you guys." He stood casually between his competitive Nakama with his hands in his pockets and sly grin on his face.

"HEY!" Luffy exclaimed as he ran over. "I WANNA PLAY TOO!"

**-x-**

"DAMN IT!" the lead marine shouted. "THEY'RE NOT EVEN TAKING US SERIOUSLY! FIRE AGAIN!" **KA-BOOOM-BOOOM-BOOOM!**

**-x-**

Back on the shore, Vivi and Carue watched silently as their friends and the ships chasing them disappeared over the horizon.

**-x-**

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Toto's laughter rang out over the crowded streets of Yuba.

"What's so funny, Toto?" someone asked. "You've been laughing ever since the speech."

"Yeah, let us in on the joke old man," Koza requested. "Cause right now we're in the dark."

"Haha! It's a secret!" Toto chuckled in reply. "But trust me guys, it's a good one!"

"Uggh… you're not making any sense," Koza commented.

Toto smiled and looked up at the sky. "NOW HAVE A GOOD JOURNEY, LUFFY! YOU'RE WELCOME TO DRINK YUBA'S WATER ANY TIME!"

"Huh?" the confused civilians said to themselves as Toto started laughing again.

Koza smiled and watched his cheerful father from a nearby window.

"Alright, that's enough jawing!" Toto announced, "There's work to be done! Dig the well! Dig!"

**-x-**

"Waaaaahh!" a young girl cried outside of Edo.

"YOU STUPID BIRD!" a boy shouted as three Warusagi flew off. One of them was holding the pink bag they'd stolen.

Camu and his men came running up to the children ready to do their duty and protect the citizens of Edo. The third child in the group turn to them, "They took the satchel!"

**-x-**

**SKUUUSSSHHH! **The Barbar Sand Pirates' ship sped across the sand while Zaba and Rasa raced alongside it on a sand sled.

"HEEEEYYYY!" Barbarossa shouted when he came out of his cabin and found the same three Warusagi drinking barrels of rum on the deck of his ship. The Captain jumped the railing and ran at the birds.

"CAW! CAW!" the three heron took to the sky with one of them still clutching the pink bag.

Barbarossa grabbed one of the now empty rum barrels and threw it after the thieving birds. "RAAAAAH!" **WHING! **

"CAAAAW!" one heron squawked and dropped the bag so it could dodge the barrel.

**SKIIIISSSHH!** The sand sled skidded to a stop and Rasa got off and picked up the dropped bag. She glanced over the sand dunes and spotted the desert city of Edo off in a distance.

**-x-**

"JUU!" a Kung Fu Dugong cried out as it threw a punch.

"JUUU!" chorused Luffy's army of Dugong as they mimicked it.

**-x-**

**SPLIISH! "JUU!"** Doug called out as he and the rest of the D Squad got out of the water and onto the shore. All five of them were wearing huge turtle shells that were as big as they were.

"Juhh…" Daniel the Dugong mumbled around the sword he was still holding in his mouth.

**-x-**

"Does anyone have a clue who Princess Vivi was talking to?" a civilian in Nanohana wondered.

"Nah, but who really cares anyway?" another civilian replied. "What she said makes us happy."

"And it's our duty to respond to it," a woman stated.

**-x-**

Out in the Sandora Desert, Scissors the Crab found himself facing a big purple Sandora Dragon.

**SKUUUSSSHH! **A second Sandora Dragon came out of the sand behind the now terrified crab.

**SKISH!** Scissors sank back into the sand and tunneled away from the pair of predators. **SHOOOM!**

**-x-**

"As expected, Alubarna seems to be in bad shape," a man commented in Rain Base outside the Rain Dinners casino.

"Perfect," another man replied. "We should go there."

The men were part of a large group that had numerous wagons and carts loaded up with supplies.

"We also have to restore Yuba as quickly as possible," the first man added. "It's an important crossroad in the west."

"And don't forget," the second man commented, "we still need to repair all the canals along the Sandora River."

"What about the casino?" the first man wondered as he eyed the now unowned casino with the bananawani on top.

"It'll be closed," the second man decided. "Come on, let's get going."

**-x-**

"There it is," Pell announced then he dove. **SHOOOO! **He landed lightly in the badlands outside the Spider's Café.

Ayako immediately rolled off his back and threw up in the sand. "Uugghhh…" she groaned.

Mana climbed off of Pell's back then knelt beside the girl and pulled her hair back so she didn't get anything on it. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"I should be alright… now that we've stopped moving…" Ayako wheezed. "Ever since I was little… I'd get really bad motion sickness when I moved too fast… so I sat down and started painting… by the time I discovered my hypnotic abilities… staying in one place and not moving had become a bad habit…"

"Well thanks for toughing it out and coming here with me," Mana replied. Ayako nodded.

"So this is the place," Pell commented as he surveyed the small café.

"Obviously, it still needs some work," Mana admitted. "I'll need to renovate the kitchen so I have the proper facilities then I'll send out for the necessary equipment so I can start production. I don't expect too many people to come this far just to get some chocolate so I'll start by running the business as a delivery service. I'll start promoting the place by selling in the major cities."

"I can help you with advertising and decorating…" Ayako offered as she shakily stood up. "This place looks kind of run down. It could use a good paint job. And I could help you create a soon-to-be famous logo and advertisements… And I'm pretty good at crunching numbers so I could take care of your finances…"

"You'd do all that for me?" Mana asked.

"Well… I wanna earn my keep," Ayako told her. "I know I'd get annoying if all I did was sit around and paint."

"Speaking of painting," Mana said, "Do you think Usopp will like your present?"

"I hope so," Ayako replied with a faint blush.

"I know the men leading the reconstruction effort," Pell informed them. "Once you have a plan for your new kitchen I could contact some of them for you."

"Go inside and I'll make you something to eat," Mana ordered him.

"I wouldn't want to impose," Pell protested.

"You flew us all the way out here," Mana argued. "It's the least I can do."

"If you insist," Pell conceded.

Ayako smiled at Mana as they followed Pell into the café, "Just think… today's the first day of the rest of our lives…"

**-x-**

**BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! **The three battleships fired off another volley of cannonballs as they began closing in on the Going Merry.

"It looks like they're gaining on us!" Ricky warned the others as the stood by the railing on the rear deck.

"Whoa, those Marine are fast!" Luffy exclaimed down on the main deck.

"Or rather we're beginning to slow down!" Sanji realized.

"We're not gonna make it much further like this," Nami pointed out. "Water's flooding in from the holes!"

**TONK! TONK! **Down in the men's quarters, Usopp was attempting to nail a board over one of the holes that had been left in the side of the Going Merry by one of the iron spears from earlier.

"Hey Chopper, I need more panels!" Usopp requested. "We'll be in big trouble if we have to…" The marksman trailed off when he saw Chopper float by. The reindeer was in his Heavy Point form but was unconscious due to making contact with the rising water. "CHOPPER!"

The distance between the Going Merry and the three battleships had been cut in half. The Marines were right on top of them.

"Here they come," Zoro noted as he grabbed the hilts of his three swords.

"We've gotta fight," Sanji decided.

"Then let's go!" Luffy called out. The Monster Trio prepared to leap into battle… **WHOMP!** …but promptly tripped over the spears that had been piled up on the deck.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" all three of them demanded.

"Oh those?" Nami questioned. "Usopp said to hold onto them in case we needed them for something. Who knows?"

"COME ON!" Zoro snapped.

"THEY'RE IN OUR WAY!" Sanji complained.

"I'll get rid of 'em," Luffy offered.

**-x-**

The lead marine turned and barked orders to the other Marines. "TAKE YOUR POSITIONS! ONCE WE PULL UP! EVERYONE ATTACKS!"

"WAAAAAH!" one of the other Marines suddenly screamed in terror.

The lead Marine turned around and saw that their spears were coming flying back to them.

**SHA-SHA-SHUNK! SHUNK! SHUNK!**

**-x-**

Ricky, Zoro, and Sanji all gaped at the three battleships.

"Ahh," Luffy sighed, "Okay, now we're ready!" Luffy spun around and saw he'd inadvertently turned the battleships into smoking pincushions.

"Now's our chance!" Zoro realized. "Full speed ahead! Shake 'em off!"

"Sanji, fish Chopper out of the water in the men's quarters!" Ricky ordered before running for the anchor room. "I'll get the oars!"

The Going Merry put on a burst of speed. With Luffy and Zoro paddling on one side, Sanji and Chopper paddling on the other, Nami giving the orders to make them paddle in sync, and Ricky and Usopp working to repair the damage below deck the Going Merry raced away from the totaled battleships.

**-x-**

Back on the shore, Vivi got on Carue's back. The Going Merry and the Marine battleships had long since disappeared.

"Now Carue," Vivi addressed her duck as she tied her hair back in a ponytail. "Let's go… to Alubarna!"

"QUUUAAA!" Carue crowed before he took off and started running back home.

"_Although my adventure is over a new challenge awaits:" _Vivi thought to herself as she rode off across the sand, _"…restoring Alabasta. I'll need more courage than I've ever found if I'm to succeed in bringing my homeland to its former glory. This once proud nation is like a battered ship wandering aimlessly at sea. But… I believe no cause is hopeless. Not as long as you give it your all and don't give up! Alabasta may be adrift right now but I know my people… they will face the oncoming waves of fear and uncertainty with bravery! We will never be discouraged. The path ahead, though long and rough, is clear. We will push forward, straight ahead, with confidence and vigor… just like the Going Merry and her crew!"_

"The Straw Hats…" Vivi said to Carue. "We'll see them again someday, won't we?"

"Qua-QUUAAAACK!" Carue heartily agreed. **ZZZZOOOOOOM! **The duck put on another burst of speed that showed why in Alabasta he was known as the Captain of the Supersonic Duck Squadron.

**-x-**

**Stowaway:**

**-x-**

Out at sea, Commodore Smoker sat shirtless in a reclined chair on the front deck of his ship.

Lieutenant Commander Devo sat nearby attempting to clean one of his guns with only one arm. "I'm injured, not helpless," he snapped at the marine that had offered to do it for him.

The cabin door opened and Ensign Tashigi walked out onto the deck.

"Tashigi," Smoker greeted her. "So how are your legs?"

"Oh, they're doing fine," Tashigi replied then whispered, "Change the subject." Devo sat back against the railing scowled down the barrel of the gun he was cleaning.

To both Devo and Tashigi their injuries were signs of their weakness. And while they were healing perfectly well they obviously didn't like talking about them.

Tashigi made her way over to Smoker, who reached out to the table next to him and poured her a cup of coffee.

"Thank you," Tashigi said as she sat down in the empty chair next to her commanding officer. The first thing she noticed were the three wanted posters on the table underneath the coffee pot and cups. "I saw the new bounties on their heads."

"The amount's no surprise considering the catch," Smoker reasoned. "Have you heard what his swordsman buddy did?"

"You mean Roronoa?" Tashigi asked.

"He cut down one hundred bounty hunters in Whisky Peak," Smoker informed her. "And then, in Alubarna, he defeated Daz Bones."

"The assassin?" Tashigi questioned. "No way!"

"He used to be a bounty hunter and was known throughout the West Blue," Smoker explained. "In Baroque Works he went by the alias of 'Mr. 1'."

"I also heard that he ate the Dice Dice Fruit," Devo added, "A Paramecia-type that allows the user to turn any part of his body into a blade. If the Pirate Hunter defeated him, then that means he cut steel to do it. Captain Hina's distressed report confirmed it."

"Considering Crocodile had so many famous warriors at his command you'd think they'd be unstoppable against any opposition," Smoker commented. "However, fate was not kind. One day we'll have a rematch. Damn Straw Hats."

"Yes," Tashigi agreed. "And whether you can cut steel or not, I _will _defeat you Roronoa Zoro._"_

**-x-**

"Looks like the Marines have stopped following us," Zoro observed as he stared off the side of the Going Merry. They'd gotten away and had left the Kingdom of Alabasta behind.

"Uuugghh…" a pitiful groan was his response.

"That's good news!" Zoro tried to cheer up his saddened Nakama. "We shook 'em off."

"Uuugghhh…" they groaned again.

"Stop it!" Zoro complained.

Chopper in his hybrid form, Nami, Sanji, Luffy, and Usopp were lying on the rear deck in front of the galley with their heads stuck through the railing and a depressed expression marring their face.

"What's with the pathetic groans?" Zoro asked.

"WE MISS VIVI!" the five pirates chorused.

"That's enough whining!" Zoro scolded them. He folded his arms across his chest. "If you wanted her to join that bad then you shouldn't have let her leave."

"AH! YOU SAVAGE!" Chopper shrieked.

"BLOCKHEAD!" Nami snapped.

"Mossball…" Sanji mumbled.

"Three-sword-style…" Luffy growled.

"Hey, three-sword-style isn't an insult, Luffy," Usopp reprimanded him.

"Four-sword-style!" Luffy corrected himself.

"It's not the number that's the problem!" Usopp exclaimed. "An effective insult must involve a personal detail about the recipient that's rude or disparaging."

Ricky walked out of the galley with a bottle of rum and took a moment to survey the formerly depressed – now annoyed – pirates.

"Hey Zoro, would you mind checking if our stowaway is alright?" he requested.

"Oh, sure," Zoro agreed. "WAIT! WHAT?"

**Krek!** The storage room door opened. **"I'm alright, thank you Mr. One Eye."**

Zoro spun around and gaped when he saw Nico Robin standing in the opened doorway.

"I see that we finally escaped the firing squad," she noted, "Excellent work."

**KONK! **With the exception of Ricky, other Straw Hats were so shocked to see their former enemy there that they slammed their heads on the railing they were leaning under.

"Here to avenge you friends?" Zoro challenged her as he grabbed the hilt of his sword.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Nami demanded.

"IT'S AN ENEMY ATTACK!" Usopp shouted into a megaphone. "WARNING! WARNING!"

The Straw Hats sprang into action. Zoro drew _Wado Ichimonji_, Nami put together the three pieces of her Clima-Tact, Chopper 'hid' behind Ricky, Usopp dove behind the main mast, Sanji leaned against the railing next to Ricky and gazed the woman with hearts in his eyes. And Luffy just stood there.

"She's… she's that woman from Rain Base," Chopper recalled.

"_Eh-hem," Ms. All Sunday cleared her throat as she stood behind the small reindeer after he'd just successfully blown up the bridge in Rain Base._

_**GULP! **__Chopper slowly looked over his shoulder and saw the tall woman staring down at him with a curious look on her face. "WAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Chopper screamed and dashed off. He quickly transformed into his Walk Point reindeer form and ran away as fast as his four legs could carry him._

"What a beauty!" Sanji swooned.

Suddenly, arms appeared out of nowhere. **KLAK! KLAK!** Zoro's sword and Nami's Clima-Tact clattered to the ground and they were effectively disarmed.

"Didn't I warn you before?" Nico Robin questioned, reminding them of the last time she'd been on their ship. "Don't point such dangerous objects at me. Are you always so slow?"

"How long have you been on our ship?" Nami demanded.

"The whole time," Ricky answered, surprising the others.

"Indeed," Nico Robin agreed.

"YOU KNEW?" Nami snapped at Ricky.

"Yeah, remember when you sent me below deck to fix the holes in your room?" Ricky asked. "Before Zoro and I went off with Bon Kurei?"

**-Ricky's Repair Flashback-**

Ricky descended the steps into the women's quarters with his arms laden with boards and tools intent on repairing any of the damage caused by the spears. But he was surprised to find that someone had beaten him to it.

Nico Robin sat cross-legged on Nami's bed while numerous arms had sprouted out of the walls and were hammering boards into place over the holes that had been made when the spears pierced the bottom of the ship. The inch deep layer of water on the floor told him that the woman was on top of the matter.

"I see you decided to come along after all," Ricky noted drawing Nico Robin's attention away from her book.

"Does your offer still stand?" she inquired. "If not, I'll request that you let me off the next time you make land."

"It does," Ricky assured her.

"In that case I decided to make myself useful," Nico Robin explained. She glanced at the emergency hatch in the wall that connected the women's quarters to the men's quarters. "I took some repair supplies while your… brother… in the other room wasn't looking."

"Oh, good work then," Ricky replied. "I see you've got matters well in hand here so I'll just leave these boards here with you and tend to other matters."

"Aye-aye, sir," Nico Robin agreed, she casually turned the page in her book while her other arms kept working on repairing the holes. She clearly took multi-tasking to the next level.

**-End Flashback-**

"WHAT'RE YOU DOING ON MY SHIP?" Luffy demanded.

"ALL STOWAWAYS MUST LEAVE THE SHIP IMMEDIATELY!" Usopp called out through his megaphone as he peeked out from behind the main mast.

"Why don't you ask your First Mate?" Nico Robin advised Luffy as she pulled a lounge chair out from the closet under the stairs and casually set it up on the deck.

Ricky once again found everyone staring at him. He leaned against the railing and eyed his Nakama. "I suppose there's no harm in telling you now that the threat's been dealt with and we've left the island. It turns out Crocodile's plan wasn't limited to taking over Alabasta. He wanted to rule the entire world. His real goal was to find this legendary weapon with the power destroy entire islands. The World Government went to great lengths to erase it's existence from history. You remember that little trip I went on with Mana? Robin and I found where the weapon was buried and with the help of Mana and Jun ensured that no one would ever be able to find it. After it was over, I offered her a position on our crew."

"YOU DID WHAT?" Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper all shouted in sync.

"There's no place for me to go or return to," Nico Robin stated, "So I've decided to take him up on his offer and join you."

"Ricky! I take back every bad thing I've ever said about you!" Sanji gushed as he stared at the beautiful new recruit with hearts in his eyes. "You're the best First Mate a guy could ask for!"

Luffy looked over at Nico Robin. He remembered the two times she'd saved his life following his battles with Crocodile. And he remembered how she'd saved his brother's life when he'd been fatally injured by Crocodile.

"Oh, that's okay then," Luffy agreed. "Welcome aboard!"

"LUFFY!" Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper shouted… while Sanji cheered.

"There's nothing to worry about," Luffy reassured his Nakama. "She isn't a bad person."

The other Straw Hats – minus Ricky and Sanji – didn't look convinced.

"C'mon guys," Ricky addressed the others, "Think about it, every Baroque Works Agent that's gotten on this ship has wound up our friend. I'd say that's a pretty good track record. At the very least I'd think you'd trust my judgment on this."

"If Ricky and Luffy say it's okay…" Chopper spoke up, "Then I think we can trust her."

"My, aren't you the loyal little guy," Nico Robin remarked as she eyed Chopper with interest.

"SHUT UP!" the reindeer snapped… while doing a happy jig. "SAYING STUFF LIKE THAT WON'T MAKE ME HAPPY!"

"It's not your track record with Baroque Works Agents that I'm questioning," Zoro stated. "It's your habit of recruiting deceitful women." He glanced over at Nami who glared back at him.

"I thought I proved that I had that matter well in hand," Ricky pointed out.

"Oh, and do you have _me_ well in hand too?" Nico Robin inquired as she eyed him curiously.

"Of course," Ricky replied with his signature sly grin. Nico Robin raised an eyebrow.

**-x-**

**Tmp… tmp… tmp…** Usopp tapped his finger on table as he sat in a chair on one side of it while 'interrogating' Robin who was casually sitting on the other side. Ricky casually leaned back against the door to the storage room so he could watch the 'show'.

Luffy and Chopper stared stupefied at the arm that was growing out of the deck and tapped its finger like Usopp was. **Tmp… tmp… tmp… **The hand pushed off of the deck and bent to the side so its knuckles were lightly touching the deck on the other side. Luffy and Chopper leaned to the side to follow the arm's progress but lost their balance and fell to the side. **FWUMP!**

"SHISHISHISHISHI!" Luffy and Chopper laughed. "TEEHEEHEEHEE!"

As he laid on his side, Chopper stared passed the arm, passed Usopp, and across the table and noticed that the woman… was looking at _him_.

"EEEP!" Chopper squeaked and ran behind Luffy. He 'peeked' out from around him which as usual only left one ear and antler actually hidden from view.

**Whap! **Usopp slammed his fist on the table. "PAY ATTENTION!" The arm disappeared and Robin turned her attention to him. "I'll ask you one more time: what's your name?" Remembering his manners, Usopp quickly added, "My name's Usopp. Hello." It was only proper to introduce yourself before asking something of someone.

"Nico Robin," she answered.

"Okay, Nico Robin," Usopp replied. "So what's your occupation?"

"Archeologist," Robin replied.

"No way!" Usopp gasped.

"Good grief…" Zoro groaned as he listened in to the failed interrogation.

"Archaeology runs in my blood," Robin added. "I come from a long line of them."

"So your family comes from a scientific background…" Usopp nodded and took notes.

"Tell him about your dream," Ricky advised. "We Straw Hats love a good story."

"I'm searching for the True History," the archeologist explained. "You see, there's a one-hundred year period called the Void Century that the World Government has completely wiped from the history books. The weapon Mr. One Eye mentioned before, appeared and disappeared within that century. All that's left are the Poneglyphs: blocks with characters carved into them that only archeologists can understand. There were two in Alabasta, one pointed to the other and the other explained the weapon's deadly power and warned anyone reading unleashing it."

"Whoooaaaa…" Luffy, Usopp, Chopper gasped.

"I sure know how to pick the interesting ones, don't I?" Ricky remarked.

"It was when I was eight years old that I decided to pursue archeology as a career," Robin continued. "Shortly thereafter, I found myself wanted by the World Government. Since then I've spent the past twenty years hiding from the world."

"You've been alone?" Usopp questioned looking horrified, "Ever since you were eight?"

"Then one day, I heard the calling of the sea," Robin told him. "But there's no way for a child to survive alone on the water. The only option that I found that ensured my protection and the ability to achieve my goal was… I chose to work for various rogues. Not an ideal solution but it brought me this far." She leaned forward on the table. "And here we are."

"And I'm guessing you incorporated Crocodile into your gallery of rogues," Usopp realized.

"Of course," Robin confirmed. "I used him to get to the Poneglyph in Alabasta." Usopp quickly wrote down some more notes. "I'm good at maneuvering though obstacles to achieve a goal. I'd be a great asset to you and your friends."

"Ah, you're full of confidence," Usopp noted. "What's your specialty?"

Robin rested her chin in her hand and while a playful grin tilted her head to the side. "Assassination."

Usopp lurched back in terror. "LUFFY!" he shrieked. "MY INVESTIGATION HAS PROVEN THAT SHE IS FAR TOO DANGEROUS!"

Usopp looked over at the Captain and found that he and Chopper were at the mercy of four of Robin's arms. "SHISHISHISHISHI!" "TEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!" They were being tickled.

"ARE YOU GUYS LISTENING TO ME!" Usopp shouted while Ricky shook his head.

**WHOMP! **Nami slammed her foot into the ship's railing. Drawing everyone's attention to the top of the steps to the rear deck where she'd been sitting listening to the whole time.

"Seriously, I'm disappointed," she commented. "You two are pathetic. Until recently she was the Vice President of crime syndicate. And do you really think such a woman should join us?" Nami then addressed Robin directly. "You may have fooled these idiots and you may have managed to fool Ricky but I'm not convinced. You pull anything… I'll personally kick you out."

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind," Robin agreed before she pulled out a small sack. "Oh, I just remembered… I brought along some of Crocodile's jewelry with me."

**KA-CHING! **"WELCOME SISTER!" Nami exclaimed, she was instantly standing next to the woman with berri signs in her eyes. "YOU'RE THE BEST!"

"Oh boy, here we go," Zoro and Usopp groaned.

"Nami's been had," Usopp whispered to Zoro.

"This chick's bad news," Zoro stated.

Sanji slid down the railing carrying two plates and started swooning. "Oh love! The likes of which I've never seen, I'm captured by your spell! Held prisoner in your eyes! I was driftwood floating at sea before you struck me like a thunderbolt igniting my soul!" Sanji placed a tart and a cup of tea on the table in front of Robin. "A snack…"

"Oh, thank you," Robin replied.

"Look at him, falling all over himself," Zoro muttered as he watched the cook's pathetic display.

"Yeah but he was a lost cause from the start," Usopp pointed out.

"Ugh…" Zoro sighed, "Looks like you and I are the only hold outs in this ship of insanity."

"We shouldn't blame the others," Usopp said. "Their simple minds can't resist her charms."

"Hey Usopp!" Luffy called out from behind him. Usopp turned around and found the Captain standing there with wide eyes and two hands coming out of the top of his head like a pair of antlers. Luffy took on a familiar high pitched voice, "Chopper impression!"

"TEEHEEHEEHEE!" the real Chopper was laughing hysterically at Luffy's feet.

The sight of Luffy looking like Chopper broke Usopp's resolve and he burst out laughing. "AHAHAHAHAHA!"

Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper rolled on the ground laughing and flailed their arms over their heads. The three didn't notice the fact that another pair of arms was flailing around along with theirs.

"Ugghhh…" Zoro grunted in annoyance. Now he was the only one left.

Ricky stared at him, "She's not that bad," he assured him. "She's proved herself trustworthy. She saved my life and Luffy's too. And when Crocodile asked her to tell him about the devastating weapon… she didn't. That proves that she doesn't really want to kill anyone. She just wants to learn the True History."

Zoro glanced over at Robin who was still being doted on my Sanji, "Can I call you Miss. Robin?" the cook requested. "Or perhaps something more daring that expresses my love?"

Zoro scowled and made his way up the steps to the front deck. Robin glanced over at Ricky.

"Don't worry about him," he reassured her. "He's not trusting of new people. He'll be suspicious for a while but once you've proven that you're not out to kill us all, he'll come around."

Robin stood up. "Oh, leaving?" Sanji asked. Robin smiled at him before she followed Zoro up to the front deck. "Aaaah! She's great! With an adult charm! She's far different than Nami!"

Zoro frowned as Robin walked passed him and casually leaned back against a nearby railing.

"This ship has charm," Robin remarked. "Is it always this lively?"

"Yeah, it usually is," Zoro answered, deciding to at least be civil. Robin smiled prompted Zoro to scowl again. _"This woman's up to something. But what?"_

And just like that, Nico Robin had joined the Straw Hat Pirates.

"What's the forecast Ms. Navigator?" Robin inquired. "Is it smooth sailing ahead?"

"The wind's calm and the weather's beautiful!" Nami chimed, "No problems on my end, sis!"

"How would you know?" Zoro sniped. "You haven't stopped gawking at that jewelry."

"Saaanjiii!" Luffy moaned. "Is our snack ready?"

"Be patient!" Sanji scolded him.

"But I'm hungry!" Luffy protested.

"Yeah!" Chopper added. "Me too! Me too!"

"Fine, fine, I'll go make something," Sanji conceded as he headed for the galley.

"Hey Usopp, are you gonna open that present Ayako gave you?" Ricky questioned.

"OH!" Usopp gasped. "I almost forgot!" The sniper ran into the storage room and came back out with the wrapped package that Ayako had given him before they'd left.

Usopp tore off the paper it was wrapped in and was greeted by a dark canvas with neat yellow letters scrolled across it reading: _**The Adventures of Captain Usopp – Brave Warrior of the Sea**_

Usopp slid the canvas off and revealed another. This one was a picture. A man with a long nose, blue cape and a big staff-sized slingshot stood at the top of a pass. At the bottom of the pass was a crew of nasty-looking pirates that had come off of a pirate ship with stern post shaped like a mast. And though the man was alone against the crew of pirates he wasn't backing down.

The next canvas depicted the same man bravely standing up to a terrifying man that a long sword-like claw on each of his ten fingers. But the brave man was standing firm and determined and had his staff-like slingshot drawn back and trained on the scary claw-wielding man.

Another canvas showed a battle. A big blue monster with puckered lips was firing blasts of water that had redused a forest to a field of stumps. The brave man from before was peeking out over the top of one of the broken stumps and despite the water blasts whizzing passed him he'd bravely fired a fire ball back at the monster.

The following painting showed the brave man, still armed with only his big slingshot, facing off against a man wearing a black and red cowboy hat while wielding a pistol in each hand with twenty-eight other pistols holstered somewhere on his body. But despite his opponent having more weapons, the brave man wasn't backing down from the duel.

The adventures continued with the brave man was flying out of the mouth of a giant frog, standing on the head of a huge blue tyrannosaurus, bowing to a huge ax-wielding giant who was bowing back, and then sailing a familiar-looking sheep themed caravel into the mouth of a giant goldfish.

In another battle scene, the brave man was leaping out of an explosion and was firing a shot from his huge slingshot at a dark skinned gunman wearing sunglasses and a brown trench coat.

Next came the pictures he'd already seen, the brave man lassoing the neck of a huge condor and then standing in between two huge purple lizard-like monsters.

The last pictures were battle scenes. First the brave man was jumping over the swiping claws of a mole monster while bringing down a giant hammer. Then the brave man avoided an explosion and fired a huge hammer at a large man swinging an equally large baseball bat.

There was one more canvas but this one was like the first. It was painted dark with neat yellow words printed on it that said: _**Go make more of your tales come true – Ayako**_

Usopp stared at the collection of paintings with tears streaming from his eyes and a smile on his face. She'd chronicled all his adventures and portrayed him as the brave warrior he'd always dreamed of being.

"Hey! I was there for those last two too!" Chopper complained.

"And I beat that butt-guy with the sword-claws!" Luffy added.

"Maybe she would've painted something for you if you didn't try to eat her!" Usopp snapped. Then he suddenly realized that Luffy, Chopper, Ricky, and Nami were crowded behind him staring at the paintings along with him.

"She really is quite talented," Nami remarked. "She could make a lot of money if she decided to sell her work."

"Looking back you've certainly been on a lot of adventures," Ricky observed, "Looks like she picked you as the subJAAAH!" The other four looked at Ricky who had just discovered a blue eye on his shoulder. Ricky turned to Robin who was still leaning against the railing of the front deck. "Would it kill you to warn a guy before you put body parts on him?"

"Sorry," Robin apologized with an amused smile that meant she _mostly_ meant it.

"These paintings may tell the story of my adventures," Usopp commented, "but her message was for me to go on new ones. One day I'll see her again, and then I'll have even more incredible adventure to tell her about! LET'S GO CREW!"

"I DON'T CARE WHAT THE PAINTING SAYS!" Luffy argued. "_I'M _THE CAPTAIN!"

"Oi, your snack's ready!" Sanji announced from the door to the galley.

"FOOOD!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper cheered as they raced for the galley.

Ricky shook his head then looked over at Nami and was surprised to see her wearing a jeweled ring on each finger and while the necklace he'd given her was prominently displayed on her neck. In truth it look a bit gaudy. "Hehehehehe!" she giggled a she showed off the ten rings she was wearing, "Just when you thought we hadn't taken enough from that guy… now I've got all his jewelry." They took his money, reduced his company to nothing, ruined his plans, destroyed his dreams, lost him his position of Warlord, and finally he was now imprisoned so they were directly responsible for taking his freedom. Just to add insult to injury, now they had his jewelry too.

"That's what happens when people go against the Straw Hats," Ricky resolved, "They lose."

"Hehehehe," Nami chuckled as she admired all her new rings, "I'm surprised he has so many rings... the guy only has five fingers."

"Fufufufu," Robin laughed as she watched the lively crew's antics. She'd certainly picked an interesting group of pirates to join. Although the suspicious look that the swordsman was giving her was a bit disheartening.

And so with their new Nakama Nico Robin along for the ride, the Straw Hat Pirates and the Going Merry continued their voyage along the Grand Line.

**-x-**

And that's the end. I'll post the first chapter of **Another Nakama III** next year. In the meantime, I'm going to be posting **Another Nakama Omakes** which will be a short collection of deleted scenes that never made it into the actual story including but no limited to, Ricky and Zoro's first meeting, Ricky deciding to take the Agents off of Little Garden, the Ricky-Nami betting pool, and Ollie's embarrassing story about Ricky.

'Till Next Time…

Peace1


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